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Limited Space but want 2 15's...


Chase Wallace

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Hi everyone! So I'm wanting to try to cram two 15's ported under the back seat of an extended cab 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 by building a custom box that includes raising the seat height a little and running a seat height level extension to what would then essentially be a console box something along the lines of 20" high and extending to the dash. I had planned to have the port coming out of the front of this box towards the dash.

I'm not trying to turn this into a DC vs Sundown debate but originally I was wanting to try to do this with two Sundown SA 15v3's but I just noticed the DC level 3's optimum box size is 3 cubic feet vs the SA 15v3's 3-4 cubic feet. It had me wondering if I shouldn't go with the DC subs so I could more easily meet the airspace requirements. I would like to keep the height of the console box part as low as possible to keep it as factory looking as possible and thats basically where I'm going to have to make the box larger or smaller to get the airspace I need.

I was wondering what you guys thought about the box design idea and the difference between these two subs given the space requirements. I haven't actually measured everything out exactly yet but just some rough measuring gave me around 6-6.5 cubic feet which like I said I could increase by going taller with the console part of the box but I would rather keep it as low as possible or if I just had plenty of extra space then it would be nice if I could fit an extra battery in that area as well. For the amp I'm thinking either a Twisted Sounds 2.8k or Sound Magus 3.5k

Please feel free to give me your thoughts on any part of this as I'm still in the planning stage!

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My concern, as well as yours, is the space. After you measured you determined that you had around 6 ft^3 but did that take into account wood and woofers? Not to mention the amount of area a port for 2 15's is going to take up. If you're set on running 15's you may have to put them in a sealed box.

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To expand on what DLHgn said, you can figured the port is going to take up 2 - 3 cu ft of space. If you are stuck on running 15"s, sealed may be a better choice than ported.

"Nothing prevents people from knowing the truth more than the belief they already know it."
"Making bass is easy, making music is the hard part."

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If your goal is to run 15's for the sake of having 15's go for it. Skimping on box volume or port is a recipe for inefficiency and poor sound, but you'll be able to tell the world you have 15s.

I suspect you realistically have enough space to run 1 properly, but I also suspect you have never heard what a good quality 15 in a proper sized ported box can do.

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You could always look at running 12's. You may be able to get away with 2 in a ported box but no guarantees. All things equal, 2 12's would be louder than 1 15. Something to consider.

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Well essentially I just took a tape measure and roughed out some estimates so they are in no way accurate and there might be another foot of airspace just from my guesstimating. I also wasn't including any airspace gained from increasing the back seat height as I want to keep that as minimal as well. I also think I might be able to get another .5-1 cube from building the under seat part of the box more like a Y connecting to the front part, having the box extend out just a little farther as I just used a prefab box to get my airspace estimates for the under the seat box and mine would be taller and wider so hell there might be another 0.5 cube just under the seat...and as I was saying I think I could get the needed airspace but the question is could I live with the height that I would need to make the console part of the box. That might be what kills the deal for me.

Also I'm not dead set on 15's either. I think 2 12's ported would be better than 2 15s sealed? Originally I was wanting to try to squeeze in 3 12's as two would fit under the seat and one in the console box but I just didn't figure it would work out airspace wise after subtracting for the port and everything. But when I said 6 feet I'm thinking that is a conservative number and a couple more feet could be obtained but possibly with some undesired effects like having to increase the console box height. I've also considered hollowing out the rear seat and basically having the back seat be the top of the box with a cushion wrapped in the original seat fabric...

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Whatever you end up doing, just make sure it's right. By that I mean don't settle for putting something in a box that it won't do well in. You would rather have smaller speakers in a proper box than larger speakers in an improper box. I wouldn't be quick to assume that ported is always loud than sealed. All thing equal a ported box will be louder than a sealed but we all know that nothing is ever equal. I would say talk to some people who really know enclosures and plan with them. Who knows, maybe you'll end up doing sealed and love it.

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Some of you guys seem to be taking the title of the post a little to literally. What I'm wanting is the loudest best sounding setup that I can fit without completely loosing the back seat in the truck. I'm not attached to 15's in any way. I just figured a pair of 15's would be the most cone area I could possibly fit while getting the right airspace if I pulled every rabbit out of the hat. As far as hearing what one proper 15 can do...I'm 31 now but when I was in my teens I worked as an installer for a small car audio shop, built boxes for friends, and went to car audio competitions. I've heard some crazy setup's. I've installed 4 15's in an extended cab chevy like mine...Rockford P3's if I remember correctly. That one made it difficult to breathe but what can I say I always want more and kind of hoped that I might get it using half the subs but nicer subs with 2x the power and without loosing the ability to carry 4-5 people if needed.

I'm willing to modify the back seat but want to keep it where two people can still ride comfortably with a 3rd in the middle having to spread their legs to make room for the box. The middle seat/console in a full sized extended cab might also be bigger than some of you are thinking. Its about 13.5" wide. I think I've seen some custom made boxes on ebay for 2 12's advertising like 3.75 cubic feet. If their measurements are accurate then I have another cubic foot in the connecting tunnel and 2.5-3 cubic feet under the seat and 1-2 cubic feet from making my box extend closer to the dash and higher. I mean these are all estimates but that comes out to 7.25-8.75 cubic feet. I just wanted to stay conservative with my numbers as its better to find out you have more space when you start building than less.

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