First off - sorry mods. If I could find my old thread on footwell subwoofers I would have bumped it, but it seems as if that thread got lost when we switched over to the new forum format.

This is my situation:

Car: Porsche Boxster. Boot in front with sound deadened firewall and fuel tank between this and the cabin. Boot in the rear with another sound deadened firewall and engine between boot and cabin. Therefore neither boot is suitable for a sub install. The sub will probably be installed in a custom enclosure in the passenger footwell.

System: Pioneer P9R+DEQ (yes, I got the McIntosh out), Butler TDB475, Dynaudio MD130 + MW160GT + X-280.

What I need: A compact, high quality sub which will produce good bass even within a small enclosure. I do not need a LOT of bass, what I want is well controlled bass with no boominess. I want to fill out the bottom end. I am prepared to spend up to $3000 all inclusive (sub, enclosure, and new amp).

Someone has recommended the PHD NEO 12 sub. What do you guys think of it?

Also, should I get another tube driver (TDB475)? I have heard that mixing a tube amp with a solid-state amp might affect the timing.

i wouldnt recommend using a tube amp for bass even if its a tube voltage stage.

not in home audio or car audio

earl zamers BMW (b&W home drivers) used 2 milberts + zapco for the bottom end

use a zapco or something very very powerful

then get a sub that can handle that power

the biggest problem is what will fit

something to look at idmax 10 or 12 but depth is a bit of a problem

amp zapco reference 1100.1

where in the car do you want it to fit?

two 8in might fit better than one 12in..

i wouldent go an IDmax, to much overkill for a SQ system with it in the cabin, i would look at something like the IDQ, less $$ and damn fine.

Thanks jas and Bobby.

Bobby, I will probably fit it in the passenger footwell. I only need a single driver.

jas, I am not after loud bass. Like I said in my first post, the main consideration is SQ, and the secondary consideration is size and depth. I basically need the best SQ sub which is the thinnest.

So, either of you heard of the PHD sub?

sorry but ive been installing all morning so im a bit angry

but the simple point is that in a normal car yes you will have too much bass with an idmax or something that will meet your needs perfectly. depends on your tastes.

but you dont drive a normal car

its a soft top the hardest car ever made to produce midbass, bass, subbass.

the only way to do it is with high output capability subs and midbass units (long throw high power)


maybe try a jlauido 8w7 behind each seat with a 1000watt rms amp.

i would look at something reasonbly thin,
there is a few out there. the most common would be either the Pioneer or blau subs that are only a few inch's thick but eh

preferably something like the Phase Linear aliante sub


or the alto mobile fallstaff

jas, thanks for your response. You feeling better today?

The JL Audio 8W7 has a mounting depth of 17cm. I don't have that space behind my seat, because directly behind my seat is the engine firewall.

Bobby, I tried googling the Phase Linear Aliante and the Alto but could not find anything. Are those subs available in 8"?

Pioneer make a shallow sub, they are pretty heavy for their size. Only available in 12" i believe.

Link

<EDIT: Probaly bit cheap for what you want lol>

hi,
i think u should look more at the sub parameter n requirments ....shallow sub might look ideal for tight spaces but many of them needs a big box .especially the aliante n alto ones u mentioned. But it does SQ though.just that it doesnt go very loud. though.Also u can try DLS, etons or scanpeaks. .If u can find space 10inch will be better i think in term of low end fq extention.

OK, I have established that I can fit a 10" sub in the footwell. Here is what some English guy did:



Looks like I will be doing something like that. The sub enclosure can only be 6" (15cm) deep AT MOST. Any deeper and it would encroach on passenger legroom. I know this because I jammed a box in there and sat in the passenger seat. So no matter what, I would build at maximum a 6" deep enclosure.

I have decided that I want a sealed sub because I can't be bothered messing around with a ported sub. And besides, years of experience in home audio has taught me to prefer the sound of a good sealed sub.

Questions:

1. Would I be better off with an 8" or a 10" sub? In my mind, the advantage of going 8" is that the driver is smaller relative to the size of the enclosure so there would be less air springing.

2. Could I make up for the lack of volume by installing additional damping inside the sub box?

3. What woofer would be the best for my application - a shorter throw woofer or a longer throw woofer? I am going for SQ, not SPL. I would think that a shorter throw sub would be better because of the limited enclosure size. Am I wrong?

Subs I have been looking at:

8" Subs


Eton 8-710/73 HEX - link


JL Audio 8W0 - link


Diamond D308 - link


Alto Mobile Falstaff 8" - link


10" Subs


Blaupunkt ODw 1000E - link


PHD AF 10W - link

If its going to be easier to get an 8" in then its probaly worth it. The subs you listed are all good quality, so they will perform well.



Id say try it out, not alot of people really believe in using it. But it may make a smaller enclosure seem bigger. All depends on how much volume the sub needs to peform well, and how much space you got

http://www.carstereo.com/installs/photo_ga...6&galleryid=246

http://www.audioinstalls.com/shops/12

http://www.sounddomain.com/ride/602616

u can check these out too

scans

http://www.tymphany.com/prodscanspeak.php

avi

http://www.avisound.com/subwoofers.htm

or of cos u can get aliantes tooo. good luck mate.

if it was my car i would get the scanspeaks.....1 of the best 10inch subs ive heard.

Thanks for that jas. I managed to find another install in the footwell, this time using CF instead of fibreglass:



I wonder if a FG enclosure would be as rigid as an MDF enclosure? i.e. will it sound as good?

Thanks for your recommendation kinocrapa. I will check those subs out too.

if it's made properly a FG box will be just as good as a MDF one

as fair as i know phase linear aliantes are no longer available in AUS anymore. Jimbo a fellow caa member was selling one a while back, awesome sounding accurate woofer. I wasnt too impressed by the Blau when i had a demo. the Alto looks promising.

just have the baffle of the box in MDf then the rest in FG would prob get a bit more box volume being all glass to.

Try to squees a 10 in there.

I saw an install from the states using PG gear with 4 8" jl subs along the rear shelf that sits behind the seats.

another install is here could be interesting.

http://www.monney.com/boxster01.htm

the Illusion 8 in woofer install looks great, that looks like the most promising setup

there is an idea, an illusion sub...

always heard great things about these subs.

Thanks for all your replies.

It looks like I will be installing an 8" sub in a custom FG enclosure, angled so that the passenger does not lose too much foot space. I have my own idea which is different to any of the setups proposed so far

So which sub do you think would be the best?

1. Eton 8-710/73 HEX - link

2. JL Audio 8W0 - link

3. Diamond D308 - link

4. Alto Mobile Falstaff 8" - link

5. Illusion ND-8i - link

6. AVI SL-200 - link

used a eton home hex driver (dark grey colour) in some of my speakers

excellent sounding bass, great results, but couldnt handle too much power

destroyed 4 of them but i was using a massive amp to drive them



not an easy choice since you can not even get to listen to anyof them

Ahahaha, and heres me thinking, once burned, twice shy.

edit : also, reading that site shows a lot of illusion subs used in a lot of convertibles

apparently, with only 3 inches needed between the woofer face and the panel behind the kicks.

now thats impressive.

i wouldent go the Carbon series speaker in that link, that is more a midbass speaker than a sub.

i would look at the Luccent series 10in (only shallow and would easly go in)

Hi again!

After chatting with a few other people, I have narrowed my options down to two. Please comment on whether my thinking is correct and whether I have made any errors. The sub will be installed into my passenger footwell.

Like I said before, my objective is SQ. I want a "bit" of bass to fill out the sound and take some strain off my woofer.

I will be purchasing another Butler TDB475 to run the sub. This gives me the option of running mids in the future as well.

1. A free air sub in a custom panel

Pros: I will be able to fit a larger sub. I am thinking Illusion 10" or PHD 10". No need to mess around with box design. Cheaper install.

Cons: What are they? Will I lose SPL? Can't go low? Sensitive to position? Bad SQ?


2. A small 8" sub in a custom enclosure

Pros: Everyone does it so there must be some kind of advantage? What is it?

Cons: Will eat up more space in my footwell. Cost of fabricating a FG enclosure.

1: forget free air.

there good if you can set them up properly. you cant do it inthe boxter, well not without alot of work.

they still need a box of sorts. they are commonly mounted behing the back seats of a sedan and the boot is sealed of from the rest of the car.

pretty much making the boot a sealed box.

no: 2 looks like the way to go.

you can get alot of box space with FG. you can have the box wraping around the footwell, even going up under the dash to get extra space.