Adding bass- IB vs Boxed subs?

[BrandonG]

Hey everybody, I am kind of in a pickle about what I want to do to add some bass to my AR195. I have mounted a pair of WS Rev 10's on the tower and added a small amplified to power the 4 Polk DBs the boat came with. The boat sounds amazing as far as being loud and audible but it overpowers the tiny bit off bass the DB's are making so I want to add a sub.

If I go with an infinite baffle setup I am going to most likely go with the JL M12IB6 or with a boxed sub I am going to go with a single JL 10W7. Im not sure which would be the better setup. There is plenty of storage with these boats so an IB sub is not really a huge benefit to me personally and Im pretty sure the M12 would have to be reinforced pretty good whereas installing a W7 in a box would be easier.

Are there any drawbacks/benefits going either way or is it just preference and splitting hairs?

 

[Mainah]

If you vent the space the boxed sub is in it will be similar. Think of it like having a generator running in you driveway. With the garage door open you hear it clear as a bell and feel the vibrations. If you close the garage door the sound is muffled but you feel the vibrations just the same. With a subwoofer this is known as direct radiation. With an open environment you most definitely want direct radiation from the sub to fill in the lows in the soundfield.

Lets say you would install a vent on the boxed sub and the choice is between that and free air. The box sub will make deeper harder hitting bass. The larger free air won’t hit as hard but will certainly fill in those heard lows very well and probably better given the environment and the average low end response of the dbs.

 

[Jgorm]

A w7 in a box will far outperform a ib woofer. I put in the jl 10" ib and it sounds great and takes up no space. W7s require pretty big boxes.

 

[BrandonG]

@Jgorm, did you install the MX series that are less expensive or the M series that is like 700$+?

@Mainah, That seems easy enough to understand, thank you. I was cruising JL's website and saw something that may fit the bill pretty well, its a 10W6V3 in a ported HO box that measures 14"H- 12"W- 22"D. I feel like that could be a perfect fit to in the compartment under the port side seat where the boats starting battery is.

 

[JBehrens]

I was in a similar spot when looking at choosing a sub for the 190. There is only 1 spot in the whole boat that you could possibly fit a IB sub and that is the helm walkthrough wall (unless you go with the M8IB <- don't do that IMO). The IB sub at first did not sound good to me, did a little more tuning with the amp and it sounds a lot better but still can't represent well below ~35/40Hz (part of this is mounting location, the fiberglass is just too weak to hold the sub when producing really low frequencies), the MX10IB3 is good for mid and some low bass and will for sure help with the DB's lack in that department. If you are able to, a combination of MX10IB and JL 12W3-V3 might give you more bang and really help cover the low end.

 

[BrandonG]

@JBehrens- That 12" IB sub from JL looks like a jackhammer and with the fiberglass being so thin I think it would take a lot of work to brace it properly to get the best performance.

The HO ported box design with a 10W6 seems like it would fit the bill nicely if I can fit it where I want it.

 

[JBehrens]

@JBehrens- That 12" IB sub from JL looks like a jackhammer and with the fiberglass being so thin I think it would take a lot of work to brace it properly to get the best performance.

The HO ported box design with a 10W6 seems like it would fit the bill nicely if I can fit it where I want it.

The MX10 can make that whole wall flex, I can only imagine what the 12 would be like. Where are you looking at putting the box? some of the seat openings may not be as wide as you need to put a big box under the seat.

Here is where I put mine but it's boxed.

View attachment 91967

View attachment 91968

@jEt_jAk has an interesting setup and grill for his sub: https://jetboaters.net/threads/where-to-put-the-subwoofer-on-a-sx190.21655/

 

[BrandonG]

My boat is actually a 2019 so I don't have the bench that wraps around behind the drivers seat, But I would like to put the box in the port side compartment where the starting battery is located, although I have no idea the dimensions or if the jl HO setup I mentioned would fit.

 

[JBehrens]

2019 won't have an option for the helm walkthrough so an IB sub might be out of the running in that regard. Not sure where else you could put it on a 19ft. If you are trying to figure out fitment, you could build a cardboard box and play around with spots on the boat.

 

[Jgorm]

@Jgorm, did you install the MX series that are less expensive or the M series that is like 700$+

The cheaper one. I backed the fiberglass with 3/4 plywood and 5200 under the throttle beside the drivers seat. It flexes the outer hull maybe 1/4"

 

[Seadeals]

I know there are a lot of haters of the small subs; but I did the JL M8IB in my 21’ behind the helm seat facing forward and have been VERY happy with it. As a bonus, I saved a lot of money.

 

[BrandonG]

So to update the thread, I did some measuring over the weekend and realized I wasn't going to be able to fit the JL setup where I want it so I did some searching around and stumbled on the Kicker TB series tube subwoofer setup. It has one Comp R 10" and one passive subwoofer on the other side.

I think I can mount it under the rear port seat but may end up installing it under the passenger bench seat depending on how it sounds, will report back.