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Dash Console Sub Project

131K views 475 replies 98 participants last post by  djPerfectTrip 
#1 ·
Well in an effort to get better bass impact up front I'm looking to install an 8" Elemental Designs 9kv.2 in a custom sealed fiberglass enclosure where the dash center console once lived.

Here's a pic with the console removed:



I'm going to be relocating the vents, heads up display, and pushing the headunit down to the bottom of the stereo bezel where the 'CD Pocket' lives.

Should be a fun project. The sub will be fed by my Alphasonik @ 300watts RMS.

Stay tuned for more mock-up/cutting/fabrication.
 
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#3 ·
All depends on what I discover during mockup. I'm going into the project with the thought of aiming the baffle below the surface of the dash, and putting a stealth trim/grill piece over top to make it appear stock.
 
#4 ·
Make an enclosure. attach to firewall. Drill some holes in the firewall and run it infinite baffle so you get better low end response.
 
#5 ·
:lol: While IB does sound fun.. I doubt with that huge metal cross member support I'd be able to touch the firewall.. nor would I want to cut a hole in my firewall connecting the cabin to the engine compartment. lol. Tis a daily driver.
 
#6 ·
If you can seal off the underside of the dash really well, you could also get away with using a variovent behind the speaker.
 
#7 ·
Ya that is an idea. If I have the sub on 2 extreme planes I might be able to keep the waves separate enough to fend of cancellation. Should be a pretty good separation if i was to vent on the back or bottom side. Have a source for such vents?
 
#14 ·
tuning in for this build... i really liked your last one as well.

have you thought about larger midbass drivers up front? I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for, but if it's "impact", a lot of that is from the midbass frequencies
 
#16 ·
i'm not sure how much you have played around with different frequencies and such, but if you ever want to identify the area that you feel you are lacking, get an amp, plug in a sub or midbass speaker, play your favorite "midbass"y track, and as it's playing, swing the lp filter up. if you pass 120 and it's still not "punching" you like you think it should, then you are focusing on the wrong frequencies.

i know you are not focusing on the elusive "midbass" frequencies, but when you say you want "better bass impact up front" i think the same thing. however, I don't feel it'll come from a sub. but that's just my opinion.

i have watched your build log previously, and can't help but think that the weak link is not the sub, but rather your choice of midbass drivers. i have never heard them, so this is just conjecture, but two drivers with that little cone area can't possibly give the midbass "punch" that you would expect in those frequencies.

i'm not trying to crap all over your thread and idea at all, i think this will be cool if you go through with it. however, before I would go through the relocation of vents, fiberglass, moving radio and ac controls, etc, i would attempt to get more cone area in your midbass region...

just my .02 cents :)
 
#19 ·
I agree
No replacement for displacement.
I would never run a sub regardless of location past 90hz-thats getting well into bass/midbass regions where there starts be to some stereo separation.
 
#17 ·
Possibly correct. The midbasses I selected while having a smaller cone area (I already owned them) have a long xmax. They can move a bit of air. Being crossed over from 80hz to 450hz gives them a decent sweet spot. I have played with the eq a bit and some tracks have more punch than others... But anything over 80hz @ 18db I can start to localize the sub. About the 120hz crossover point is when I can start to feel in my back the area I'm missing. So maybe it is in the bottom of the midbass range.. But an upfront sub can't hurt.. Will I swap out the midbass for the 6.5" version in the future? Possibly. Lol.
 
#21 ·
a solid pair of midbasses up front will make all the difference. the best sounding car i ever heard had a pair of 10s in the doors as midbasses (they played pretty low though). almost was perfect even without a sub running at all.
 
#23 ·
9-19-10 updates:


8" ED Sub Mockup:



10" SoundSplinter Sub Mockup:






The SoundSplinter Sub has alot larger motor structure than the IDQ I want to use (have still to find/buy). But I will use this for mockup. If this sub can fit then the IDQ will have no issues!

These pics were taken with no cutting done. Just the vent removed, heads up display removed, and hu moved to bottom of bezel. If I cut some of the dash area in front of the sub (windshield side) the sub will center up alot better.

Any progress is good progress.. Only had a couple hours to work on it this weekend.

More updates to come!
 
#24 ·
It doesn't seem that you can get enough air space for a 10 inch without going towards the firewall. I really like the idea though.
On a side note, I am also on the quest for impact up front and took a different approach to do it. I am using 7" Tang Bands underhung midbasses that will play down to 50hz mounted in ~1.0ft^3 kicks. I had to cut into behind the tires and basically made a sealed enclosure using fiberglass inside the inner fender (have one side complete). If you have mid-basses in the doors and subs in the kicks you would end up with true stereo bass response up front, something that very few people have experinced! Just my .02 :D
 
#27 ·
This is pretty neat. I've done subs in the front of cars 'back in the day'
and it can be very nice! HOWEVER, you have got to brace the crap out
of it OR isolate the crap out of it. Depending on the dash and enclosure
you stand a huge chance of making all sorts of noises within your stage.
One of the very best drivers and enclosures I used was a box Kicker
called 'the shoe box' that used a 6 1/2" woofer. These were the red and
black 'k' cone drivers. The enclosure was ported so it could be tuned to
which freq you think your missing or lacking. When I say that little box
was impressive is a HUGE understatement....

With the drivers we have on the market today one comes to mind that
could very well be perfect 100% for this app. The little Tang Band 6 1/2
lots of folks use as subs. I think its cost is very appealing also.

IMHO when I did the sub in the front installs I was trying to get that kick
drum kick, or bass guitar pluck, really fast response. I really didn't want
lots of cone excursion to give away the speakers location. Even down
firing with port opposite the cone isn't a bad move. You gotta keep in
mind your placing the driver where you want the sound to be, so no
need for loads of power or huge cones. You can very easily over run
the rest of your front stage.

I gotta hand it to ya though, 'you aint skeered!' I really like thinking outside
the box. no pun:rolleyes:

GREAT STUFF MAN!!!!
 
#28 ·
Definitely tuned in for this one! Totally 'out of the box' here. I LOVE IT!
 
#29 ·
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm still leaning towards a 10" sub. The goal is to eliminate my 12" sub from the trunk.. and a nice SQ 10" will give me the extension <30hz that I want... most smaller subs can reach that low at lower volumes.. but I want the ability to crank it up if need be.
 
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