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Sub placement in XTi


Falko

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Looking at adding a small sub (10") to the XTi this spring. Was going to go with the standard placment under the helm then was thinking about the large cavernous box beside the engine. I already have the heater installed under the helm, and I prop my feet into that panel all the time. The 10" doesn't require that much volume and putting a box in the bottom of that bin would probably only help accessing things down in there. It would be hidden behind the seat and out of the way. Would the seat block it too much? Any other issues with placing it there? The amp could mount on the side wall in there as well. I'd keep it to the outside of the boat so I could remove the engine access panel and not have too much interference.

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Yes, any closed insulated locker will take away from the woofer's perceived output. How much larger would the enclosure be, if you stepped up to the 12" in the same series? In most cases, its not much larger, but the extra output from the added surface area can helm offset the reduction due to insulation. 

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The woofer itself would come through the front of the panel, the sub box would be inside. How much of the bass is generated by the front of the woofer vs the box itself?

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23 minutes ago, Falko said:

How much of the bass is generated by the front of the woofer vs the box itself?

Think of a guitar string without the guitar. Together, they are a tuned instrument. Alone, neither works well at producing quality sound

 

28 minutes ago, Falko said:

The woofer itself would come through the front of the panel, the sub box would be inside

Direct radiating much like many helm woofer setups. Much better then placing the entire box (woofer mounted to it) in the closed cavity.   

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1 hour ago, JeffK said:

I think that depends on whether you go sealed vs ported.

Which brings up another question, sealed or ported. Ported gives you a bit more, but is muddier? Most speakers give a ported and sealed dimensions.

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1 hour ago, MLA said:

Think of a guitar string without the guitar. Together, they are a tuned instrument. Alone, neither works well at producing quality sound

 

Direct radiating much like many helm woofer setups. Much better then placing the entire box (woofer mounted to it) in the closed cavity.   

OK, makes sense. Question then, is there a preferred ratio on dimensions of the box? Could I make the face of the box, where the speaker is mounted and facing to the outside, larger and the resulting box shallower? This would give the most surface area to the cockpit and not hindered by the enclosure around the box. If I stiffened the back panel of the box (the panel directly behind the speaker) would that direct more resonance to the face of the box and hence to the cockpit? Am I overthinking it now?

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1 minute ago, Falko said:

OK, makes sense. Question then, is there a preferred ratio on dimensions of the box? Could I make the face of the box, where the speaker is mounted and facing to the outside, larger and the resulting box shallower? This would give the most surface area to the cockpit and not hindered by the enclosure around the box. If I stiffened the back panel of the box (the panel directly behind the speaker) would that direct more resonance to the face of the box and hence to the cockpit? Am I overthinking it now?

A sealed enclosure will typically yield a little snappier bass then ported, but done right, a ported should not be muddy. Mellow maybe, cause it can deliver deeper bass. But we can do that to some degree with a sealed by adjusting the dimensions. 

The woofer's specs will dictate the internal volume for optimal performance. They can also point to whether the woofer is best suited for ported or sealed. Just note that does not necessarily mean is will sound like poo in the other style enclosure. Sealed also is more forgiving with those box dimensions. A little bigger or smaller then "ideal" is not a huge deal. As long as the box is not so shallow that the back wall smothers the back of the woofer, individual dimensions make little difference with a sealed enclosure, it all about the internal volume. 

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