Need more punch from the bass

[Michael Lucas]

Hi there, ive recently installed a vibe 12 inch 1200 watt subwoofer in my car. My friend has a FLI subwoofer in his car and on paper theyre basically the same. However my friends one sounds more punchy, by this i mean when it hits the bass you can really feel it going through your chest. Mine doesnt do that so much. Ive fiddled with crossover and other things but i cant seem to get the same punch as my friends one. The only 2 things i can think that may make a difference is letting the spring in the sub loosen a little or maybe because i have an old car and his is modern mine just isnt very well sound proofed, but would these really make that much of a difference? Or does the stereo have a larger effect on it?

 

[highfigh]

Hi there, ive recently installed a vibe 12 inch 1200 watt subwoofer in my car. My friend has a FLI subwoofer in his car and on paper theyre basically the same. However my friends one sounds more punchy, by this i mean when it hits the bass you can really feel it going through your chest. Mine doesnt do that so much. Ive fiddled with crossover and other things but i cant seem to get the same punch as my friends one. The only 2 things i can think that may make a difference is letting the spring in the sub loosen a little or maybe because i have an old car and his is modern mine just isnt very well sound proofed, but would these really make that much of a difference? Or does the stereo have a larger effect on it?

Is it in an enclosure, or on a baffle? What kind of enclosure?

Is this the British company? Sure is nice that they have a textured dust cap, spring-loaded terminals and sleek styling, but I would really like to see the parameters and specs.

I would bet that the enclosure and tuning are wrong. Also, the vehicle makes a big difference- a longer/larger car will perform better in the low end, a smaller/shorter car will tend to be punchier, all else being equal. It has a lot to do with where your seat is, relative to the bass energy source.

 

[Michael Lucas]

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/vibe-slick-slr12a-v2-12-active-subwoofer-sub-box-1200w-built-in-amplifier this is what its is. Its in an enclosure sitting in my boot. How do i tune correctly? And do you reckon over time it will sound better because of the springs loosening? Or does that not really make much of a difference?

 

[TLS Guy]

Car audio is a very different ball of wax to home audio which this forum supports. That sub is a big driver in a small ported box, which is usually bad news. It is impossible to help you without knowing the Thiel/small parameters of the driver.

Generally however for cars a sealed sub is generally best. Firms like JL audio specialize in these type of drivers for car audio. What you get is a punchy driver that does not go down that low, but with the small cabin gain of a vehicle it extends the bass and if well done gives the effect I think you are looking for.

I very much doubt anything can be done to improve that sub. I would try sealing off the port and see what happens. I suspect though the driver is designed for ported application and you won't get much bass with the port sealed, but it is certainly worth a try.

 

[Michael Lucas]

Sorry im very new to this, what do you mean by sealing the port?

 

[lovinthehd]

Is the box that your sub driver is mounted in sealed, i.e. no slot or vent or port in the box? Look up vented vs sealed subwoofers...

 

[Michael Lucas]

Yeah it has a sort of air hole, i assume thats the port. Would a different sub be better or is this a technical thing that can be fixed?

 

[TLS Guy]

Sorry im very new to this, what do you mean by sealing the port?

Sealing the port means finding a cork or rubber bung to push into the port and tightly seal it. That is your only hope. I think it very unlikely this sub can be improved.

 

[Bucknekked]

Sealing the port means finding a cork or rubber bung to push into the port and tightly seal it. That is your only hope. I think it very unlikely this sub can be improved.

oh man. shoving a cork in to your bung hole.
I agree with TLS Guy.
I'd get another sub before I'd do that.