Reconed SSA ICON 12/ Passive Radiator 15

[Parker Grundy]

I built a small sealed box for my SSA ICON 12, and have been running them for around 8 months, till recently my SSA ICON shit the bed... AZ HEAT i think. Anyways, I've been talking to PSI a lil, and I'm planning on getting a nice PSI recone for my icon and a high excursion 15 passive radiator from them. I modeled 2 12in prs, and the 15 modeled better, plus cheaper.  https://psicaraudio.com/product/15-high-excursion-passive-radiator/

PSI's description of a pr - Our passive radiators offer a solution for small space and low tuned applications where a ported (vented) enclosure would be optimum, but where space does not allow for the use of a properly sized port opening or port length. Our radiators offer the user the ability to tune their enclosure lower than conventional ported enclosures normally allow for, in less space. To say it simply, A passive radiator takes the place of a port when there’s not enough room for one. If available space is lacking, but you are not willing to give up output or sound quality, a passive radiator may be the perfect option. Passive radiators are recommended to be used as a replacement for a port. You should generally use about the same or slightly less enclosure volume with a PR that you would with a port. PR’s can be used to achieve a low tuning in a moderate or small sized enclosure by adding weight to the rear. The more weight that you add, the lower tuning that you’ll achieve. The only limitation will be the upper tuning frequency. Depending on the size of the PR and the internal volume of the enclosure, there will be a maximum tuning frequency limit. For help with this, please contact us directly.

I used WINisd to model between my old sealed box, a vented box that could possibly be shoved in ma trunk, and a pr box that has a lot mor 20-30hz output and is less peaky. I love them lows, and if I wanna tune it lower, I just need to add more weight to the pr - I modeled the pr and found I like 550 grams extra mass to the cone. 1.7-1.8 ft3 net. At 1.7 ft3 the box tuning is 28.8 hz and the pr tuning is 10hz. Looks like I'm going to have a 7ish db increase, with the old icon specs before the recone. It's running on a us acoustics mike 1500 rms, but I'm thinking of getting the SSA 2200rms monoblock.

Questions -

• How do you guys think this will turn out?
• Will there be too much cone/ or pr excursion?
• How much power do you think I'll be able to send to the sub, without shit bottoming out?
• Any tuning recommendations that will turn out better than my plans? Bigger/smaller box? 

Recone will include-

• Flatwound aluminum high power voice coil
• Triple sewn lead wire
• 2 stiff progressive roll spiders
• 8 gauge XS-Flex silver tinned OFC direct connect wiring
• HD pulp cone with tall roll surround (same on pr)
• 6.5" black dual layer carbon fiber/polypropylene dome dustcap (same on pr)

[WalledSonic]

Tuned in to see how this turns out.  If you actually get a response like is plotted above, then thats a big boost on the lows.  

If you ran the PR with less mass, does the plot still look favorable?  Im wondering if 550g is a bit much to add to a PR?  ...But no one really runs PRs in car audio, so Im interested.

[Parker Grundy]

I think I can live with 450g, if 550 doesn't work out, haha. Idk about anything less tho, my hopes are set pretty high, lol. I can make the box a little bigger too, I'd probably have to sacrifice a lil bracing, or wood width, but np.

450g350g300g