[Update 3/18] Another Boring Tahoe Build [SOLD]

[reedal]

Looks good

[RedFred]

So my two 8" came in yesterday and we got to building the box today!

As I said before, these are the first subs I've used that were smaller than 15", so I didn't really know what to expect.

Unlike C315s and C318s, where there are tons of precise box specs provided online, nobody seems to have experience with HDS2s

I tried all of the google searches I could, and ended up designing this box based on what I could find:

1.8 cubes gross, 1.4 cubes net, 19 square inches of port tuned @ 37hz

I wanted it on the small size since I would be throwing so much power on them (an SQ2200 @ 0.5).

The only thing about this box I would change is to increase the port area, since I think it's a little small.

After some testing in my sister's Blazer (she has an AQ2200 that's already hooked up, and I need to re-run all my wires and mount amps in the Tahoe), I have to say I am really impressed!

And here's a video of me really pushing them to the limits and bottoming them out 

I've gotta caulk the box and stop some air leaks that I found during testing, and then decide if it's gonna be painted, carpeted, or what.

[BP1Fanatic]

Did you think about creating a BP4 for them? 

[RedFred]

13 hours ago, BP1Fanatic said:

Did you think about creating a BP4 for them? 

Nah, I've got no experience with bandpass enclosures. Plus I don't think I have enough room. The box is already super small lol.

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Anyways, as usual, I didn't even get the setup installed and it's probably going to sell tomorrow.

Here's a little picture of what it looked like, but I never got it playing since I'm building a false floor to hide amps and some other goodies...

Just ordered two HDS2 10s and a Big Ass 6" aeroport, so hopefully by this coming weekend the tahoe will be up and playing, 140+.

[reedal]

On 7/3/2017 at 10:31 AM, BP1Fanatic said:

Did you think about creating a BP4 for them? 

I haven't played with the parameters of the HDS208, but if it's anything like the rest of SoundQubed's subs, it'd be much better suited for a 6th than 4th. As a whole though, they have a very limited bandwidth in any enclosure I could design in WinISD for any of their series of subs.

[RedFred]

9 hours ago, reedal said:

I haven't played with the parameters of the HDS208, but if it's anything like the rest of SoundQubed's subs, it'd be much better suited for a 6th than 4th. As a whole though, they have a very limited bandwidth in any enclosure I could design in WinISD for any of their series of subs.

IIRC, S2 and S3 both do well in 4ths and 6ths, but yeah most of the subs are better suited to 6ths.

In my experience (the 4 15s wall 4th order in the blazer, and 12 15s 6th order in the suburban) I prefer 6ths a lot more. I have been toying with the idea of throwing one of these small subs in a BP just so I can learn to build one.

Anyways, the 8s and box sold this morning, I went and picked up some Birch and carpet, and have everything ordered for the next setup. 

It should be like Christmas this week with new window tint, SSA 6.5s, SQ 10s + my first time trying an aero port

[RedFred]

Alright, so I've been pretty busy with the Suburban but I did manage to get some updates on this ole girl.

Got the windshield replaced with one that is tinted 35%, and man I love how it looks!

Then my SSA 6.5s came in

1) I love how they look. So much more aesthetic than the SoundQubed 6.5s which just looked cheap.

2) Initially, I was EXTREMELY disappointed with how they sounded. It took probably 2 hours of tuning the HU, crossovers, EQ, etc before I found a spot where they're bearable. At $50 a piece, I don't know if I could recommend them to other people. It'll take a couple more hours of messing around before I have a decision.

Then we got the box built!

Assuming I did my math correctly, it's 32" deep x 12" wide x 16.5" tall, 2.848 cubes gross, 2.236 cubes net.

Used a 6" BigAss Aero Port with 22" depth, to tune around 34hz.

It was my first time carpeting, but I think we did a really good job on it

 

We pretty much couldn't have made it any tighter if we tried haha.

So far the personal best is this:

I think it definitely has a 140 left in it, but I'm having an issue with a weak amplifier ground currently that I need to troubleshoot.

I'm extremely happy with the setup. I still have all the space of an SUV, with a good (to me) sound quality system.

A couple questions for you guys:

1) Why am I peaking so high if I'm tuned to 34hz? Am I really that far off on my box specs?

2) Do you think it would help if I got captain's seats so the air/sound waves could flow freely from the port to the hatch?

[WalledSonic]

Mids take time to break in.  Dont give up on a speaker if it doesnt sound good an hour after install.  Most speakers need 8+ hours before the suspension softens up and sounds like they were designed to sound.  Hell, each set of mids I've installed took at least 8 hours to start sounding 'full'.

1) Cabin gain.  Im tuned to 26Hz via impedance and 29Hz via cone excursion, but im loudest around 43-48Hz due to cabin gain.  This is one reason why SPL competitors tune their 4th orders to 43-48Hz.  Most cars have a boost in the 40-50Hz range.

2) You have small subs in the middle of a large cabin.  The phase of each pressure wave wont coalesce like it would if the subs were in the rear.  I wouldnt expect anything amazing.  Also, those subs are fresh, right?  See above on breaking the speakers in.

Just for kicks, can you move the box to the rear of the vehicle (port facing the hatch) and take SPL readings again?  

[RedFred]

6 hours ago, WalledSonic said:

Mids take time to break in.  Dont give up on a speaker if it doesnt sound good an hour after install.  Most speakers need 8+ hours before the suspension softens up and sounds like they were designed to sound.  Hell, each set of mids I've installed took at least 8 hours to start sounding 'full'.

1) Cabin gain.  Im tuned to 26Hz via impedance and 29Hz via cone excursion, but im loudest around 43-48Hz due to cabin gain.  This is one reason why SPL competitors tune their 4th orders to 43-48Hz.  Most cars have a boost in the 40-50Hz range.

2) You have small subs in the middle of a large cabin.  The phase of each pressure wave wont coalesce like it would if the subs were in the rear.  I wouldnt expect anything amazing.  Also, those subs are fresh, right?  See above on breaking the speakers in.

Just for kicks, can you move the box to the rear of the vehicle (port facing the hatch) and take SPL readings again?  

I actually had never heard of or considered breaking in mids lol, so thanks for that advice!?

Yeah I'm familiar with cabin gain in these vehicles since almost all of my car audio has been in Blazers, Tahoes, or Suburbans. However, all my previous setups have peaked between 38hz - 42hz, with boxes tuned from 30hz-38hz. So I was a little confused.

Point 2 is also something I hadn't considered. I'll try some different testings tomorrow during the day and report back for sure.

Keeping the subs in the same spot, do you think having captain's seats instead of a bench, would improve it?

[WalledSonic]

How many dB are you looking to gain? Do you have the seats lying around or are you going to buy them?

Ill be surprised if you gain 3dB with a seat change (altho i may be wrong and if youre going to test anyway then im tuned in for results), so it doesnt seem worth trying when you could change to larger subs or place them elsewhere in the vehicle to gain many more dBs. I prefer hard data over opinions, even my own opinions, so let us know what you find out.