RE: Speakers and Amps

From: Mike Muise (Mike.Muise@digital.com)
Date: Wed Feb 04 1998 - 18:44:16 EST


Collins, Richard [SMTP:collinsr@ccmangum.com] wrote:
> Cut out holes to mount 10-12" subs in the back left and right panels

> in the club cab just under the factory rear speaker locations?

This is a much more complicated question than it sounds. The trouble
is, if you want a sub, you can't just buy a driver (the cone-shaped
thing) and mount it up -- it has to be put in an enclosure, or it won't
make any sound (or very little, and it won't sound good, and.. you get
the idea) (note there are special subs called "free-air" subs, which
don't have an enclosure, but these are somewhat rare. Even if you use
them, the front and rear of the driver have to be separated -- i.e.,
you need to mount it on a large board, or in the rear deck of a car, or
whatever).

The point of all this is, you'll have to be pretty good with fibreglass
to build a suitable enclosure in a tight space like that. You may be
able to squeeze an 8" in, but nothing larger. Take a look at
http://stealthbox.jlaudio.com/dakota.html to see what I'm talking
about -- a properly braced, ported enclosure for an 8" is fairly big.

Having agonized and researched over this for months, here's the best
suggestions I could offer:

- buy a Stealthbox. Easy install, looks nice, sounds great. Uses
  almost no space. This is what I did.
       downside: pricey, you'll have to custom-order (4+ weeks), only
                 available for '97 and '98 models. You'll lose about
                 3" of headroom in the rear, and the use of your storage
                 thingy (which I never used anyway).

- Build a sub using sonotube or some other cylindrical enclosure, and
  a 10" or 12" driver. Mount it in the backseat, with the driver firing
  into the seat, and the tube aligned vertically. Hold it in place with
  the seatbelt, if you want. Inexpensive, easy, sounds great (enclosure
  quality will be lower than with a Stealthbox, but you'll get more
  bass and lower notes).
       downside: looks kind of funny, theft may be a concern, uses up
                 precious seating space.

- Go without. Spend your cash on a good 2-way component set with 6.5"
  drivers. It will sound OK, believe it or not.
       downside: take a guess.

- Get a 3-way component set (8" + 6.5" + 1.5") and put the 8's in the
kick-
  panels. My installer said this was impossible, but you never know.
  If you can get it done, it will sound *amazing*, and will consume zero
  space.
        downside: if you aren't a complete master of autobody work,
you'll
                  need to find a top-notch installer. You'll also need
a
                  pile of money, since I think it would require moving
                  the parking brake pedal.

> 2) Found a good place to mount a fairly large amp other than under
the
> passenger's seat?

Under the driver's seat is good, too. :) Seriously, if you're running
just
a couple of 10's (which would be quite a feat, see above), how much
power
do you need? I have a pair of MTX 2-channel amps, one under each seat,
and
they provide 125W * 4 channels at 4 ohms, IIRC. That's 250W into the
sub,
and 125 to each of the front component sets (I don't use the rear
speakers).

It sounds like you aren't yet prepared to sacrifice the back seat or cut
holes
in the cab for the sake of mounting speakers -- I think 125W * 4 should
do
nicely.

If not, try mounting amps at the extreme front of the bed, or under the
rails.
Or in the big storage compartment under the rear seats.

cheers,
mike



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