Sub sounds much worse when trunk closed...need different box???

[KMPrenger]

Hi all,

Sorry if this question has been answered but I did search this section a bit as well as google the topic before this with no immediate results.

Long story short, installed an old 10" sub today that I used to run in my 2005 dodge ram regular cab when I had it. So the sub is still in a truck box meant for going behind the seat of a truck. I've angled sub pointing away from the cabin, although there isn't much slope to the angle due to it being a truck box.

When I first had everything wired up, I tested my amp and the sub box without the trunk floor and carpet installed just to make sure it worked right before finishing it all up. Left trunk open. I thought it sounded amazing. Amp not nearly maxed, and bass left at zero and it sounded absolutely perfect. Deep, rich bass.

So I unhook everything, take out amp and sub/box....put floor and carpet and everything back in and hook everything back up so now its looking all nice and finished. Close trunk. Play.....sounds like crap. Nothing like what it was before.

When I open the trunk back up it sounds pretty good again, although I swear it is still not quite like it was before....but that could be another issue altogether.

Sooo, after all of that above...what do I need to do to get this thing sounding better? My box is sealed, and I'm thinking around 1 cubic foot. Do cars need ported boxes? I don't get it. Please help!

Thanks!

[2PitbullSS]

Have you tried orienting the sub in different directions? You should be able to hear a pretty significant difference when the sub is firing different ways. Also, all the carpet and trim in the trunk does alot to muffle the sound, especially when closed. To see just how much sound you lose when the trunk is closed try listening back seat up then back seat down!

The small box is probably limiting your sound too. I have the side firing stealth box from jl, which absolutely slams. Never heard a bad word spoken about ********'s boxes either, this is probably your best bet to be able to reuse your sub.

[Topdown]

my first inclination would be to check your wiring/phase - make sure that everything is connected as it was before.

Second, the closed trunk is definitely going to change the sound of the sub... but without knowing how it actually sounds, its hard to help a whole lot.

unfortunately, if you tuned it with the trunk open, and the back seat down, you really didnt tune it to how your going to use it, so the tune will be off when you use/listen to it.

a 1 cu/ft box is plenty for 99% of the 10" subs on the planet, especially sealed, so I wouldnt worry too much about the size of the enclosure... a ported enclosure will net you more output, but unless your missing/lacking output, sealed enclosures will give you a more flat-response curve and overall are easier to tune and harder to "get wrong".

the location of the enclosure and the direction that it fires will definitely make a difference... that part I do agree with. however when you start changing the direction the sub fires, you may need to change the phase of the subwoofer to compliment the midbass drivers... otherwise it may sound like crap again.

IMO - play with the sub location and firing direction and amp settings... sometimes tuning takes time, but its worth the time.

[KMPrenger]

Thanks for the replys thus far. By the time I got it all finished up (or so I thought) it was pretty late last night so I had no time to try tuning, the amp or change box positions but I will definitely be trying that.

I assumed the sound would change a bit when closing the trunk, but it was just so good during the first try that I never would have imagined how it sounded after. It doesn't just sound muffled, or lower in volume, but even th way the bass itself sounds completely changes. The rich, deep bass I mentioned before turns sort of into what the stock BA 6x9s sound like when trying to play a song with bass they can't quite handle. Its just not good lol.

Once I get time, I'll mess around with what was mentioned above, and if nothing works I'll probably take carpet/plastic trunk floor out and try it again just to see if it sounds like it initially did and something else isn't wrong as well.

I'd love to have the ******** box (Im using their sweet BA harness!), but for now I was hoping to save $150 bucks and just use my old box! Maybe that won't be possible.

[Topdown]

Having installed systems for 20+ years (good god I am almost old...), there is nothing wrong with your 1cu/ft sealed enclosure unless the enclosure its self has a problem. If the bass was clean, deep and rich, the enclosure is fine... its trunk thats giving you grief.

so before you make the jump to a new enclosure, definitely play with the one thats in there. fire it up, back, forward, sideways/diagonal, etc... to try and get the sound your looking for. Definitely try it with the back seat up and down to get a feel for the difference in sound (you may need to remove your rear 6x9's to allow for more sound transfer into the cab).

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

Thanks for the replys thus far. By the time I got it all finished up (or so I thought) it was pretty late last night so I had no time to try tuning, the amp or change box positions but I will definitely be trying that.

I assumed the sound would change a bit when closing the trunk, but it was just so good during the first try that I never would have imagined how it sounded after. It doesn't just sound muffled, or lower in volume, but even th way the bass itself sounds completely changes. The rich, deep bass I mentioned before turns sort of into what the stock BA 6x9s sound like when trying to play a song with bass they can't quite handle. Its just not good lol.

Once I get time, I'll mess around with what was mentioned above, and if nothing works I'll probably take carpet/plastic trunk floor out and try it again just to see if it sounds like it initially did and something else isn't wrong as well.

I'd love to have the ******** box (Im using their sweet BA harness!), but for now I was hoping to save $150 bucks and just use my old box! Maybe that won't be possible.

[KMPrenger]

Well, still didn't have much time for tuning the sub today (busy!) but I tried moving the box around a bit. It seems to sound best when the box is all the way in the rear of the car...which is the most inconvenient location because it pretty much blocks the already small trunk entrance lol.

Even then, its still definitely nothing like the trunk open....Ive also found that having the windows down makes a large difference. When I had subs in my past regular cab trucks, they always sounded best with the windows down, or at least partially down. I had hoped this wouldn't be much of an issue with the car having much more interior room. Guess I was wrong!

I was going to try removing at least one of the rear speakers to allow more of a "pass through" for the bass, but I just read what it takes to remove the rear 6x9s and it sounds like a horrible long mess. Nothing that I want to do just to test out something. Why GM couldn't have just made a cover that could be removed over the 6x9s I don't know. Instead you have to rip out most of the rear of your car. If its actually much easier than this someone please tell me lol.

Anyways, in the meantime I'll just have to keep trying and digging for ideas.

[2PitbullSS]

Oh yeah, what you have read about getting access to the rear spaeakers, 100% factual. Just dynamatted under the rear spaeakers and it took me about 4 hours start to finish. Seems foolish when you consider that the actual dynamat part took 10 minutes. One correction though, most of the rear interior does not have to come out... it all has to come out, including the rockers panels right under your doors. Good luck with your issue though, i hope you can find some resolution.