I have an Eclipse 12" Titanium powered by an Eclipse 34230 Amp (550Wx2). I origonally built a 3.0ft^3 box tuned at 38hz. It is great for Rap/Hip-hop or anything with a lot of bass, but not the best for SQ.
I plan on competing soon in SQ so I need something that sounds very good, but also does decent #'s for the SPL portion of the testing. I'd also like somewhat of a flat response, but if there is a little bit of a peak it is not too much of a concern as I can use my 30-band EQ to tune those frequencies down a little. The main thing I'm trying to get away from is the really "boomy" sound I am getting now.
I've been told so many different things about this sub that I have no clue what to put it in now. I have been told by some people that they need a very small sealed and very small ported box, other people have said it needs a huge ported box, and everything in between.
I am thinking along the lines of a .9ft^3 sealed box, or a 3ft^3 ported tuned at about 34hz. Remember the primary goal is SQ, with a little bit of SPL for daily driving and the SPL portion of the scoring in comp's. Thanks in advance!
I don't know if this is going to help you at all, but I am planning on buying the same woofer as you. I emailed the tech department of eclipse woofers, and they told me for SQL it should be in a box anywhere from .9-1.25 cubic feet. Hope that helps you.
Yea, the problem with that is that Eclipse's tech dept will always give you a "one size fits all". Not meaning that it is not a good size, it's just what MOST people would think sounds good. The Titanium is not really meant to be used in a sealed box, it is best used in a ported.
I am just torn between where I want a gain, and where I want a loss. If I overextend the bass shelf by tuning it near the Fs, I lose about 6db SPL which would put me at a lousy 137db! If I reduce the lower frequency response, I gain 3-6db, but have a large peak at about 38-42hz and lose all of my very low bass. I am just trying to visualize in my head what each would sound like trying to blend in with my SQ system, and I'm having a hard time doing so...
What are your intentions when you get your Titanium? I may be able to help you figure out what you want for your purpose.
Well, I just bought a new 05 Xterra. I don't want to kill all of my space, so I heard that the Titanium is an awesome woofer because it gets loud and is very tight. I listen to mostly metal, so there is a lot of quick double bass beats. I want something loud but tight.
I would love to have a ported because I know it would make the woofer louder, but I would no idea how to build one.
That is kind of the problem I am having except that I am looking for both extremes. I need something that is completely accurate, but competition worthy for SPL. Unfortunately, each way has a pro and a con. In a perfect world, box size would not be a concern. My limiting factor is that I am limited to 3ft^3.
In your case, you can have a very good mix of both if you are not planning on becoming a serious competitor. The problem I have is that I am looking for a 6-8db gain, but I am losing the SQ by doing so. In your case, you could find a nice medium of very good SQ with a very good gain in SPL over a sealed box, but not lose the SQ.
I actually have a high end program that plots out the db gain/loss at each frequency, woofer excursion, port velocity, even resistance at each frequency for each individual woofer by its theile-small properties (mechanical properties).
In your case, I would use a box that is 3.5ft^3 tuned at 30hz. This will give you very low frequency extention, and still yeild a 3db gain! If you do not have that much space, go with a 2.5ft^3 box tuned to 34hz, you will lose 4hz on the low end, but will still net the same 3db gain.
If SQ is more your focus, and you want the box to be a little less "boomy" you will want to tune it even lower. With a 3.5ft^3 box you will want to tune it to 21hz. For a 2.5ft^3 box you will want to tune it to 24hz. Both will give you a very low frequency range, and a very flat and smooth response. You will not gain quite as much SPL as the other 2 ported boxes, but you will still gain much more (8-10db) than a sealed box without losing much, if any, sound quality.
Measure your largest desired dimensions in your vehicle, and I will gladly put something together for you. I will even give you a breakdown of what size to cut each board and where it goes.
Well, I am putting the sub in the back, where the cargo area would be.
The dimensions, I really don't care about too much as long as they don't take up the whole back area. Measurements of this area are 44Wx38Lx25H
I don't have desired dimensions, but I will say that I would much rather have the 2.5ft^3 box. So , whatever dimensions you think will work best, that would be awesome, and would fit, i've got plenty of room.
Tuning is also up to you. I want something that you can really feel, while maintaining decent SQ. I never listen to rap, so I don't think I would need to worry about losing the lower end too much. I guess the 34 HZ sounds sweet.
Thanks for your help though, I greatly apprecaite it.
Wow, with those dimensions, you could really do a lot! LOL 20ft^3+ Anyway, 34hz is a nice note, just remember, if you try to play a note under 34hz your sub will lose its power handling drastically. However, most songs don't even play anything under 35hz.
I'm gonna plot out a few more things, I'll post back here shortyly.
No... I don't think you took that right. Your woofer will be able to play frequencies above 34 hz without a problem. The problem is that you can not play notes under that. Therefore a crossover would not help, unless it is a subsonic. Crossovers on a sub amp will cut off the frequencies above the frequency you set it at, which will not give you that protection. You would have to have a subsonic filter that would cut frequencies below that point. Some amps do have this feature, I know the Eclipse sub amps do, but not all of them.
In your case you have quite a bit of room, so you have a lot to work with. I found a very nice plot that will give you a very low frequency response, a very smooth transition, and still give you a gain of about 5db around 35hz. This is a gain of about 11db over a sealed box (2x as loud).
The box will be 3.5ft^3 after subtracting the driver displacement, port displacement, and end correction. The box will be tuned to 33hz, which is a safe number because just about every song you play will be 35hz and above. Even if the song plays an occasionaly note below 35hz you will be ok - this only becomes a problem if it is for long periods of time.
Dimensions are:
Width: 44" Length: 14" Height: 14.5"
Port opening: 13" x 3.5" Port length: 26.5"
Print that off and take it to someone who builds GOOD boxes, make sure it is made out of .75" MDF.
Or if you are going to build it yourself cut your wood as follows:
(2) front/back: 44" x 14.5" (2) top/bottom: 44" x 12.5" (2) sides: 13" x 12.5" (1) port #1: 13" x 9" (1) port #2: 13" x 12.5"
Make sure when you attach the second port piece, the end of the second piece buts up to the side of the first piece. If you do it the other way, you will lose .75" in the width of your port and lose that in your port length.
Only one more thing, I'm not sure where I can go around here to get one built, nor do I know of any good online sites, so I might be stuck building it myself..
I have experiance building sealed boxes, but never ported, is it really hard to do?
No it is not hard to do. You will probably want to use a router so your port opening is nice and smooth. Other than that, just make sure you have very straight cuts, and use the proper fasteners. If you have to, pre-drill the box and use some coarse thread drywall screws to make sure it's tight. If you use any calk, make sure it is completely dry before installing the sub. The vapors from drying caulk/liquid nails is very damaging to the glues used to make a sub.
What you will want to do for the port is cut an opening on the front piece that starts .75" from the edge's and butt the port piece up against it. Then use a router to make sure all of the edges around the port are smooth with the port.
