2 ported or 4 sealed? in a car

[scampo77]

i have enough space to install either 4 kicker l7 in my car in a sealed boxes or i can go with 2 that are ported

can anyone guide me with opinions or facts on what i should do. the reason i am leaning towards ported is only because i have read that it aids in cooling the speaker voice coils (i dont know if this is true) and i think that after long times of it being on this could help.

all i am really trying to do is to make my car heard from 6 blocks away and i dont really care about sound quality or aiming for a specific decibel level. also i dont plan on sound competitions i am very new to this and looking for some advice.

the specs i have from kicker for the 12" L7 is 1.5 cubic feet in a sealed box (anyone please feel free to correct that dimension) and the dimension i got from this site (thank you diy member "GM") which is 6.2 cubic feet.

also the amplifiers and the amp draw are not a factor i am using 1200 watt rms amps to drive each of these speakers, 3 alternators and 10 batteries

[Glowbug]

L7s are not sealed drivers, they like big ported enclosures with lots of port area.

all i am really trying to do is to make my car heard from 6 blocks away

Please...don't contribute to the problem of car audio having a bad name with the public.

Having 10 batteries and 3 alternators for a setup that will never see competition is a bit much, but that's just IMO...it's your fuel economy

[scampo77]

this never ever gets used in the city i am stuck driving to the far northern extremes of canada where i dont see people for hours. i even feel guilty asking questions like this on these forums. the last thing i want is to look like an ageing hipster who can finially afford his toys he missed buying in his youth.

the batteries and alternators are to drive enourmus power inverters which driver welders. also the alternators drive huge flood lamps for the highway. all of this stuff was in the truck for work so i figured "hey why not jam a bunch of subs and amps in it"

i cant put these in sealed boxes? why not? what will happen?

[Glowbug]

This guy is in BC: http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showth...osure...really cool design for a pair of ported L7s. Beware, that forum often has really NSFW avatars or signatures...

Another link here for dimensions of a 38Hz design: http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showth...t=L7+enclosure

i cant put these in sealed boxes? why not? what will happen?

Loss of output. There are drivers I'd recommend for SPL use in sealed enclosures, but the L7s aren't it.

[Brian Steele]

Originally Posted by scampo77

all i am really trying to do is to make my car heard from 6 blocks away and i dont really care about sound quality or aiming for a specific decibel level.

Do you care about your hearing? :-)

Two L7s vented should work just fine. Go with Kicker's specs for the boxes.

[scampo77]

thanks for the links glow bug but they dont seem to be much help. one seemed way too small (although incredible craftsmenship). and the other had no specs or pictures.

is there any advantage to these big square speakers? i cant seem to find anything good about them anywhere except the kicker website. before i build these boxes i should atleast ask....should i scrap these 2 and go with 4 new subs that require less space? i have no problems putting 2 of these 7 cubic feet boxes in my truck, i have plenty of room. what would be the reccomendation after a sub this size? it seems that the subs i have been looking at jump from the 800-1000watt rms range to a very large 4-5000 watts.

[amc32]

I've sold Kickers for many years both round and square.I am not impressed with the squares, don't get me wrong their output is impressive in a LARGE cabniet ported,don't waste your time or wood using them in small sealed enclosures.

But the thing is you "want to be heard" for the amount of space your giving up you can go with a better woofer and get more output sealed or ported.
Try RE Audio SEorSX line just a suggestion

[scampo77]

ya wow the size of the box drops way off. i can easily house 4 of this in less space then the 2 L7's.

they seem to be expensive. am i paying for the sound quality of these speakers? they seem to be a nice compromise between sq and spl.

[amc32]

Well the L7 kickers are just as exspensive,unless you bought them used.
But if insist on Kickers go the solo-classic round,I read a guide write-up on them. But I haven't heard them.

[whiterabbit]

Sealed, and I will tell you why. ported does give you the efficiency boost, but only doubles efficiency in a narrow passband. Four sealed gives you that same double efficiency, but across the entire passband. Unless you want bass that is loud at one note rather than a wide, musical spectrum.

Not that it really matters. I have a better recommendation.

you want loud bass? One REALLY EFFECTIVE way to enhance bass is by reducing losses. producing lots of bass with a dozen subwoofers is great, but if you lose some of that bass by parasitic losses putting energy into parts of the car that suck energy and re-radiate that energy in a way that further cancels the bass you are trying to create ... you are wasting money.

Prevent the parasitic losses, you increase the bass that gets to your head. How to do that?

Deaden your car really well. It's a painful process and expensive. But I promise, it'll stretch your subwoofers that much farther in the driver's seat.

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I also recommend factory spec boxes. Why? They are designed to minimize warranty returns to repair blown drivers. Best to keep you on the road with your bangin' bass rather than always waiting for replacement parts.