first post, easy questions

[barhpr]

hey all. First post in the forums.. Basically, newbie questions, although Ive built boxes and installed amps alot in the past..(older guy fresh in the forums) 2004 monte carlo, plan on a 2 12 or 15 set up.. sealed box. thinking im gonna run jl audio 15wo v2-4.. question is sealed box, does it matter which direction the woofers fire? into cabin, or fire into the trunk space? The subs are 500w 4 ohm.. how big of a amp am I going to need to push them? I got out of car audio about 15 years ago, and stumbled back into it.. runnin 2 12 rockford series 1s.. yeah OLDSCHOOL from a 37 year old guy.. and a profile 400 watt junk amp. It dont hit.. its going in the girlfriends caddy so I can build what I want. Yeah I could go crazy, but with 3 kids.. 2 car payments, a house payment... trying to be half way reasonable... I know the basics but when you guys get into motors, voice coils ect Im lost in a fog.. so talk to me like Im the slow kid... Thanks

[Jbabycsx]

hey all. First post in the forums.. Basically, newbie questions, although Ive built boxes and installed amps alot in the past..(older guy fresh in the forums) 2004 monte carlo, plan on a 2 12 or 15 set up.. sealed box. thinking im gonna run jl audio 15wo v2-4.. question is sealed box, does it matter which direction the woofers fire? into cabin, or fire into the trunk space? The subs are 500w 4 ohm.. how big of a amp am I going to need to push them? I got out of car audio about 15 years ago, and stumbled back into it.. runnin 2 12 rockford series 1s.. yeah OLDSCHOOL from a 37 year old guy.. and a profile 400 watt junk amp. It dont hit.. its going in the girlfriends caddy so I can build what I want. Yeah I could go crazy, but with 3 kids.. 2 car payments, a house payment... trying to be half way reasonable... I know the basics but when you guys get into motors, voice coils ect Im lost in a fog.. so talk to me like Im the slow kid... Thanks

First of all welcome! It sounds like you got out of audio when JL was at its peak. Times have changed and there are much better companies you can go with and save a little money as well. Also are you dead set on going with a sealed box? If so, why?

[Robert8252]

Get 2 15" Sundown SA15s or two DC lvl 3 15" subs in a sealed box to their specs. Then buy a audioque 1200d amp for $249 and for well under $6-700 you will have a pretty nice sounding system.

[barhpr]

I guess Im not completely, just have never had a bad experience with them, and they seem fairly cheap compared to some of the others Ive seen. Im not dead set on them, just honestly like the price range, Im open to almost anything.. I was only thinking sealed because I guess Im hung up on old experiences, I was around before the whole tuning frequency response era.. Im open to anything, and am here to learn before the purchase, and system design...

[Jbabycsx]

I guess Im not completely, just have never had a bad experience with them, and they seem fairly cheap compared to some of the others Ive seen. Im not dead set on them, just honestly like the price range, Im open to almost anything.. I was only thinking sealed because I guess Im hung up on old experiences, I was around before the whole tuning frequency response era.. Im open to anything, and am here to learn before the purchase, and system design...

Theres nothing wrong with JL's they are good subs, but you can read up on some other brands that put a lot more into their product for the money. Check out Audioque, DC sound, Sundown audio and some of the other brands that people are using here.

If I were you and were not looking to spend a ton on gear I would look into doing a pair of twelves or a single fifteen in a ported enclosure tuned between 30-40hz depending on what your goals are. Sounds like your looking for a daily setup that sounds good, so mid 30's should suit you well. Go to the subwoofer/enclosure section and download the Torres calculator. It will help you in designing a good enclosure.

PS-Dont be afraid to buy used gear from the for sale section here. There are tons of used subs and amps that can save you a ton of money. Lots of honest sellers on this site.

[osamio]

hey all. First post in the forums.. Basically, newbie questions, although Ive built boxes and installed amps alot in the past..(older guy fresh in the forums) 2004 monte carlo, plan on a 2 12 or 15 set up.. sealed box. thinking im gonna run jl audio 15wo v2-4.. question is sealed box, does it matter which direction the woofers fire? into cabin, or fire into the trunk space? The subs are 500w 4 ohm.. how big of a amp am I going to need to push them? I got out of car audio about 15 years ago, and stumbled back into it.. runnin 2 12 rockford series 1s.. yeah OLDSCHOOL from a 37 year old guy.. and a profile 400 watt junk amp. It dont hit.. its going in the girlfriends caddy so I can build what I want. Yeah I could go crazy, but with 3 kids.. 2 car payments, a house payment... trying to be half way reasonable... I know the basics but when you guys get into motors, voice coils ect Im lost in a fog.. so talk to me like Im the slow kid... Thanks

hey all. First post in the forums.. Basically, newbie questions, although Ive built boxes and installed amps alot in the past..(older guy fresh in the forums) 2004 monte carlo, plan on a 2 12 or 15 set up.. sealed box. thinking im gonna run jl audio 15wo v2-4.. question is sealed box, does it matter which direction the woofers fire? into cabin, or fire into the trunk space? The subs are 500w 4 ohm.. how big of a amp am I going to need to push them? I got out of car audio about 15 years ago, and stumbled back into it.. runnin 2 12 rockford series 1s.. yeah OLDSCHOOL from a 37 year old guy.. and a profile 400 watt junk amp. It dont hit.. its going in the girlfriends caddy so I can build what I want. Yeah I could go crazy, but with 3 kids.. 2 car payments, a house payment... trying to be half way reasonable... I know the basics but when you guys get into motors, voice coils ect Im lost in a fog.. so talk to me like Im the slow kid... Thanks

1. I agree, look around for some other brands, more bang for your buck.

2. Sealed enclosure or ported, in a car, you would want to fire into the trunk space, that is, subs facing the back of the car. This will prevent sound waves from canceling eachother...If you want a quick explanation, Low frequencies have very long wavelengths, so if you face the subs toward the front of the car, each new sound wave will be created, JUST as the previous one has bounced off the windshield and come back, these opposing waves will cancel each other out. Having the trunk lid 1-3 ft in front of the subs will prevent this.

3. Sealed vs Ported is about preference, i'm assuming this is for daily use... Ported enclosures are typically louder than sealed, but sometimes offer less "tight" bass, and slower bass response... Which doesn't matter for rap etc.. but rock/techno..anything with a kick drum, sealed may respond better. Also, (debatable) sealed offers slightly higher sound quality, and more accurate frequency reproduction.

4. Depending on the subs/amp you finally purchase, you may need help with wiring a dual voice coil sub, a mono amp, etc... But this forum is BY FAR the best place to come when you run into those issues