Some ideas for an enclosure for a 2010 Dodge Ram Crew Cab

[sumgruuvz]

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forums. I have experience with car audio for about 20 years as a hobby. Been lurking mostly on here but I want to get some ideas in place for a new build for my truck. I currently have a 10" kicker solo classic sealed in an underseat custom enclosure with about .67 cu ft before displacement. I'm running it off a kicker zx400.1 at 2 ohms. I listen mainly to rock/classic rock/metal 95% of the time. Rap and R/B is the other 5%. So quickness and punch is very important to me for my listening preference. My goal is to get the low punch that you get when you go to a concert and listen to those 18"s hit you in the gut. Super deep is not that necessary, but deeper and punchier than what I currently get, which sucks ass.

What I'm planning on doing is to have my friend help me build a custom fiberglass enclosure and getting a different sub. I've narrowed it down to the RE Audio SCX10 or the Sundown e10 v3 d4. I've ran some comparisons on WINISD and the results are a little different, but pretty close with the parameters I'm using. The Re has a better TFM while the Sundown is a little better on SPL from about 57 hz up. I have no idea what the TFM is, but hopefully one of you can help out on that. So that would make my decision a little easier on which sub to get.

Now with the fiberglass enclosure, I know making it ported is going to be near to impossible. If it is possible, I'd like to hear ideas on how to do it. So my other option would be to get a 12" earthquake SLAPS PR. Now for a few questions about all this. (Sorry for the story, but want to give as much info as possible)

Ported, PR, or sealed?

Based on the WINISD I came up with, which would be better for my musical preference?

Understanding the terms in WINISD would be a pleasure. A little help?

My budget is going to be around $300-$350 for materials. I don't want to upgrade the amp yet. It's working fine. I'm looking more for sound quality than boom. (Rock music?? ) I also want to keep the enclosure under the seat. I have a big family and space is a premium.

Thanks for any help.

[sumgruuvz]

So I compared also with these two with the Dayton 265 dvc and the image dynamics idq10 d4 on WINISD. Out of all those subs, the sundown is flat from about 40 hz up. Same with it on the TFM. SPL wise, it's the lowest, but the flattest. I know it's going to differ in the truck with cabin gain, etc. Out of the 4 I mentioned, the Sundown is the most surprising to me. What does anyone have to say about this? Any other important factors to look into?

[bigmizzle99]

Just throw out all the models because they wont help you at all.

Do research.

Read this forum and see how many times you see people talking about Dayton subwoofers or Image Dynamics. Then search and see how many people run Sundown, or DC audio, or Digital Designs, or Ascendant Audio, or Sounqubed. Then figure out if those people are satisfied with their sub choice or not.

If you want punch and listen to rock/metal, then you want a sealed sub. Forget porting.

Don't waste your time building a fiberglass enclosure first...build the box out of mdf, hook it up, and see if its right for you. Follow the manufactures recommended enclosure size.

Also do a search for trucks and under seat subwoofers, there are tons on here.

[sumgruuvz]

Just throw out all the models because they wont help you at all.

Do research.

Read this forum and see how many times you see people talking about Dayton subwoofers or Image Dynamics. Then search and see how many people run Sundown, or DC audio, or Digital Designs, or Ascendant Audio, or Sounqubed. Then figure out if those people are satisfied with their sub choice or not.

If you want punch and listen to rock/metal, then you want a sealed sub. Forget porting.

Don't waste your time building a fiberglass enclosure first...build the box out of mdf, hook it up, and see if its right for you. Follow the manufactures recommended enclosure size.

Also do a search for trucks and under seat subwoofers, there are tons on here.

I have done a lot of research but am unsure of what to pick. My current box is mdf but with the way the pocket is, it's really hard to make it that way and be efficient with air space and no gaps. I've fibered the inside of it and it helped, but still not that great.

I see all the Sundown etc., comments and it's mainly from bassheads. Not finding much reassurance for any type of sq from them, especially with my budget.

[bigmizzle99]

Just throw out all the models because they wont help you at all.

Do research.

Read this forum and see how many times you see people talking about Dayton subwoofers or Image Dynamics. Then search and see how many people run Sundown, or DC audio, or Digital Designs, or Ascendant Audio, or Sounqubed. Then figure out if those people are satisfied with their sub choice or not.

If you want punch and listen to rock/metal, then you want a sealed sub. Forget porting.

Don't waste your time building a fiberglass enclosure first...build the box out of mdf, hook it up, and see if its right for you. Follow the manufactures recommended enclosure size.

Also do a search for trucks and under seat subwoofers, there are tons on here.

I have done a lot of research but am unsure of what to pick. My current box is mdf but with the way the pocket is, it's really hard to make it that way and be efficient with air space and no gaps. I've fibered the inside of it and it helped, but still not that great.

I see all the Sundown etc., comments and it's mainly from bassheads. Not finding much reassurance for any type of sq from them, especially with my budget.

What do you think sound quality is?

I run into this situation all the time in my line of work, where my line of business says they want something but it's so high level it cant be delivered.

What are the requirements of a subwoofer that make it SQ? Do you know? If you dont, then you're just looking for someones subjective interpretation of SQ.

Steve Meade has a 15" SMD, ported, in 5000 watts in the Lexus and he referred to it once as more SQ than SPL.

Most would say sealed is more SQ than ported. Subjective. Find out where you stand in that comparison.

Then, start looking at drivers that will fit your application. Specifically, check the T-S parameters and figure out their EBP. Once you have a list of drivers and EBPs, you'll know which are suited for porting and which for sealed.

Then select one that you think looks good on paper and search the internet to see if anyone is using it the way you want to use it.

[Chance_P]

I put a pair of sundown sd2 12s in my brothers '10 ram. Ported under rear seat. Its very musical. I'd suggest the sundown sd3's. The sd2s are tuned to 33hz btw.

[sumgruuvz]

Just throw out all the models because they wont help you at all.

Do research.

Read this forum and see how many times you see people talking about Dayton subwoofers or Image Dynamics. Then search and see how many people run Sundown, or DC audio, or Digital Designs, or Ascendant Audio, or Sounqubed. Then figure out if those people are satisfied with their sub choice or not.

If you want punch and listen to rock/metal, then you want a sealed sub. Forget porting.

Don't waste your time building a fiberglass enclosure first...build the box out of mdf, hook it up, and see if its right for you. Follow the manufactures recommended enclosure size.

Also do a search for trucks and under seat subwoofers, there are tons on here.

I have done a lot of research but am unsure of what to pick. My current box is mdf but with the way the pocket is, it's really hard to make it that way and be efficient with air space and no gaps. I've fibered the inside of it and it helped, but still not that great.

I see all the Sundown etc., comments and it's mainly from bassheads. Not finding much reassurance for any type of sq from them, especially with my budget.

What do you think sound quality is?

I run into this situation all the time in my line of work, where my line of business says they want something but it's so high level it cant be delivered.

What are the requirements of a subwoofer that make it SQ? Do you know? If you dont, then you're just looking for someones subjective interpretation of SQ.

Steve Meade has a 15" SMD, ported, in 5000 watts in the Lexus and he referred to it once as more SQ than SPL.

Most would say sealed is more SQ than ported. Subjective. Find out where you stand in that comparison.

Then, start looking at drivers that will fit your application. Specifically, check the T-S parameters and figure out their EBP. Once you have a list of drivers and EBPs, you'll know which are suited for porting and which for sealed.

Then select one that you think looks good on paper and search the internet to see if anyone is using it the way you want to use it.

As a musician, I want something to be replicated as close to possible, with the volume to be authoritative. I've read a lot of reviews about how some claim for sq to be a certain criteria. But I don't want to follow those applications specifically. It's a work truck and don't really need an elaborate system, per say, but I want it clean. Which right now, it is fairly clean for what I have into it. My question was to see if someone possibly has owned both and to see which sub performs more "cleanly" in frequencies in the sub-mid bass range. Of course, that is subjective to everyone, but nonetheless those subs are in my price range as I mentioned in my OP. I am new to using WINISD, but am just trying that as a footprint to see what everything within my price range compares to what I currently own.

I also was curious about putting the enclosure I listed prior to see if it's been done and what the results were. I have been a sealed guy all my life, but my buddy swears by ported and he listens to the same kind of music I listen to as well. The mdf enclosure is a real pain in the ass and wants to fall apart because the joints aren't stabilized as well as a square enclosure. That is why I am looking to doing a custom fiberglass enclosure with a possible PR in it.

I have pretty much narrowed down my decision to the 2 I mentioned in OP. I have not heard a sundown in person, but have heard the re audio. My buddy built a custom ht sub that is ported with 2 re audio se's and that thing is amazing. I know, 2 different applications, but nonetheless. I will take your advice, which I appreciate, and delve further into the abyss to see what would probably be the best application for my wants and needs. Thanks for the help!

[sumgruuvz]

I put a pair of sundown sd2 12s in my brothers '10 ram. Ported under rear seat. Its very musical. I'd suggest the sundown sd3's. The sd2s are tuned to 33hz btw.

I've looked into those, but find very few reviews of them as to how they sound with what I listen to. Most reviews consist of "they slam!" which doesn't tell me a damn thing. Then it gets into "if you like these, then you should listen to these". Which where I live, no one around here carries or owns any of the others I've seen mentioned. So I've done a little investigating with what I've chosen, especially in their price range, and compared to what I have now. But I'll plug in the parameters of the sd3 and see where they stand with the others.

[sumgruuvz]

After doing some research I think I might just go with the Sundown e10. With the enclosure I currently have, it seems to be a good match for it. If I decide to make a glass enclosure on down the line with it, I will put in a pr to get the "ported" style it seems to excel with as well. But, I think I want to deaden the truck before I make any other equipment purchases.

[DLHgn]

One thing to look at in WinIsd is Excursion and port velocity (if looking at ported enclosure). The subs may not like the enclosure you're proposing. If you notice that the sub's excursion limit is being reached on less power than you plan on running, then that may not be the right option for you. The TFM graph gives you an idea of how the sub would perform in an open field. Granted, it does change quiet a bit once inside the cabin of a vehicle, it can give you some indication on how it's going to sound, especially if you know how the cabin of your specific vehicle changes the frequency response of a speaker (such as big peaks or dips). My suggestion would be to find some speakers that you like and make a test box to the specs you want and see how it performs. If you like it, get glassing. If not, then alter it in some way until you get what you're looking for.