New Sound System!

[OnlyAnSE]

Hey guys, I am planning on putting two 12 inch Rockford Fosgate P2D2-12 subs in my trunk of my '01 SE. They are going to be powered by an RF T400-4 800 4 channel amp. I need to know what kind of box is going to give me the best sound. Any advice on any of this is greatly appreciated .

-Hefty

[YoungBonne12]

if sound quality is what you're looking for, A sealed box built (or bought) to the specifications of the subs would give you the best sound quality from those subs. But if you're looking for loudness and aren't as worried about sound quality, go with a ported box.

[redzmonte]

A big vented box will hit hard (high SPL "Sound Pressure Level... Loudness" but will go down in sound quality "SQ"). spec sized seald box will sound cleaner but wont hit as hard. how much trunk space do you want to give up? how loud do you want it to hit? I recently ditched my 1.1cu/Ft seald box for my 12" pioneer premier and went to a 2cu/ft vented box and gained a lot of volume (SPL), sounds about the same in as for sound quality (SQ). Ported/vented boxes tipically hit lower and don't hit as hard in mid/higher bass like a seald box will. I have 2 12's in a sealed box in my Monte, sounds good and hits good. a vented/ported box will hit harder and require less power. Just depends on what your looking for. the monte i didnt want to eliminate all of my trunk space so i went sealed, the Bonnie i have one 12 so i could run a larger vented box and not give up a large ammount of trunk space.

hope this helps,
S

[yourgrandma]

A properly tuned ported enclosure will give the flattest response with the best extension. Even with my twin 18" fi theater subs, sealed wasn't even a consideration. Sealed can give a little more accuracy if you're listening very closely, but for mobile audio, I'm a fan of efficiancy. A single 12 properly tuned will melt your face and dig deeper than two sealed 12s.

[crash93ssei]

Also depends on what kind of bass you are looking for.

A smaller sealed box will produce a tighter punchier bass while a larger ported box will produce more of a deeper more booming type bass.

For what it's worth I have one Alpine Type "R" 15" sub in a good size sealed box and I want to build a nice big ported box for it. I like the nasty low bass though

[OnlyAnSE]

I want a high SPL with the best quality possible so a dealer made custom box is probably my route. Also is there a better amp i could use for better quality/more power?

[yourgrandma]

I'm not familiar with rockfords line. Mostly because I don't like any of it.

My favorite amps are memphis audio. Look for an M-class 1000D on craigs list. They're usually cheap and they are some of the most reliable, potent amps I know of for the money. One will be more than enough to toast your subs if you want to. I've even run mine at half an ohm and it barely got warm.

As for your box, you could save a wad of cash if you go to parts express. They have a goldwood slot ported box which can be easily re-tuned for better performance. Let me know if you want more info on that route.

No matter what you do, id recommend downloading winISD and play around with different box designs.

[04BlackGXP]

^+1.

Rockford fosgate's new stuff = not so good.

Visit diyma.com and SEARCH around over there. There's a ton of knowledge to be had on that site. When you've searched and done your reading, then ask your questions.

I strongly advise against those p2's. Look at some of the SPL setups over there. If you want output while retaining some quality, I recommend one jl 12w7. But, you can't just walk into bestbuy and get those.

In the end, the enclosure matters a ton.

[OnlyAnSE]

Alright so after further research I have gone with rf p3d2-12s Instead of the p2s. I'm using a pdx-m12 amp and a CDa-117 head unit. Those subs are going into a custom built band pass box porting through my trunk hatch into the cab. I think this should be a much better setup than what it was gonna be.

[yourgrandma]

If you hvent actully bought the enclosure yet, I highly recommend you dig a little deeper here. Bandpass boxes are great if you want very high output in a specific range, or pass band. It is very difficult to get accurate, smooth response from any order of bandpass arrangement. Also due to their narrow pass band, they are very difficult to blend with speakers.

My single idq12 in a cheap goldwood slot ported box that I retuned to 24hz or so digs deep and has very respectable output. I don't know what the intended use is, but I listen to practically non stop, filthy, brutal dubstep and I see no need to upgrade my sub setup.

Not to be a downer, but I think you need to read som more before committing any cash to this project.

[BFF_Larry]

Hit up some box designers on stevemeadedesigns, and build an enclosure yourself.