$30 capacitor worth it and why is bass felt outside of the car and not inside?

[casemods]

First off, is this worth getting?

http://www.frys.com/product/6181259

Second, why is it I can have the volume at 10-20 (lowest possible listening volume for when I just barely want to hear the music) (max is 40) and can feel the bass from outside the car (up to 20-50 feet away) but it takes at least 25-30 (on some songs, depends on the bass lines) to even START to feel the shake a little bit?

I have tried all sorts of box placements and nothing works except at high volumes which I am sure is doing all of the following:

1. Annoying anyone around the car, especially neighbors

2. Torturing the sub/amp

3. Going to cause something to fuck up and I'll be out of a $300 amp or $250 sub (prices I paid)

Beginning to think a sub is pointless and I should have just got some 6.5"s for the doors since I can honestly say I felt the stock mids WAY more than I ever felt the sub I have now.

gear is in my sig and I had a custom box built exactly to spec for the sub......

[Sanitarium]

Well first of all, no that capacitor will not help you.

Second of all, if your voltage is doing what mine is doing like you said in my thread for bigpimpin with that little amp, then your wiring is complete shit and the capacitor will just make things worse.

Go learn what the big 3 is, use proper grounds, use an appropriate sized wire for that 500 watt amp of yours. Don't clip, don't twist the gain (it's not a volume knob).

And if you want to be louder, invest more money and for god's sake invest more time LEARNING what you're doing.

A "raw wood box built to spec" is probably the worst thing you could ask for.

edit: and as far as bass being felt outside the car but not in it, your car is acting like a tuning chamber lowering the resonant frequency of what's being produced by the bass. Again this just points at that box of yours.

Edited November 6, 2010 by sanitarium

[casemods]

Well first of all, no that capacitor will not help you.

Second of all, if your voltage is doing what mine is doing like you said in my thread for bigpimpin with that little amp, then your wiring is complete shit and the capacitor will just make things worse.

Go learn what the big 3 is, use proper grounds, use an appropriate sized wire for that 500 watt amp of yours. Don't clip, don't twist the gain (it's not a volume knob).

And if you want to be louder, invest more money and for god's sake invest more time LEARNING what you're doing.

A "raw wood box built to spec" is probably the worst thing you could ask for.

edit: and as far as bass being felt outside the car but not in it, your car is acting like a tuning chamber lowering the resonant frequency of what's being produced by the bass. Again this just points at that box of yours.

Alright well the headlights dim/voltage drops/sub stops playing randomly only when I'm playing it loud enough to feel which is probably due to the box like you said, so how can I feel the bass inside instead of outside without having to crank the volume to the max?

[Sanitarium]

Alright well the headlights dim/voltage drops/sub stops playing randomly only when I'm playing it loud enough to feel which is probably due to the box like you said, so how can I feel the bass inside instead of outside without having to crank the volume to the max?

as i was saying, headlights aren't dimming from the box, headlights are dimming from your wiring..

Build a new box, use 3/4" MDF, not particle board, not chip board, not raw wood(wtf is that?). This time go ported, give that 12 about 2 cubes and tune it between 30 and 35 hz use toores calculator to figure this stuff out or ask for a design from someone else. And get that wiring upgraded. Use 4 gauge wire for both the positive and negative, ground the amp to a sanded off (bare) spot of the car, or better yet the frame. Do the big 3 under the hood. You'll notice an increase in sound.

Edit: and stop swearing by overpriced, buying the name only, brands like JL and RF. For the price you paid for that sub and amp, you coulda bought 3 times the wattage, and a sub with twice (or more) motor force.

Edited November 6, 2010 by sanitarium

[CaptainPooPyPantz]

Wiring is one of the most important aspect in car audio and time consuming . . .so do it properly

[Hugh G. Rection]

Build a new box, use 3/4" MDF, not particle board, not chip board, not raw wood(wtf is that?)

you dont even know what it is, but your telling him not to use it? geez......

just an fyi - raw board, not raw wood, is a cabinet grade mdf, that is far superior in density to your typical, shitty, low grade lowes and home depot crap. and unlike the lowes and home depot junk, it doesnt have that little layer of sealer sprayed on it that sometimes keeps your glue from sticking when you build an enclosure. raw board also isnt as prone to splitting, tearing, and separating as that lowes and home depot junk.

[Sanitarium]

you dont even know what it is, but your telling him not to use it? geez......

just an fyi - raw board, not raw wood, is a cabinet grade mdf, that is far superior in density to your typical, shitty, low grade lowes and home depot crap. and unlike the lowes and home depot junk, it doesnt have that little layer of sealer sprayed on it that sometimes keeps your glue from sticking when you build an enclosure. raw board also isnt as prone to splitting, tearing, and separating as that lowes and home depot junk.

Thanks for the lesson.

[BanginOnABudget]

do what i did, buy some particle board and mess around with it, build and learn as you go.

starting out with MDF is a waste of money since you're going to fuck it up, we all have.

[StrongmanDesigns]

so, what you're wanting is to turn your truck into a giant vibrator? You should have probably just got some Aura bass shakers. lol

[casemods]

This is the box I had made.

the guy that built it makes custom enclosures for concerts or something.

He built it exactly as the sheet for the sub said to.

As I said before, for some reason I can feel it on the outside of the car 10 times or more compared to the inside.

The wiring isn't a problem right now - it only cuts out when I turn it ALL THE WAY UP.

I will eventually do the big 3 but the bass hitting is more important right now.

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I called it "raw wood" because I didn't stain it (can you stain MDF?) and I didn't carpet it (just for looks right?)