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Want to add a sub, recommendations?


Glove0950

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2011 lsv that did not have a factory sub and I want to add one too. I have had my eyes on so many different sub/box/amp combos my head is starting to spin. I plan on building a box but want to get a sub and amp picked out so I know how big of a box to build. Any info or suggestions would be great. I have heard it both ways but was looking at jl and kicker lately but open to anything that will add some boom to my boat

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That boat will allow for an easy sealed 12" setup. With a bit more work, you can do a ported 12". So start there, with taking some max dimension of what the enclosure could be. Then see what woofers will work within those dimensions. No matter how "good" a woofer may be, if you compromise the enclosure volume simply to go with a particular woofer, you end up with a lack luster setup. 

For a quality marine woofer, look at the build characteristics. Rubber surround, composite cone over a paper based (terms like hybrid, cellulose-based, or laminated usually indicate paper),  aluminum or composite basket. Rubber or synthetic spider. Enclosure magnet instead of exposed just to name a few. Those brands you are interested in, both offer marine and non-marine woofers with these features. There are others as well, and some listed as "marine", that do not share these features. 

Once you decide on the woofer and enclosure setup, then choose the amp.   

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QBOMB  -  The right volume, easy and it fits under the helm unless you've got other stuff in there. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C92P304/  

Put a nice marine 12" woofer in there, Wet Sounds, JL, Kicker.   https://www.amazon.com/Wet-Sounds-Revo-Subwoofer-Grill/dp/B06XTC5LWK/

  and a big amp and you're set!

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From the description in that link:

Quote

This bundle includes a Wet Sounds REVO12FAS2-B 12" Free Air 4-Ohm Marine Subwoofer and Grill Powder Coated Cast Aluminum Frame 

So wrong woofer for a small enclosure, as well as your LSV

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Mla what are you saying that woofer/box setup would be too small? From what the specs on both of those say it’s 1.3 cubic ft for both. Not saying that is a combo I’m going to go with but just trying to see what people would recommend doing since I have 0 experience with subwoofers in a marine setting 

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7 minutes ago, Glove0950 said:

Also what would be best in your guys opinions sealed or vented box?

ALWAYS go with a ported/vented box in a boat or open area, it will sound way better.  The problem most have is that a ported box requires more space and sometimes more power.  For example if a sub demands 1 cube in a sealed box, that same sub may demand 1.5 cubes in a vented.  If you really want to tune a ported box, you also have to minus the vented port which most do not.  Remember, ports are sometimes 3" PVC by 11" long (example) and that will take up an enormous amount of space in a 1.5 cube box.  You have to calculate the mass taken up by that port to fine tune.  I kind of wing it but if you want a good sight to make your speaker box bible:

http://www.bcae1.com/spboxnew2.htm  I've followed this site for years.  Hands down my 2 x 12" exile subs will make the water bounce/dance on the outside of the boat

Edited by hawaiianstyln
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@Glove0950

Rec'd enclosure spec dont really tell the sotry. Any given woofer can be run ported, sealed, IB, 4rd order, etc, with varying results.  Its when you dig into a woofer's parameters, you get an idea of how it might react in a given enclosure type, and see what type is best, and more importantly, what enclosure type to avoid with a given woofer. 

Although a 1.3 ft3 sealed spec might be listed, those mentioned parameters for the linked woofer above, tell us it will work best in a LARGE, like 3.0 ft3  and greater, enclosure. In reality, that would be the boats cavity behind the woofer. That woofer manufacturer now offers an FA (free air/infinite-baffle) and one intended for small sealed or ported enclosure. Given this, you would not need to go with the FA version. Go with the HP version and place it in the proper size sealed or ported. 

Most of the Malibu boats, your model included, do not support an FA/IB setup anyway. The best setup is going to be a woofer in a small enclosure. 

With the exception of a true IB woofer, most woofers do well in either a sealed or ported, although some perform better in one type over the other. Ported gives you more output (moved air) then a sealed, at any given amp wattage. A ported can also dig a little deeper then sealed. Beyond that, its about personal taste. Some like a punchy sealed over a mellow ported and vise versa. 

At this stage, enclosure design, amp wattage and woofer build characteristics mean the most. The brand label lends nothing to output.   

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The S4 sub and the QBOMB go pretty well together.  1.3 cu ft for the QBOMB.  Take out the sub's volume and you're close to the 1.1 cu ft that Wet Sounds recommends for the enclosure - or you can glue in a bit of closed cell foam if you must be right on the money.

Most importantly, the whole project will take a couple hours instead of several days!  And it sounds good.  I drive mine with a Kicker 12CX12001 600 watt rms amp that goes for $170 "refurbished" on Amazon.  It was actually new - just one year warranty.  Still working 3 years later.

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I'd go with a pre-fab box for sure.  I run an Exile sub (oh no, paper cone yet has been performing perfectly for years in a boat that gets a good amount of use).  I bought an inexpensive ported enclosure to get me going as I didn't have time to build a box with all the upgrades I was doing.  It is performing so well that I ended up not building a box at all.  Have another friend running a WetSounds sub in a nearly identical box with the same results.  

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