One or two subs?

[96CivicEX06]

Is there any real advantage of using one (800 watt for instance) subwoofer than two (400 watt for instance) subwoofers in terms of cleaner bass response or any other performance affecting characteristics, assuming that the sub boxes are the same internal volume and sealed for each sub and that there is an amplifier present that can handle 800 watts for each setup.

[AudioGuy93DelSol]

I've always prefered one more powerful sub than two lesser ones. I think it sounds more precise. Of course two high quality 400 watt subs are better than one shitty 800 watt.

[96CivicEX06]

OK cool that's what I figured since the signal only has to run to one and not two subs, which is why I ordered one kicker solo baric instead of 2 alpines.

[AudioGuy93DelSol]

Which model did you get? A friend of mine had one 10" L7 in his single cab truck and people would come up and ask how many 12's he had.

[96CivicEX06]

I ordered a 12" l5, it doesn't exactly have the power handling capabilities of the l7, but I think it'll work well.

[fraser_corey]

hey man, if i were u i would go with 2 subs, best way to look at it is that the 2 subs arn't working as hard and pounding so hard....with one sub its pounding real hard and its not as good as sound quality as 2 of them...

[Schister66]

1 small one just for full sound....don't have the trunk rattling crap...

[GScivic7]

Originally Posted by fraser_corey

hey man, if i were u i would go with 2 subs, best way to look at it is that the 2 subs arn't working as hard and pounding so hard....with one sub its pounding real hard and its not as good as sound quality as 2 of them...

whether you have 1 or 2 subs, if you have the right power going to them they're being pushed just as hard. If you have 600 watts going to one that handles 600 watts and 1200 watts going to two they're being pushed just as hard. 600 watts going to 2 that are both rated at 600 watts, you're underpowering them and will probably cause the amp to clip trying to play them at the same volume and destroy your subs.

That's a shitty explanation, it's 6:30 am and I haven't slept yet, but yah, something like that lol.

If you're looking to get something that pounds, you have to take into consideration cone area. Two subs will be louder than 1 using the same overall wattage because you're moving more air with 2 subs. This isn't always the case when comparing different brands and models, but it's something to remember.

If you're looking for clean bass, the box can make or break that. A correctly built box can make a huge difference. A lot of people say sealed boxes are for SQ and ported ones are for SPL, but a ported box or slot vent box tuned correctly can sound better than a sealed one.

It all depends on what you're looking to get out of your system. If you're just looking to fill in the lows, going with 1 small sub that can play down to the frequency your looking for will do you, just like Schister said. If you're looking to be loud, more cone area and more power are what you want to look for, plus a big ported or slot vented box tuned correctly.

[96CivicEX06]

Yeah, I'm not gonna go for SPL, which is why I went small and simple. One 1.6ft^3 sealed box with a resonant freq at around 48Hz should meet my requirements. Plus putting too much weight on my little civic might make it guzzle more gas as well as go slower than it is already.

But, for curiosity's sake, what determines the ideal box complimented with a sub? One that has a flat bass response I know, but what exactly is the ideal roll-off freq to make it not muddled, but able to handle a high range of frequencies with ease.

[95dxcivic]

Originally Posted by 96CivicEX06

One 1.6ft^3 sealed box with a resonant freq at around 48Hz should meet my requirements.

I dont think you know what youre saying, if your box is made out of mdf, then there is no resonant frequency because mdf is not resonant, and second, i think your thinking of a ported box being tuned to 48HZ, which would also not be a good set up unless your doing spl, either go sealed(no resonant frequency, more flat response) or a ported box tuned into the low 30'sHZ(should be 3db louder and peak in the mid or high 30's Hz, you can go with either sealed for clean tight bass, or sacrifice a little power handling and SQ, and go with ported for a louder set up, which still sounds really good, i have an L7 with 550 watts rms in a ported box tuned to 30Hz, dont have anything to complain about, it sounds great!

[96CivicEX06]

Originally Posted by 95dxcivic

I dont think you know what youre saying, if your box is made out of mdf, then there is no resonant frequency because mdf is not resonant

Wrong.... if what you say is true, that means it is not matter. EVERYTHING minus possibly particles and waves has a resonance frequency. Also, in the T/S parameteres there is a variable that describes the BOX'S resonance frequency based on the total q of the system times the resonancy frequence of your driver all divided by the total q of the driver or (Qtc * fs)/Qts. It doesn't matter whether or not you use MDF board, sealed/ported, etc.. or not.... it will have a resonant frequency. The previous adjustments were not accurate as the following values.


Vas = 2.41
Qts = .566
fs = 32.2
Vb approx. 1.55 ft^3

Unknowns:
fb = (Qtc * fs)/Qts
Vb = Vas/a
a = (Qtc/Qts)^2 - 1

These are the two equations I need in order to obtain the BOX (can I stress box enough?) resonance frequency or fb.

1.55 = 2.41/a
a = 2.41/1.55
(2.41/1.55) = (Qtc^2)/(.566^2) - 1
(2.41/1.55) + 1 = (Qtc^2)/0.320356
0.320356((2.41/1.55) + 1) = Qtc^2
sqrt(0.320356((2.41/1.55) + 1)) = Qtc
Qtc = 0.9046866361771

fb = (0.9046866361771 * 32.2)/0.566
fb = 51.4680383125491

thus fb = 51.4680383125491 and my sealed box resonance frequency is equal to fb Hz.

[95dxcivic]

ok, i dont know what youre saying now but in a sealed box, do you get to build your box to choose a resonant frequency, and whats the advantage to choosing a certain resonant frequency, i dont think there would be such a big difference wether you choose any frequency to resonate at because how much louder can it be at that frequency, its probably such little difference between resonant frequency and all other frequencies that it doesnt even matter

[96CivicEX06]

In a sealed box, the box resonance frequency is not really that important, since what you similarly said earlier, MDF does not resonate THAT much (of course it does though). The roll-off frequency, f3, is the variable that determines basically how low your system can go without dropping dB, which is what you want to look for.

So to put it a little more simply... possibly. Your goal in a sealed box enclosure is to build a system (box and driver) where the Qtc fits your need (a lot of people prefer flatter bass response, but not all), and to have a f3 frequency of 40Hz or below -- doing so will allow the sub to reach lower notes without dropping volume.

[93CivicSiD16HB]

Through a Panasonic head unit, I put a premade Bandpass box with 4 'bazooka' port holes, loaded with 2 400w 12" Jensen Subs(it was on sale for $145) and wired it to an MTX 400w Mono amp (was the preferred setup i guess), and wasn't sure what to expect. What came out were vibrations so rich and low the bottom of my car shook immensely but the level your head is at vibrated much less and you could hear the clarity of my rockford power speakers. But this is also at a mid level, at lower levels it isnt insane but you can still feel the subs work out the bass notes fairly well. (helped me to tighen my car on exhaust and body parts by using low vibrations and listening to the metal parts, panels and tighetning them) Basically though, what i'm getting at, is that with more power it does get wicked, but it helps keep the low end rich with bass.

[96CivicEX06]

Originally Posted by 93CivicSiD16HB

Through a Panasonic head unit, I put a premade Bandpass box with 4 'bazooka' port holes, loaded with 2 400w 12" Jensen Subs(it was on sale for $145) and wired it to an MTX 400w Mono amp (was the preferred setup i guess), and wasn't sure what to expect. What came out were vibrations so rich and low the bottom of my car shook immensely but the level your head is at vibrated much less and you could hear the clarity of my rockford power speakers. But this is also at a mid level, at lower levels it isnt insane but you can still feel the subs work out the bass notes fairly well. (helped me to tighen my car on exhaust and body parts by using low vibrations and listening to the metal parts, panels and tighetning them) Basically though, what i'm getting at, is that with more power it does get wicked, but it helps keep the low end rich with bass.

That's cool that you like it, but really it sounds like that setup wouldn't be very good for sound quality. The Jensen subs as well as the bandpass box creates a peak in a certain frequency... which is why that might be a good setup for rap, but not for rock or music that has real instruments in it.