hey guys,
a few months back i made the mistake of going to a car audio installer to put sound in my pick-up (nissan NP200)
they gave me the whole speech of they going to build a box to spec, behind the passenger seat with a 10" lightning audio sub.
well lets just say im not really impressed. im not trying to make the same SPL as a 12" in the trunk of a car - im just looking for bass thats expected....from a 10" woofer.
i have tried changing the phase of the woofer, that doesnt really make a difference, i have messed around with the phase of the splits - also no good results.
the spec sheet says the woofer needs a 0.73ft3 sealed enclosure, by my (very rough) calculations the box is around 1.4ft3.
the amp pushes out enough power for the woofer and it doesnt distort.
so can anyone help me troubleshoot this problem?? the woofer moves a lot but doesnt make much sound. actually in the passenger seat you hear even less bass.
a few months back i made the mistake of going to a car audio installer to put sound in my pick-up (nissan NP200)
they gave me the whole speech of they going to build a box to spec, behind the passenger seat with a 10" lightning audio sub.
well lets just say im not really impressed. im not trying to make the same SPL as a 12" in the trunk of a car - im just looking for bass thats expected....from a 10" woofer.
i have tried changing the phase of the woofer, that doesnt really make a difference, i have messed around with the phase of the splits - also no good results.
the spec sheet says the woofer needs a 0.73ft3 sealed enclosure, by my (very rough) calculations the box is around 1.4ft3.
the amp pushes out enough power for the woofer and it doesnt distort.
so can anyone help me troubleshoot this problem?? the woofer moves a lot but doesnt make much sound. actually in the passenger seat you hear even less bass.
uhm... i think its american Pro. im sure the problem isnt with the amp - cos like i said theres lots of power (excursion) but not much bass.
...actually there is quite a bit of bass, just not as much as i would expect from a 10inch sub. for instance, i heard the exact same sub in a car (granted the box was massive) - it sounded quite loud. im getting about half the bass and dont know why...
...actually there is quite a bit of bass, just not as much as i would expect from a 10inch sub. for instance, i heard the exact same sub in a car (granted the box was massive) - it sounded quite loud. im getting about half the bass and dont know why...
If the cone is moving in and out lots and you're not hearing it I'd hazard that it's subsonic bass that your sub is putting out.
Check your amp settting, what's the HPF/Subsonic/Infrasonic filter set to? What's the LPF set to?
Sounds to me that the HPF and LPF are set too low and you need to raise both, subsonic to reduce the cone movement and LPF to give you more audible bass.
Try setting subsonic to around 25Hz and LPF to 60Hz and then re-audition. If that's made a noticable improvement bring the subsonic down to 20Hz (or lower, depending on how the sub handles it) and maybe push the LPF up a bit too (to taste/so it blends well with the fronts)
If you provide the outer box dimensions and material thickness I'll work out the volume you have, if you post sub model or T/S parameters I'll model it for you.
If it's a pick up you should get decent levels of bass from a small box, cabin gain will be pretty good: http://www.automobilesreview.com/pictures/nissan-np200/nissan-np200_01.html
If that's the vehicle you should have HUGE cabin gain, my Mini's is imense and it's got a bigger cabin. (smaller the cabin, greater the gain)
Check your amp settting, what's the HPF/Subsonic/Infrasonic filter set to? What's the LPF set to?
Sounds to me that the HPF and LPF are set too low and you need to raise both, subsonic to reduce the cone movement and LPF to give you more audible bass.
Try setting subsonic to around 25Hz and LPF to 60Hz and then re-audition. If that's made a noticable improvement bring the subsonic down to 20Hz (or lower, depending on how the sub handles it) and maybe push the LPF up a bit too (to taste/so it blends well with the fronts)
If you provide the outer box dimensions and material thickness I'll work out the volume you have, if you post sub model or T/S parameters I'll model it for you.
If it's a pick up you should get decent levels of bass from a small box, cabin gain will be pretty good: http://www.automobilesreview.com/pictures/nissan-np200/nissan-np200_01.html
If that's the vehicle you should have HUGE cabin gain, my Mini's is imense and it's got a bigger cabin. (smaller the cabin, greater the gain)
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Vented is always going to be louder. Post the box measurements. If outside measurements then give the thickness of the wood or plastic, fiber, ect. Lightning audio is rockford's entry level not bad stuff for what you are trying to acheve. Also privide Make and model of your amp. TheBaronGroog has explained the tuning process well. If that doesn't work then we can try more.
hey guys thanks for the input.
well over the weekend i got impacient and ported the box... and it has made a massive difference!! it at least sounds like i have a sub in the car!
thing is, i didnt make any calculations and only had a piece of 38mm PVC pipe to make a port. So i drilled 2 holes, cut the pipe to maybe 100mm long and stuck 2 ports in. im almost certain that the ports arent tuned to the right frequency but for now im enjoying the new found bass lol.
but when i do decide to try tune the ports, how do i go about that? do i run a sine wave though the system and listen for the peaks??? then cut the pipes down bit by bit untill it ssounds flat??
As for the amp - it has a switch for HPF,full, LPF. there is a pot for LPF and HPFso you can adjust filter frequency, but there is no subsonic filter unfortunately (would have liked to have it for the ported box)
there is also a bass boost switch. i am running the bass boost on 'cos i prefer the sound.
@TheBaronGroog. yes that is the car i have.
well over the weekend i got impacient and ported the box... and it has made a massive difference!! it at least sounds like i have a sub in the car!
thing is, i didnt make any calculations and only had a piece of 38mm PVC pipe to make a port. So i drilled 2 holes, cut the pipe to maybe 100mm long and stuck 2 ports in. im almost certain that the ports arent tuned to the right frequency but for now im enjoying the new found bass lol.
but when i do decide to try tune the ports, how do i go about that? do i run a sine wave though the system and listen for the peaks??? then cut the pipes down bit by bit untill it ssounds flat??
As for the amp - it has a switch for HPF,full, LPF. there is a pot for LPF and HPFso you can adjust filter frequency, but there is no subsonic filter unfortunately (would have liked to have it for the ported box)
there is also a bass boost switch. i am running the bass boost on 'cos i prefer the sound.
@TheBaronGroog. yes that is the car i have.
Ok, then I'd guess your LPF is set too low, 60-80Hz is normally optimal.
If your guessed box volume is correct then you will have just "tuned" the box to around 36Hz (good guess work!) however with 2x 38m dia ports you will get serious port noise with any more than 55wrms going to the sub. For the same tuning without the port noise you'd need a 4"/100mm ID pipe, length 16.5"
I'd suggest remaking the enclosure and investing in some design software (or hitting up torrent sites!) I've BBpro6 and it works well for me.
If your guessed box volume is correct then you will have just "tuned" the box to around 36Hz (good guess work!) however with 2x 38m dia ports you will get serious port noise with any more than 55wrms going to the sub. For the same tuning without the port noise you'd need a 4"/100mm ID pipe, length 16.5"
I'd suggest remaking the enclosure and investing in some design software (or hitting up torrent sites!) I've BBpro6 and it works well for me.
lets say this, i prefered the sound of the sub in the sealed box (sounded very clean) but output was so low it only sounded good when the car was parked haha. as for LPF tuning, i set it high (200hz), get the gain about right (muddy bassy sound), take the LPF down until the bass sounds like its coming from the fronts then push the gain up a little. it is around 80 - 100 hz (difficult to tell with those little pots)
and ya seeing as i guessed the enclosure volume i thought i might as well guess the ports.
i have pushed the sub till i hear distortion and cant actually hear any port noise. it might be because the ports are low in the box and fire under my seat.
BTW this is the sub i have: Lightning audio LA-S410. I think it only handles 100W RMS
Lightning Audio® : Product Details
and ya seeing as i guessed the enclosure volume i thought i might as well guess the ports.
i have pushed the sub till i hear distortion and cant actually hear any port noise. it might be because the ports are low in the box and fire under my seat.
BTW this is the sub i have: Lightning audio LA-S410. I think it only handles 100W RMS
Lightning Audio® : Product Details
been driving around for like 2 weeks, and only now have started setting the amp gain to sound right 😀 i have been enjoying the bass so much i just had to have it pushed to the max hahaha.
now that i have turned it down it integrated quite nicely with the fronts. so im pretty happy 😉
now that i have turned it down it integrated quite nicely with the fronts. so im pretty happy 😉
If you have the space, consider a larger vented box. Manufacturers are going to give "spec" box plans that assume the sub will be in an SUV or sedan that will play lower due to the length of the vehicle. If you build a larger vented box you can tune lower. Also, boundry load your vent. Vent out the side of the box and place it about a foot from one of the cab corners.
well guys just some feedback. I have been messing around with my HU eqauliser and crossover settings. very often doing more harm than good haha.
I might be getting some port noise coming through but i cant be sure, how can i tell?? I dont want to say the sub is distorting, its more like the bass doesnt stay clear when i turn it up.... if that make sense.
I am running 8ga wire to my amp, gains are around 1/3 with bass boost on (otherwise the gain isint enough)
Port noise is when the air coming out of the port starts to produce it's own sound, not just the rear sound wave of the woofer, the higher the volume the more you will notice it. Play some test tones and place your ear near the port and gradually turn up the volume, you'll soon notice when the port starts making noise, sounds like the wind blowing through obstructions.
ok yes i hear it when my ear is close to the port, but luckily not while i am driving.
one this i have noticed is that one radio station i listen to seems to EQ in a lot of bass. I also hear their limeters (or compressors i forget which is which) kick in on some songs - the first beat or 2 is heavily distorted then it comes right. (its def the radio station because i hear it on any system at any volume.
So the station i listen to has really cruddy sound quality and the other stations have cruddy music 🙁
all this means is its time for a bigger music collection hahahaha
one this i have noticed is that one radio station i listen to seems to EQ in a lot of bass. I also hear their limeters (or compressors i forget which is which) kick in on some songs - the first beat or 2 is heavily distorted then it comes right. (its def the radio station because i hear it on any system at any volume.
So the station i listen to has really cruddy sound quality and the other stations have cruddy music 🙁
all this means is its time for a bigger music collection hahahaha
All good then🙂
Lol, they do that over here too-Radio 1 has backing music when the DJ/news is on and the bass from that is LOADS higher then in any music content!
Lol, they do that over here too-Radio 1 has backing music when the DJ/news is on and the bass from that is LOADS higher then in any music content!
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