First off, I hope you don't mind xgtharo86x for borrowing this picture, but it's almost exactly what I am thinking about.



I want a box exactly like this, one that sits below the highest point of the hatch floor, that will hold 2 12's.

I need the measurements for a box like this, non-ported, or ported.. whichever would be better.

And here is the other thing I want, I got this pic from chevycamaro91:


I want a cover that goes over the subs, and makes the the hatch floor look completely smooth, basically so that nothing can be seen for a person passing by. Is it possible to get one of the covers in this picture, for an 83 Camaro?

I am very new to building boxes and fabricating stuff, I have installed plenty of stereos, but never fabricated but once. Any tips that anyone has would be great, and please explain it in terms that I could understand, I don't know much about this. Thanks guys.

 

No one?

 

I can't say I have the measurements or really anything that you would want to hear.

But honestly, I think you should try making your own measurements and cutting up some pieces of wood that you don't necessarily care about to practice before trying to make your own set up. I think you'd appreciate having a system you made yourself.

Just my two cents.

 

I will look today and see if I still have the piece of wood I cut for what I think you are talking about. I never completed the project, but you will get the idea. I also was just going to use the recess in the truck for the cabinet rather than making a cabinet. The one I made is for two 15's though, I just needed to put some welting around the edges to make it fit tight then cover it. I was also planning on installing the amp (s) in the bottom of the recessed hole, that way they would be hidden. If you like the idea, feel free to use it. I will take some pics later today of that wood and show you what I am talking about. And you never know maybe one day I will complete that project, lol.

 

ling427ttvette, I hope that this is not too far off what you are looking to do. First photo is the board, next one shows the lip on the rear of the truck recess that the board will sit on, and the last is the board in place. Just keep in mind that welting will be stapled around the edges as needed to make a tight fit. Then place your port holes where you like and cover with material. *Large Photos*

 

That's actually not too bad of an idea. Would be a TON easier too. I mght give this a shot.

 

Yes it is. Plates suck, and the physics that prove it have been presented on this forum time and time again.

Do a search for "plates suck" in this forum and you'll find all kinds of posts that explain why they suck.

I would also encourage you to read my article on buying a subwoofer, which goes into depth on the different types of enclosures and their pros and cons, including plates. It will teach you a lot. How to buy a Subwoofer

 

Jim85IROC is correct that sealed or properly ported enclosures are the way to go, but that is just a way to mount a couple of subs just below the trunk area as you asked. Post us some pics of whatever you get installed. Cheers...

 

Plates dont suck.....they are just always improperly made. Im not even going to bother reading the threads on "plate suck". If that baffle (plate you call it) is not completely sealed around the edges then yes....it will suck...but if the edges are completely sealed, and the baffle is sturdy, rigid, and does not flex - then it will sound just as good as any sealed box.

 

No, it won't. Not even close. You can seal the edges of the plate all you want, but unless you can isolate 100% of the sound travelling around & through all of the plastic panels at the bottom of the well, you'll have gained very little.

I had a plate for a while. I built it properly. There were absolutely no air leaks around the perimiter of the plate, but it still sounded like ***, and that's because you can't easily stop the massive hemmoraging of air around the ill-fitting, thin plastic panels that cover up the spare tire & hatch motor assembly.

 

OK so maybe it wont sound as good as a sealed box, but it should and wont sound like s*** if built properly. Actually I take that back....I sounds just as good...Ive done a million in cars like these. The woofers you were using probably werent the best for use with an open baffle. There are woofers that are made for "free air" enclosures and there are woofers that are not. Free air woofers will compensate for the "hemorraging" panels, and hatch pull down motor or what not. The old Pioneer IMPP's were great for this. Anyways...build what you want...but it can be done if hes looking for an easier way. It sounded like he was intimidated by a sealed box...and theres nothing wrong with free air. It will save him weight, and still rock his ears.

 

A free air woofer is simply a high Q driver, designed that way so that there is some semblance of deep bass in what translates into a very large sealed enclosure. Unfortunately, in the application you describe, you don't have a very large sealed enclosure, you have a very poorly tuned ported one. The result generally is a complete lack of the lowest couple octaves due to the cancellation, and a big bump in output from say 60-80hz due to the high Q design of the woofer. If that type of response is your cup of tea, then great. Generally a response like that will sound good with certain types of music, but terrible with others. It will all depend on what the bass track of that particular song is like.

Another problem with a high Q driver is that most of them achieve their high Q design by using a weak motor structure that has very little control over the cone. The result is an ill damped driver that's likely to have a lot of harmonic distortion... then again, a lot of 2nd order distortion is probably a good thing in a design like that, because it can fool an untrained ear into thinking there's more bass than what really exists.

A plate is simple. I'll certainly agree with that, but the sound is so vastly inferior to what can be achieved with a real enclosure, that I'd never waste my time making one again. I'd buy an empty tube, stuff a single 10" sub into it, and drop it into the well. It'll get louder than a pair of 12s on a plate, cost less, and it'll sound so much better.

 

wow nice explanation.