>
> From: "Josh Battles" <jbattles@bankfinancial.com>
> Date: 2003/03/19 Wed AM 11:22:35 EST
> To: dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net
> Subject: Re: DML: Sub-woofer ?
>
>
> ""Ken Allgood"" <kenallgood@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:000901c2edc3$7add14f0$6501a8c0@ken...
> > go for the wide bass, since rock is mostly thumping bass. My 12's kick
> butt
> > when it comes to wide bass, but don't do too well with thumping bass. A
> > better system to get the both of both worlds is 2 10's and 2 12's, unless
> > you go with like 10 12's.. :-)
>
> If you pick up a 12" sub that has a long excursion then you eliminate the
> problem of not getting that tight thumping bass. I don't have a problem
> with my one MTX 12" at all...it punches pretty hard. I still miss my Focal
> Audio 13" though...it was a sad day when that sub gave up. :-(
Yeah, well, that's the difference between a $300 sub and a $100 sub :-)
>
> > As to materials, glass and plexiglass are about the best to bounce the air
> > off of. For the box, make it of some sturdy wood, minimum 1/4" thick,
> > probably better to go with 1/2". You don't want the sides of the box to
> > move at all... Also, when you build the box, use some caulk (sp?) or
> > something like that to fill up the cracks where the boards meet so no air
> > leaks out there. Not sure about lexan, don't know anything about it,
> > depends on how sturdy it is.
>
> The standard for enclosures is 3/4" MDF (medium density fiberboard) and can
> be purchased in a 4x8 sheet for about $10-$20 at most home improvement
> stores. You can also get away with using 1/2" if you like. I recommend
> using some "liquid nails" when you join the boards and then clamp it up for
> a day. Then you want to come back with some 2" long wood screws and screw
> it together. Pre-Drill your holes first!!!!! Any type of fiberboard will
> split easily if you don't. When you carpet the enclosure you can use just
> about any grade marine carpet and atach it with some spray glue and maybe
> put a staple or two at the joints to prevent peeling. Just remember to hide
> the joints on the rear/bottom of the enclosure to keep it neat and tidy
> looking.
Agree with everything here. With what he's pushing with that 10", I think 1/2" would be a good thickness.
>
> > Also, just an FYI, make sure you use thick gauge for the power and ground,
> > like 8 gauge or better (think most use 6 or 4? been awhile).. For your
> amp
> > to your sub, if you bridge it like above, use some monster cable, like
> > around 12 gauge. Remote switch from the amp to the deck won't matter, 16
> > gauge, etc. Also make sure the amp can breathe, especially if bridging it
> > as it will get hot. Any other questions, lemme know. I run systems both
> in
> > my Probe and my Dakota that I setup by myself.. I really get into this
> > stuff :-)
>
> As far as cabling goes, with that 250W Kenwood amp, 8ga should be sufficient
> but might cause the amp to run a little bit warm. Since I'm captain
> overkill I'd go with 6ga and leave yourself some room to grow. Remember
> that you need to put an in-line fuse no more than 18"-24" from the battery
> connection!!! This is important so that if something grounds out your truck
> doesn't start on fire. Speaker cables and interconnects are the most
> commonly overlooked part of the system. You just spent a bunch of dollars
> on that amp and sub and power leads, to get good power and a nice sound, but
> if you don't get good clean signal to the amp and sub the performance will
> suffer. For a woofer I'd recommend using the "original" monster cable
> speaker wire as it's rather large and generally a good quality product. Myu
> whole truck is wired up with the stuff. Most amp hook up kits will come
> with some interconnects, or you can buy your own. If you're planning on
> moving some serious sound I'd definately pick up a good high-quality set of
> interconnects. I personally prefer stinger custom pro's because they're
> thick and inhibit signal degredation in transit, but that's just my opinion.
Oops, forgot to mention that inline fuse, pretty important piece there!
Expect to pay $75 or more for some decent wiring (depending on where you go, unfortunately, most places charge 10 times the value of what the speaker wire is really worth). Easiest thing to do is go to a place like Circuit City (I prefer not them because their prices are outrageous) and buy a wiring Kit. It will have a nice thick power (with in-line fuse) and ground for your amp, as well as your speaker wires. A smaller car-stereo shop would probably be better. They're more knowledgable and usually much better prices.. Don't go cheap on your RCA cables going from the deck to the amp. You don't need super thick RCA wires like most places try to sell because it's just a line signal, very low power, but it needs to be a clean signal.
>
> I hope that this information has been helpful and sorry for the long post.
>
> --
> -Josh
> 2000 Dakota CC 3.9L
>
>
Another though here. That Kenwood has a built-in crossover right? If not, get a crossover or EQ with a sub channel. You want to make sure you pull out high frequencies from the sub channel. Once you do, you get a much cleaner sound, and since you have a cleaner sound, you can crank it up more without distorting. One of the main causes of distortion is high frequencies going to the subs, which can slso fry the voice coil on the sub...
Ken Allgood
97 CC SLT 5.2L
>
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