Will this sub survive this environment? (simple question / 4th Order)

[Mike Gann]

Hello everyone.

So my buddy went out and bought the cheapest setup he can find.. and of course he doesn't like the output. They sold him a Memphis Audio 15-SRX10D4 and gave him a generic 1cuft sealed box, so I was looking at what I can do to squeeze some db out of it. My question is, is there any reason that this woofer couldn't survive a bandpass enclosure?

https://www.memphiscaraudio.com/products/subwoofers/street-reference-subwoofers/15srx10d4/

I put in the parameters into BBP6 and here's a photo. Red is roughly the box he currently has, Orange is a sealed at Qtc .707 that I recommended, and Green is the bandpass box that BassBox recommended with the size numbers on the far right window. 4th Order with chamber 1 being sealed. Doing the bandpass seems to fill all the response he currently has while adding the lows that it's missing and some awful looking spikes. Maybe the amp he has might have a bass boost to flatten the plateau out? Either way before I put anymore thought to this, do you think it can even survive this environment? Should I stick with a simple sealed?

[Triticum Agricolam]

Wow, that sub is pretty terrible. While the frequency response would be pretty decent with the bandpass box you are proposing, I don't think that sub is worth the effort, materials, and space it would take up to build a bandpass box for it. You are looking at over a 6 cubic foot box for a 10" sub. The MDF is going to cost more than the sub did or close to it. I'd suggest putting the sub in a simple ported box, but it will suck in a ported box too. Just out of curiosity, what amp is your friend using?

While I hate to tell people this, the best thing for your friend to do is to save up some money and start over.

[ShadeTreeMechanic]

If he is new to audio, then a band pass might not be the best choice. It will survive in band pass configuration until it is driven into distortion. Distortion will be harder to hear and will be hard on it.

I would suggest a slot ported box tuned around 34hz to 40hz.

[3vil]

Tell him to return the gear and save up for something better

[Mike Gann]

Wow, that sub is pretty terrible. While the frequency response would be pretty decent with the bandpass box you are proposing, I don't think that sub is worth the effort, materials, and space it would take up to build a bandpass box for it. You are looking at over a 6 cubic foot box for a 10" sub. The MDF is going to cost more than the sub did or close to it. I'd suggest putting the sub in a simple ported box, but it will suck in a ported box too. Just out of curiosity, what amp is your friend using?

While I hate to tell people this, the best thing for your friend to do is to save up some money and start over.

The amp they sold him is Autotek ATA800.2

I know it's bad but I'm just trying to help the guy out, he has a bunch of room in his trunk and the car has a skiboot as well which I've always wanted to build a box into. I thought it would be pretty slick to build the port opening to fire into the skiboot and to the cabin of the car while cutting out the trunk area. Also I've never build a bandpass, would be some kinda learning experience for me.

Tell him to return the gear and save up for something better

I actually told him this a couple times, even just a few bucks extra can get him some good gear. He kept deflecting the idea so I didnt push much more then that.

If he is new to audio, then a band pass might not be the best choice. It will survive in band pass configuration until it is driven into distortion. Distortion will be harder to hear and will be hard on it.

I would suggest a slot ported box tuned around 34hz to 40hz.

Actually we were driving it pretty hard in that little box too, he wanted to keep cranking it up and even the bass boost into distortion. Eventually his amp would overheat and turn off so I was able to bring it down a notch. Kinda the reason for trying a new enclosure. Is sealed box distortion any less damaging then bandpass cause I'm pretty sure it's already doing it to the sub. Maybe if we are able to turn up the response I can turn down the abuse

[MADVIBES]

bandpass boxes do a really good job masking audible distortion, you could think it is sounding really good in the car but the sub is begging for mercy in the box, being the sub magnet is more than likely going to be put in the sealed side of the enclosure, smelling the coil start to burn is evern more difficult.

[Mike Gann]

I am actually making it a point to put the magnet on the ported side. Given that the woofer is already taking abuse in the sealed, I don't see the difference really. I'm not really sure that the amp can really overdrive it though, I'm guessing the amp is taking more abuse then the woofer. Maybe it would be best to run everything on 8ohms and bridge the amp to soften the voltage and spread the work over two channels. All in all probably the same in the end, I'll see what he says about it. At this point maybe it's best the woofer/amp melted so he can buy something else

[Triticum Agricolam]

Well I doubt you will burn up the sub, that amp probably only puts out about 300 watts total. What will happen is the sub will probably die from overexcursion if anything.

[ShadeTreeMechanic]

Distortion kills. Maybe he will get something better after it dies. He will still need to watch out for distortion.

[Mike Gann]

That's actually something I've been wanting to ask about 4th orders. Shouldn't the sub be protected from over excursion since one chamber is sealed, or protected as much as a sealed enclosure could offer? I've been theorizing that the woofer might receive abuse from having resistance on both sides of the cone, which is where my original post question came from. Having the sealed pull on it while the ported side pushes against it seems like twice the forces acting on the weak construction of a woofer.