I have gotten a lot of emails about this so, let me try to clear a few things up. What I am going to tell you is not based on opinion, but simple physics. Every subwoofer enclosure is a trade off. The most optimum enclosure is the one that does what YOU want it to do in YOUR vehicle's acoustics. Each vehicle has what is called "transfer function". Although common sense, it is the affect that the vehicle has on the woofer/enclosure combination. Everytime the vehicle changes, the transfer function changes. So when you hear a manufacturer say that a particular woofer works in a particular enclosure, that is just to give you a general idea of what will work in most applications. Without them knowing many variables such as your vehicle's acoustics, your amp's current capability, your amp's damping factor & slew rate, your midbass driver's bass harmonic reproduction capability, placement in the vehicle, crossover point, and many other things, THEY CANNOT RECOMMEND AN OPTIMUM ENCLOSURE. That is why Mercedes builds the engine, but Roger Penske, tells them how to build it. The same thing happens in the car audio world. True professional shops will use all of the appropriate equipment and knowledge to "fingerprint" your car's acoustics and then recommend the correct enclosure/woofer combination for your application.

There are over 20 basic enclosure types generally used such as sealed, ported, bandpass, transmission line, aperiodic, compound, iso, etc. Each type has a tradeoff and the one you choose to use is based on your setup.

You should choose your equipment the same way. It is much easier to see what wheels/tires work on your car then it is to have wheels/tires that you think are good and then try to make them work properly on your car. The same thing goes for subs. You should not go buy a woofer because it is good and then force it to work in your application and then complain that it doesn't work well. We have all heard a car that has very little inexpensive gear and sounds better than the car with the better gear.

This is because the differences in gear is minimum compared to the differences in how well it matches the application. For example, this is why one person will tell you the they heard a W7and it sounded awful and another person heard it sound great.

There used to be a time when everytime you heard a JL woofer it sounded great. The real reason for this is that when JL first began, it was only sold thru places who understood serious car audio. Nowadays that doesn't apply, so you may hear it done right and you may hear it done wrong.

I wrote an article about this for Car Audio Magazine, but can't seem to find it write now. I know there is a more recent article I wrote for Under 21 Magazine, maybe I can find it.

Make sense??

 

transfer functions...damn I hated analog signals.

Anyways thanks, definately a good and informative read.

---
2004 Twlight Blue/Willow 6mt Coupe.
Bel Vector 985 Hardwired.
Grounding Kit.
Splash Guards.
Next Project: Carputer.

 

I agree, thanks.

Wanna come help me install my stereo?

J.


2004 G35 Coupe 6MT
Volk GT-7's/ TEIN Basics
Falken 245/35/ZR19 & 285/35ZR19
Kinetix Racing Camber Rods/ K&N Typhoon CAI

 

Thanks for the info!
thou I was hoping you would get into more specifics about our cars... seeing as everyone here either drives a Coupe or a Sedan..

could you give some more tips about what really suites our cars? (coupe)