Here it is ANOTHER subwoofer question?

[Geiger41]

So I am back on forth as to whether I want to drill a whole in my boat and mount a sub OR just get a box and place it in the compartment either behind the driver seat or under the steering wheel. I am curious as to how much sound is restricted if I use a box and it is inside a compartment compared to the speaker being "in the open"

Also does anyone have any suggestions as to what type of sub/box. Currently I have all JL audio equipment ready to install...minus a sub.

 

[KXCam22]

A lot of guys have been using an IB (infinite baffle) type sub mounted in a hole. A sub in that loc will sound better than one hidden inside the compartment. Keep in mind that there is a lot more ambient noise in a boat than in a car so having the sub in free air may help. Cam.

 

[wakeformer]

So I did mine just 2 weeks ago

Here is how I did it

I cut the new sub into the wall on the back seat

I installed a 3/4 MDF ring behind it for support. I also fiber glassed the ring to help seal it from moisture

Here is the sub mounted in its location

I also finished wiring up all the new switches for the docking light, under water light and interior led lights. LOTS of wire running everywhere used about a roll of 3m tape and a bag of zip ties
I finished mounting my amp and tuning the new 100% JL sound system. Holy cow does it rock. Might need a second battery

My mom the great seamstress she is made me some custom speaker bags for my tower speakers. I am going to try to put the ar230 logo on it but I am having a hard time drawing it. But hey I have time

Finally I put in a remote gain for the sub and installed my new Garlick seat post so I can see over the wind shield with out the bolster

 

[octavio3311]

I"m thinking about that seat post.

 

[Geiger41]

I wish behind my seat was straight like the picture and not curved. If I decide to drill and put a sub in Ill have to face my sub towards the middle of the boat. Maybe next time I open the boat up Ill look around to see all my options as far as drilling for placement. Im contemplating getting a box and simply placing it in a storage compartment....just need more feedback from people who have a box/boxes and haven't drilled for there sub setup

 

[txav8r]

@geiger41 You can still mount your ib sub in that location. You just need to make a bevel ring to mount to. Like a spacer. It will be flat on one side to conform to the flat mounting surface of the subwoofer, and the other side you can shape to the curve of the mounting surface on the wall. That is not a horrible j0b to do. Just order a king starboard ring from earmark online sales and shape it to the surface of the wall.

Here is how to do it pretty easy...
Put a medium grit sandpaper double side taped to the wall where you intend to mount it. Keep the ring in the same clock position all the time, but rub it across the wall (over the sandpaper) to cut the shape of the wall into it. It doesn't have to be perfect but you don't want a huge gap under the sub because your actually sandwiching the wall itself between the speaker ring you made, and the subwoofer. I am a little concerned about using MDF however, as fasteners can pull out of it pretty easy. It would be better to have a speaker ring made of birch plywood and paint that with epoxy to seal it from moisture and water. Then, if you have some irregularity of the subwoofer grill sitting flush against the wall, you can just caulk it to seal and make it clean looking. Oh, remove the sandpaper after the milling is complete! Pics please!

 

[tdonoughue]

I am in the same position, @geiger41 . I wanted to put the sub around the corner facing the inside of the boat, but I am afraid it will get hit by the cooler. Now considering putting it on the other side of the boat under the observer chair facing in and just wiring over.

The ring is an interesting idea. I went to the site and must admit that the $60 price tag for a ring seems a bit steep to me. For that I can make another pull of wire... But the process you describe @txav8r is pretty neat and sounds very doable.

 

[leeatmg]

@geiger41 You can still mount your ib sub in that location. You just need to make a bevel ring to mount to. Like a spacer. It will be flat on one side to conform to the flat mounting surface of the subwoofer, and the other side you can shape to the curve of the mounting surface on the wall. That is not a horrible j0b to do. Just order a king starboard ring from earmark online sales and shape it to the surface of the wall.

Here is how to do it pretty easy...
Put a medium grit sandpaper double side taped to the wall where you intend to mount it. Keep the ring in the same clock position all the time, but rub it across the wall (over the sandpaper) to cut the shape of the wall into it. It doesn't have to be perfect but you don't want a huge gap under the sub because your actually sandwiching the wall itself between the speaker ring you made, and the subwoofer. I am a little concerned about using MDF however, as fasteners can pull out of it pretty easy. It would be better to have a speaker ring made of birch plywood and paint that with epoxy to seal it from moisture and water. Then, if you have some irregularity of the subwoofer grill sitting flush against the wall, you can just caulk it to seal and make it clean looking. Oh, remove the sandpaper after the milling is complete! Pics please!

Mel - what a clever way to do that. I would never have thought of that!

 

[txav8r]

you can make your own speaker ring Tim. Just buy a 4x4 piece of birch plywood and cut out a circle and make your own. You can also buy 3/4" king starboard at west marine and cut one out for the bezel. But it will cost you to buy the epoxy, the materials, and take a good amount of time to do it if your not set up to do so. But you could do it making a trammel jig and using a jigsaw or router. Then sand to finish. More than one way to skin a cat!

 

[txav8r]

There are other ways to do it, but I bet you don't have a template router, so this works!

 

[upperdeck]

I used a sheet of pressure treated plywood that I had laying around to build my speaker ring. The subwoofer rocks the boat! Crank it up and the water ripples from the vibration!

No need for epoxy, and if it ever rots (which it won't) I'll just cut another one!

 

[Geiger41]

A few years back I saw this mastercraft at our local cove. When it was pulling away he turned his "system" on. The thump I heard was out of this world. My buddy and I stopped in our tracks and looked at each other like WTF was that. Found out today from one of the guys at work that the owner of that boat is friends with him. With that being said I talked to him today. His setup was similar to what mine is going to be. EXCEPT he has 2 JL 10ib5 subs and an amp just for them. Well I now know what these subs can do because ill never forget how they sounded that day. I will be ordering 2 of these and the amp for them today. Just waiting to here exactly what amp he used to push them. Ill keep my JL 8channel amp for the 4 JL 6.5's and 2 JL 7.7 Tower speakers. !!!!! That will leave me 2 channels leftover for the future unless I bridge the 2 7.7's. then I would have 4 channels on the 6.5's and 4 channels on the 7.7's

Now all I have to do is get 2 speaker rings. Are there any ones online that are decent to order? If not I have zero tools like that to build my own.. If any fellow members wish to make 2 for me ill gladly put a deposit in there paypal acct

 

[txav8r]

Earmark Marine or Earmark Online. They have the best turnkey product on speaker rings.

 

[wakeformer]

I ordered my rings from ebay just type in 3/4 mdf 10" speaker ring

 

[steined]

What color king starboard for a 242 LS? I am mounting a 10" JL IB Sub behind the captains chair. Do we need 3/4" for that area or will thinner work? How curved is that area? I don't have a West Marine local to me. Thanks in advance.

 

[Speedling]

I still need to hear one of these IB subs at work.
I know I have 2 10" pioneers in a box under the port side seating and nice amp, and it's plenty clear, plenty loud, and I actually have it turned down to save my ears. 400 watt subs and a 500x1 monoblock RF amp. Gotta tie things down or they rattle off the boat!
What kinda power do people put to these IB subs and what kinda crossover settings do they use?

 

[upperdeck]

mine puts out a ton of power, I love it. Funny to see the water ripple around the boat when the tunes are cranked!

 

[Speedling]

well, what rms watts does it take, and how much are you giving it?
Why only one?
do they make a 12"?
I'll research it a bit, but I would love to hear it first i guess.
Anyone going to #Shelbyville have one?

 

[Speedling]

Found some info and decided to share. Sounds like with IB's the bigger the better, DUH I mean, anyone knows that about anything!


7) How many drivers should I use?

This is a difficult question to answer accurately given the variables involved. To error on the side of safety, we recommend using at least double or more the Sd of that needed by a box sub used in the same room. In a small room 2-15"s should be adequate. For larger spaces or for high output, multiple 12"s, 15"s or even 18"s are desirable. People should understand the IB bass is much different than the bass from a standard 'box/tube' sub. Because of that, we recommend use of more drivers than one would normally associate with a 'normal' box sub. Please note, the primary function of using significantly more drivers is to maintain extremely low distortion and protect the drivers, not to create insanely high SPLs.


7a) Why do I need more drivers in an IB than a standard box sub?


The enclosure (for a small sealed box) functions as an acoustic high-pass filter. That acoustic filter acts to protect the driver from over excursion at lower frequencies because it rolls of the output as the frequencies go lower. Since an IB has no 'box' per say, it doesn't benefit from the protection from the acoustic filter. This lack of protection from the acoustic filter also means that an IB easier to drive at lower frequencies. As a result it's easier to hit the limits of the suspension because IB subs play so low.


8) Won't the drivers be damaged since they're not mounted in a box?


The output of IB subs is limited by the suspension travel of the driver/drivers. And they will reach the excursion limits of the suspension before reaching the thermal limits of voice coil. As a result it's a good idea to use larger drivers, or more drivers than are normally used for a standard 'box' sub.

One example of how this effects a driver is the Parts Express IB woofer. It has a 'normal' VC thermal rating of 350 watts. PE however 'de-rates' the power handling to 140 watts, when the driver is mounted in an IB. This is to protect the suspension and keep the VC from bottoming.

It is a good idea to keep this 'de-rating' guide line in mind, when choosing the drivers. When possible check with the manufacturer if you have questions about using one of their drivers in an IB.

 

[upperdeck]

From the JL website about the sub...
Highlights:

• 10" 4-ohm marine subwoofer
• injection-molded mica-filled polypropylene woofer with synthetic rubber surround
• Centrex polymer basket and grille, with stainless steel back plate
• gold-plated, marine-grade brass binding posts
• marine-grade synthetic fiber spider
• power range: 50-150 watts RMS (300 watts peak power)
• sensitivity: 86.7 dB
• top-mount depth: 5-15/16"

I drive my system with the JL Amp, HD900. I am quite happy with the results.

It doesn't appear they have a 12" version of that sub.