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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Traverse City, MI
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    2,680

    Default Thinking about re-building my sub enclosure; opinions wanted...

    Right now I have 2 Kicker Solo-Baric L7 10's; one is under the drivers dash, and one is behind the spotters seat, both in sealed enclosures.

    I'm thinking that I'd like to make some changes, and figured I'd see what you guys think about the 2 options I'm considering...

    Option 1: I'd say this is the preferred option, as it utilizes existing equipment, potentially just a better configuration.
    Rebuild a slightly larger enclosure and put both 10" L7's under the dash. I figure I can get around 1.6 cubic feet under there, which would be great for the 10's sealed. Not quite enough space to utilize a ported enclosure.

    Option 2:While I'm not married to the L7's, they have been a phenomenal speaker so far, so I don't have a lot of reason to change - unless of course Brian @Exile wants to send me something to help promote the brand here in MI LOL!
    Rebuild a slightly larger enclosure and replace the 10" L7 with a 12", either sealed or ported. I've never used ported in a boat, so I'm not sure if I'd experience better performance or not, vs. the current 2x 10s that are sealed. Power is not an issue, as I have a ZX1000.1 to power the sub(s), it seems like sealed would be the "safer" choice in a marine environment; thoughts?


    Goals:
    • Save Space; right now having 2 subs in completely different areas of the boat seems like a poor use of the limited storage space that I have. Using just the area under the dash is the best bet, both for sound and taking advantage of 'unused' space
    • Improve Sound Quality / Volume; this one is pretty subjective. I think that the 2 10's right now sound great and are incredibly loud, but I also think that I'm pushing them pretty hard (especially the one in the compartment; its pretty muffled back there)



    Also, I'm planning to use King Starboard rather than MDF and Fiberglass, which I have done with the last few boxes I've built. Some questions regarding that:
    • Should I go with 3/4" which seems to be the standard when using MDF, or do I need thicker / thinner?
    • Is King Starboard the best to use, or is there something different that is better suited for this type of job?
    • What is a good source? I've google'd around, and looked on eBay, pricing seems pretty standard everywhere. I have a local distributor as well.
    • Can I cut it with my table saw?
    • Can I use a nail gun and glue, or screws?
    • What kind of glue do you use?
    Last edited by ian ashton; 09-28-2011 at 04:04 PM.
    2013 Outback V

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Des Moines, IA
    Posts
    3,237

    Default

    I like your option 1 the best. Yes, you can cut the starboard with your table saw. I think stainless screws and epoxy would be the way to put the enclosure together. Looking forward to seeing how this project turns out!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Henderson, NV
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    Default

    personally, ditch the 10's and get a 12. do a sealed enclosure. spend some cash on a nice 12 tho. exile is supposed to be a nice speaker, but there are others out there as well that will fit the bill. an L7 would be nice. I did jl 12w6. the 12w7 would be an animal. really, any nice high end sub in the $300+ category would be a good answer

    can't speak to the king product as I used mdf. I didn't epoxy mine, used truck bed liner as it's under the dash so shouldn't see any water and I'll be tired of the setup long before the mdf ever rots out.
    '06 Supra Launch 20SSV-gone but never forgotten

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    California
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    2,840

    Default

    Option #2, maybe you could get a large box under there but you won't have any room at all. I have Exile's ported box with a 12" and it takes all of the under dash space, just enough in front to move my size 11's around a bit! It is a royal pain moving something that big in and out believe me! The seat has to come out and you have to play houdini getting it in place. Once in if you need to do ANYTHING under the dash your hosed.

    King Starboard is the shizz as far as weight savings but you'd have to brace the crap out of it to avoid flex, that's how the Exile boxes are made. You'd need a serious expoy to help hold it all together as well.

    MDF sucks, plain and simple. Seriously, it sucks up every drop of moisture there is until it falls apart. So you'd need to resin the crap out of it and then spray it with bedliner material or such in and out. This will make it extremely heavy on top of it's already bloated weight.

    IF I was making another sealed box it would be out of 13-ply Birch plywood. Very impervious to moisture and rock solid. Waterproof it and it will last for years.
    2007 Mobius LSV

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Montana
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    3,062

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sandm View Post
    personally, ditch the 10's and get a 12. do a sealed enclosure. spend some cash on a nice 12 tho. exile is supposed to be a nice speaker, but there are others out there as well that will fit the bill. an L7 would be nice. I did jl 12w6. the 12w7 would be an animal. really, any nice high end sub in the $300+ category would be a good answer

    can't speak to the king product as I used mdf. I didn't epoxy mine, used truck bed liner as it's under the dash so shouldn't see any water and I'll be tired of the setup long before the mdf ever rots out.
    I second the motion! Probably because this is exactly what I did. I used the JL 12w3 which is a step below the 12w6 SandM used but it thumps hard. IMO a 12 in a box built to spec will do everything you want it to. I'm not as techy as Dave and Brian who will certainly chime in sooner or later - but I've has everything under the sun over the last 25 years (8's, 10's, 12's, 15's). And a 12 done right sounds good with all kinds of music.
    You would definitely save space if you build a box and tuck it up under the dash on top of the foot rest. You won't lose ANY leg room and you'll gain all the space behind the spotter's seat that you don't have now.
    I used MDF and put multiple coats of resin on it. The thing is solid as a rock and sounds better than I ever expected. Not to mention, unless you are looking for it you can't even tell it's there (until I turn up the tunes)

    2007 Moomba Outback - going, going, GONE
    2015 "NOT A MOOMBA"

    Why Not? Play Hard! Get wet

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Henderson, NV
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    Ian,
    I'm sure the experts will chime in with all kinds of facts/figures and there are a lot of math/physics that go into speakers, not to mention the entire audio chain, however this is just my opinion....

    I've owned all kinds of different brands/sizes of speakers just like viking since getting in car audio in the 80's, and multiple speakers can sound great, heck, one of the best sounding boxes I ever owned held 3 late80's kicker competition 8" subs. they were very tight and controlled, and in the world of audio competitions, they performed very well since they were accurate... very fast sound. that being said, ANY truck that pulled up next to me running a single 12 sounded deeper, louder and had that bass that hit you in the gut. something that any 8" sub i've ever owned just won't do. my opinion and experience over the years has shown me that any sub with a good box and good power will sound good, but to get that low, "hit you in the gut" bass that you get at the clubs, you need larger drivers. it just feels that a 12 will play lower harder than a 10, and it doesn't matter how many 10's, a 12 feels like it will reproduce the lower frequencies that much better and louder. I get all the talk about surface area and moving air, but just because you add surface area, each sub still only plays a certain frequency range efficently.


    either way you go, I'm sure you're results will be good, however ask me for my opinion, and I'll tell anyone put a good single 12 in any vehicle for the best results.. heck, even at home, I'm using a velodyne 1210, which uses a powered 10", but it's coupled to a passive 12" to get the lower frequencies covered

    good luck and be sure and post pics of the remodel....
    '06 Supra Launch 20SSV-gone but never forgotten

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
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    3,952

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    I like the thought of the look of 2 square 10s under the helm. I think that would look awesome. However, you can't argue the performance of a single 12. I am running alpine under the helm and lost little to no legroom with a custom built box. Dusty ended up building a custom box for his exile which turned out great and didn't take up near the room the exile box does.

    Single 12 ...

    2016 Moomba Mojo
    2006 Supra 24SSV - Traded

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Vancouver WA
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    I went throught the same dilemma last year. I ended up keeping a sub in each compartment and went from 2 10" L-5's to 2 12" JL W6's.
    Same amp but doubled the volume and low end. It pounds hard. When I turn it up, anything in any of the cupholders starts spinning and dancing around.
    The only thing is I want to do now is figure out how to vent the area behind the observers seat.

    I went with birch ply, and am really happy with the perfomance of the boxes.


    PWI as usual...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Sunnyvale, CA
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    I don't have much experience with the L7's except that was what I originally wanted to put in my boat since most of my friends have them in their boats. I went by the stereo shop where I had my Nav done in my truck and asked their opinions on a box and location, I did not want it under the helm as I am 6' tall and didn't want to lose the leg room. They told me they would go with this JL 13.5" thinline sub they had and put it under the helm without a doubt. Don't get me wrong I had never used any JL stuff before as I grew up on Fosgate, Kicker and Alpine. May be dating myself a little. Anyway I wanted something that would not take up much space but still hit hard. They talked me into letting them put it under my dash in this tiny box they had. At first I was like there is no way that will sound good since the box was so small. They cranked it up and it hit hard, really hard... I was like WTF. Apparentley the speaker only requires only 0.8 cubic feet of airspace and is so thin I have only lost a very small amount of leg room. So little leg room that I never even notice it. With this speaker I don't need nearly the wattage or space that most others require and it hits just hard if not harder than my friends subs. I think people should buy what they want, but I think you should go buy your local shop and check this thing out just for comparison.

    JL Audio 13.5 Thin-Line Subwoofer Driver - 13TW5-3


    ------Sold-------
    2008 MOBIUS LSV - Acme 1847, GIII w/1100lbs Vdrive, IBS, PPSG, Wake plate, Z-5, Kenwood 700U, Kenwood Kca-RC107MR , Exile SXT65, Kicker 700.5, Kicker 350.4, Polk MM651, JL 13.5 Thin-Line Sub.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Traverse City, MI
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    2,680

    Default

    Sandm; why would 1 12 be better than 2 10s? The 10s have more surface area, and thus the ability to move more air (less efficient, but power isn't an issue).

    Am I missing something?




    Also, the enclosure that I have mow, and what I plan to build again is very similar to the Exile box, mine is just a touch smaller. And yes, it's a tricky maneuver to get it in!

    This is the current setup;

    My thought is to build the same thing, but with a larger volume box behind the facia, and 2 subs instead of one.
    2013 Outback V

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