pre-enclosed Subwoofer box

[BlueSky]

Guys,
I have seen some real cool custom built sub enclosures on this site. Good work guys. I however am a little lazier than some of you so i was looking for recommendations on what would be a good choice for a sub already in an enclosure that I could put in the area under the helm. I know it is not as clean of a job but should accomplish the purpose. I have a 2004 Mobius LS with no heater so there is quite a bit of room under the helm. Anybody have a recommendation for a pre-enclosed off the shelf sub that works well?
BlueSky.

[sandm]

I believe both earmark and exile can sell you ready to go products and check with MLA on here as he is a kicker dealer.

the bigger the better imo so skip over a 10 and look for a 12.

[mmandley]

No exact recomendation but measure the area out, then you can look at the boxes and see what fits. I would highly recomend removing the carpet off them, then spraying a couple coats of the ryno liner in a can on them. Then you can simply glue the carpet back on using 3M spray.

[mmandley]

I believe both earmark and exile can sell you ready to go products and check with MLA on here as he is a kicker dealer.

the bigger the better imo so skip over a 10 and look for a 12.

Exile doesn't deal with the boxes anylonger. I think the last of the left over boxes are gone.

[moombadaze]

I have bought 2 cheap box's at wally world, one for a 10" sub in the 08 that is got to be close to 4 years old now--still being used to this day and has not come apart that I know off. 2nd box is for the 12" sub in my current boat, again no issues, both boats have had the noses dunked and water over the bow, the 08 went thru a couple wicked rain storms to where the bilge pump ran every 10 minutes for a hour or so.

Would love to get a "good" box at some point but I don't see a reason to replace the current box

[David Analog]

Here are just a couple of problems with an off-the-shelf automotive woofer box.
It's not necessarily the exposure to direct water that is a problem. It can easily be the air moisture content, especially when the boat has a little water in the bilge and is under the cover. A little heat from the sun and it is 'condensation city' in there.
They use water-soluable MDF. They typically use the absolute cheapest form of MDF from China. The lower seams are the first to fail and the enclosure will usually lose its airtight integrity within one season. BUT, the carpet covering conceals the failed seams for several more seasons.
Rarely do they use screws, air nails or staples for construction. Normally, the box has three pre-carpeted pieces only. The top, baffle face, bottom and back are one section of MDF with CNC'd V-cuts, and is then folded around the two end caps and glued....you guessed it....with a water soluable glue.
The enclosure integrity is not only important to the sound quality, but it is important to the longevity of the woofer.
I have never seen a car box in a boat that when removed several years later, even when it appeared perfect, that the dimensions were not increased.
Get with Odin at Earmark Marine. He has a variety of 10-inch and 12-inch fully marinized subwoofer enclosures ready to go. Plus, he can make sure that you get a woofer and enclosure that are properly matched. He's a really good sound engineer.

[kaneboats]

I'm getting ready to build my own along the lines of what JMVotto did here (but it's going to hang off the hump like the Dusty version so I don't lose any precious foot room):

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?17934-Custom-sub-box-mount-pics.&highlight=custom

[moombadaze]

I'm getting ready to build my own along the lines of what JMVotto did here (but it's going to hang off the hump like the Dusty version so I don't lose any precious foot room):

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?17934-Custom-sub-box-mount-pics.&highlight=custom

Just make sure yours is done by July so I can inspect your work, if its up to par I will provide you measurement so you can do another one

[MLA]

I concur with passing on a store-boat off the shelf MDF automotive. Waterproofing the exterior aside, their typical construction is weak. Its also best to seal the inside as well. And the last thing you want to do is wrap it back with a non-marine carpet. Your typical trunk liner type box carpet will absorb and hold water. Eventually, it will penetrate what ever coating is on the outside.

[BlueSky]

Thanks Guys for all the suggestions. I have a while to figure this out since we still have snow on the ground but I am on a mission to upgrade a few things before boating season. the stock deck and speakers don't cut it.
BlueSky

[Mikey]

Not being a serious BASS Hound, i have the Kicker sealed box with the 10 Sub . It compliments the sound of the rest of my system nicely. My stereo is not HUGE and has no tower speakers at all , just to put into perspective. But for the most common time of running music while resting or between ski sets , it is a NICE sounding system, i've had many compliments.

If you want to go big this is Not the way to go but something to think about as an option.

[viking]

Exile doesn't deal with the boxes anylonger. I think the last of the left over boxes are gone.

Why Mike? Problems or just not selling enough of them?

[Brianinpdx]

The reason is that the designs we made where built to fit like a glove. Once in production we found to many examples of boats being slightly off specification which created fitment problems. We could have dropped down to a 10" size like many offer, but we just don't like the idea of putting a 10" woofer in the helm when the benefits of a 12" are so great. In the end, we opted to leave this part of the installation with the custom fabricator and focus in other areas. -Brian@Exile

[trayson]

Go here:
http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/fp/scat/106170/SFV/30046/set_num/2

I bought a box that was already coated with bedliner and that's what's in my Supra. Relatively inexpensive for what you're getting.

I have this one for a 10" at $68 with free shipping.
http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/4497469/vpcsid/0/SFV/30046

http://images.sc1.netdna-cdn.com/D/Single-10-Inch-RL110V-detailed-image-1.jpg

[csm]

I have a Boston Acoustics 10" sub in an Audioformz sealed fiberglass enclosure.... I love it.. Unfortunately, looking at their website, it doesn't look like they make it anymore, but here's what mine looks like:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/54550.jpg

[moombadaze]

What would be my advantage at this point to swap to a different box, my box is still intact, no soft spots or anything--just moved it out of the way a couple weeks back so I checked it out.

next question, my box is sealed, would the ported version's be better ?

[David Analog]

What would be my advantage at this point to swap to a different box, my box is still intact, no soft spots or anything--just moved it out of the way a couple weeks back so I checked it out.

next question, my box is sealed, would the ported version's be better ?

Remove a woofer mounting screw from the box. Carefully, and in a centered manner, press in on the woofer cone. Then return the screw. Push on the woofer again. If you do not feel a difference in the resistance then the sealed enclosure is not airtight. Not being airtight compromises the bass but also effects the woofer's longevity.

Ported versus sealed? First, you want a correctly tuned ported box for a particular woofer. An off-the-shelf universal enclosure is not optimized for any given woofer. In fact, most of these enclosures are tuned at a higher frequency for more peak output (a more obvious attribute), but you lose power handling, lose deeper bass, and lose sound quality (kind of like a one note wonder). But even in the poorest version it definitely hits louder and longer.
A good bass-reflex (tuned port) sub system will give you an appreciable increase in output. The enclosure will be larger by 40% or more, sometimes much more. And if done correctly will not sound ported. In fact, the SQ can be very good.

[moombadaze]

Remove a woofer mounting screw from the box. Carefully, and in a centered manner, press in on the woofer cone. Then return the screw. Push on the woofer again. If you do not feel a difference in the resistance then the sealed enclosure is not airtight. Not being airtight compromises the bass but also effects the woofer's longevity.

Ported versus sealed? First, you want a correctly tuned ported box for a particular woofer. An off-the-shelf universal enclosure is not optimized for any given woofer. In fact, most of these enclosures are tuned at a higher frequency for more peak output (a more obvious attribute), but you lose power handling, lose deeper bass, and lose sound quality (kind of like a one note wonder). But even in the poorest version it definitely hits louder and longer.
A good bass-reflex (tuned port) sub system will give you an appreciable increase in output. The enclosure will be larger by 40% or more, sometimes much more. And if done correctly will not sound ported. In fact, the SQ can be very good.

ok, that makes sense.

Can you point me in the direction for a tuned port box for my 12" Exile sub that wont break the bank.

[David Analog]

ok, that makes sense.

Can you point me in the direction for a tuned port box for my 12" Exile sub that wont break the bank.

Many operations that sell a particular brand of woofer will also build custom enclosures to suit. And that begins with properly fitting the boat. ? Because it does you little good if the box is too large or you must give up more leg room than you are willing to.
Every woofer has a set of specs called Thiele/Small Parameters in the manual. From those specs you design the correct ported enclosure (which is really a tuned resonator). The question is whether or not it is actually "tuned" with any degree of precision (as discussed above). And you as the end user, can have some input on how it performs. For instance, you could say I want maximum bass output....period. Or, you could say I want more output than sealed but I also want a defined tight sounding bass similar to sealed. And the designer, aided by the right computer and software, would input your preferences. Then he would model that box to see if it fits your particular boat. If all goes well then he builds you the box. Since it is hard to do this without the boat you should really find a local shop that specializes in cabinet construction whether car or boat. It's certainly easy enough to marinize an enclosure for a boat application.
Odin with Earmark Marine has a well defined sequence to handle all this for his customers. They (the do-it-yourselfer) are required to get involved, make some measurements and verify a few things so that the final enclosure build will fit. He's been doing this for a very long time and has a good process. And it is a more difficult process to manage for an enclosure that has to be shipped. But in the end it is right and sounds great.
In your case, since you already own the woofer, and because it's not a cookie cutter build, you should find a local guy that can access your boat.

[BlueSky]

How about the JL Audio subwoofer that they claim doesn't require an enclosure? It's a little pricey but could be an easy solution if they are worth a darn.

[David Analog]

How about the JL Audio subwoofer that they claim doesn't require an enclosure? It's a little pricey but could be an easy solution if they are worth a darn.

That's a good thought but the term 'free air' is misunderstood. A 'free air' or 'infinite baffle' subwoofer does require total front to rear acoustic isolation. So it must have a full enclosure. The difference is that the enclosure can be part of the boat such as a helm console or bench seating console. Also, in the case of an 'IB' 10-inch sub, the enclosure would have to be very large, from 2.25 cu.ft. up to infinite.
While the JL Audio 'IB' sub is excellent, it does not fit the application of most towboats. In a Supra/Moomba/Malibu/etc. the elevation of the bench seats are too short and the helm consoles are not sealed chambers.

[EricU]

I truly understand the idea of wanting a drop in box, but a custom made box shouldn't be all that costly if you don't want to build it yourself.

With these guys and a couple of online calculators, it is pretty easy to size. I did it for my 12" JL W6 and it sounds awesome along with ten 6.5" speakers - six in-boats and four tower mounted. They aren't the highest end speakers, but with the proper sub and enclosure it is an awesome sounding system.

My next boat I went with two 12" W6s and Wetsounds speakers and I used the same calculators. I guess my point is, if you are going to go with a decent or a great sub, go ahead and spend the time/money to build the enclosure correctly. It does make a difference, and you can also save some room down by your feet.

I figure if I can do it, anyone can! I still get a lot of compliments on my first enclosure.