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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    On a NorCal Lake Somewhere!
    Posts
    536

    Default Help pick cheap subs for our pontoon boat...

    I am going to be building some sub enclosures for our 28’ pontoon boat that we use as a landing pad while out boarding. It has an upper deck, where the kids hang out and jump off of.

    I was planning on building the enclosures for the upper deck to hold to 12” subs in a removable (for towing clearance) seat base and two more for the lower deck area.

    Can someone give me some suggestions on the following subs; I love the JL Audio W6 subs but at around 6 bills a pop and I plan on having four…


    JBL GTO1214 ~$80
    12" Single 4 ohm GTO Series Car Subwoofer



    JBL GTO1214D ~$75
    12" Dual 4 ohm GTO Series Car Subwoofer



    MB Quart PS3-302 ~$65
    12" Dual 2 ohm PS3 Series Car Subwoofer



    MB Quart PS3-304 ~$65
    12" Dual 4 ohm PS3 Series Car Subwoofer



    Kicker CVR124 (07CVR124) ~$75
    12" Dual 4 ohm CompVR Series Car Subwoofer



    Thanks for any help, Eric.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Henderson, NV
    Posts
    7,020

    Default

    not sure on what amp(s) you plan on using, but you have 3 different ohm ratings there so how are you going to hook them up?

    I'd probably buy the quart if it was me as i've never used their stuff before and it would give me a good chance to test it out at prices that aren't going to break the bank..
    '06 Supra Launch 20SSV-gone but never forgotten

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Pacific NW USA
    Posts
    578

    Default

    Sand is on to something here for you. Start with the available power you have amplifier wise. Some amps can handle 1 ohm loads, and others cannot. Even if you are planing on running 2 different sub amplifiers, the sub question still needs to start there. The key is going to be to match up the correct subs, to correct amplifier, regardless of brand involved. Make sense?

    Sounds like this is going to be a nice party once the upgrades are done.

    -Brian

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    On a NorCal Lake Somewhere!
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    536

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Brianinpdx View Post
    Sand is on to something here for you. Start with the available power you have amplifier wise. Some amps can handle 1 ohm loads, and others cannot. Even if you are planing on running 2 different sub amplifiers, the sub question still needs to start there. The key is going to be to match up the correct subs, to correct amplifier, regardless of brand involved. Make sense?

    Sounds like this is going to be a nice party once the upgrades are done.

    -Brian
    Thanks for the reply guys, but as this is a complete new system, as I dont have anything yet except the boat, I have the luxury of being able to match amps to subs.

    So, anyone have good/bad experience with any of these subs? I have really only used JL Audio for the last 10 or 12 years.

    Eric.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Euless, TX
    Posts
    132

    Default

    Eric I had one of these in a sealed box with 400 watts going to it and it hit. Was surprised how good it sounded for as cheap as i got it

    Kenwood KFC-W3013PS

    Sonicelectronix.com has it for $55
    2009 LSV Liquid Force Edition
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    - Polk MM6501UM - Kicker IX500.4
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    887

    Default

    EricU,
    I have tons of experience doing boathouses, pontoons, house boats, and yachts with a flybridge. In other words, on elevated surfaces with little in the way of reinforcing planes. I also have years of experience doing back yards, systems around pools and exterior commercial sound. Believe me, a different set of acoustic rules apply versus what you may have experienced in your towboat.
    I have a different type suggestion regardless of which woofer you select:
    Do NOT place subwoofers on the upper deck. A single well-designed woofer/enclosure located on the lower deck could easily out-perform four upper deck subs. The farther you get from the water level the less bass you will be able to create. The more you spread the subs out or attempt to disperse the bass the less bass you will have. Also, the amount of supply current and amplifier power you will waste trying to develop sound pressure at lower/longer frequencies from an elevated position is staggering.
    Try this simple experiment. Take your home HiFi or theater sub and set it out in the middle of the back yard. You will be shocked at just how anemic the sub becomes. Now, set the sub atop a ladder in the middle of the back yard. It gets much worse. You may get some midbass but you will not get ANY deep bass no matter how hard you work that sub. There are inescapable physical reasons for the losses.

    David

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Pacific NW USA
    Posts
    578

    Default

    Holy heck on the Sub analogies.

    When your done running laps around your back yard with the subs.... (wait you don't have subs?), Take it indoors and put it near a wall. This is called boundary loading and gives a nice lift in the response. Position it next to two walls and it sometimes be double wow. In my last house, I actually built the subs into the floor and ported them up thru air vents in the hardwood floor. It was awesome because people never saw any enclosures. Wait, back to this thread.... I think you where just looking for sub advice, right?

    Double wait--- I got it. Lets park the pontoon in the back yard and rock it. Thats the ticket. Anyone got a meter?

    My comments are meant to be light hearted here. I think maybe we should make a poll (not sure how to do that), and we can vote on the subs he posted up?


    -Brian

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lighthouse Point, FL
    Posts
    211

    Default

    Holy Crap Batman, remind me never to ask David for sub advice!!! I do beleive the OP asked for suggestions on subs not your resume.
    Have you ever been to an outdoor concert? If you notice they have speakers, including subs, mounted angleing down, and get great sound. Im sure some audio engineer has done a lot more research in how to make it work then anyone here.
    My suggestion is to follow that concept when building your enclosure.


    hey I still didnt answer his question
    REALLY????

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Portland Oregon
    Posts
    1,395

    Default

    Ever heard the exile big 12 Eric? It won't disappoint you either. Just throwing it out there.
    -Jake

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    887

    Default

    ^^^^ talk about going off topic and an unrelated plug.

    IMO, the Exile BIG 12 is just an okay woofer for what you pay after discount. But there is nothing unique about it. Made in a N. Calif. build house that designs and makes many other brands. Nothing proprietary about the parts other than the Exile dustcap. Some of the specs are useless like peak to peak Xmax (who cares what the maximum uncontrolled excursion is).
    Paper cone. Very high resonance for a sound quality sub (absolutely trades off low frequency extension for more peak output over a narrower bandwidth). A 3-inch 4-layer voice coil is going to be hungry so don't expect this sub to rock until you put a ton of power on it. So when you combine this woofer cost with the required amplifier, this will be a long way from bass on a budget.

    David

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