sier
04-19-2005, 10:47 AM
Well, I finally got around to replacing my stolen stereo eqiupment.
I wanted, at the very least, two 12" subs. After my last experience with my 12" Eclipse SW9122, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't really the Elements bad acoustics muffling my 700 dollar subwoofer - it was simply the massive amount of air I had to move in order to get a bass note. And combining that with a *sealed* box, I was asking a lot of my single subwoofer.
I wanted something that was fairly self-contained and would be easy to remove (easy for theft, but thats the price you pay for wanting to use your cargo area). My first thought was using a ProBox High Output box, which are covered in Linex and are heavy as hell and sturdy as concrete. The only problem with that box is that I would have to attach some sort of feet on the bottom or it will slide all around. I could have gotten a cargo liner, I suppose, but that just added to the cost. Considering that my insurance company paid me about 43% of what I lost, cost was a big issue.
My first step - an alarm. I opted for this one:
http://www.directed.com/security/viper/images/771XV.jpg
Viper 771XV
The range on it is good, plus I mounted *two* sirens on the inside of my car, plus one under the hood. When the alarm is activated, the horn continuously honks (like one long steady honk), but the real fun is on the inside. The two interior sirens are mounted up behind my stock sub behind the dash. When the alarm is triggered, the decibel level inside the car is INSANE. I can't even bare to sit in the car for more than a few seconds, so someone is going to have to be really dedicated or wear some earplugs to steal anything. Plus I can add a GPS tracker to it for a little more money and keep tabs on my car via the web or my cellphone.
My next purchase was the new subs. I didn't want to buy the amp first, since I really wasnt sure what kind of ohm load/wattage I would be looking at for the subs. After shopping around, I opted for this:
http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/images/enlarged/HO212R_W3v2_FLT.jpg
It's a dual slot-ported box made by JL Audio specifically for their W3's. The ports are inside the lip of the box, on each side of the speaker. Here's more specifications on the speakers and the box:
http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/HO212RW3v2.html
Here's a cross section that shows how the box is actually constructed on the side. This is what mine would look like standing on its end:
http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/images/ENC_MP03.jpg
Next, the amp. Since the ohm load is 4 and the speakers will hold a max of 600 RMS, I bought the same trusty amp I had before:
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/content/product/image/large/im-kac-x811d-lrg-2004-kusa.jpg
A Kenwood KAC-X811D.
533 watts RMS @ 4ohms.
or 915 watts RMS @ 2ohms.
or 1016 watts RMS @ 1 ohm.
Needless to say, shes pushing the ever living CRAP out of those W3's.
It's about 3 times as loud as my setup before and the clarity of the JL ported box is amazing. I have never been a fan of ported boxes since the range sucks so badly with them. But spending the extra money to have a tuned box that was specifically designed for the subs that are in it was completely worth it. They hit just about the same range as my sealed Eclipse SW9122, but about 3 times the volume. It's fantastic. I'm pretty happy with the overall result of being ripped off..haha.
I wanted, at the very least, two 12" subs. After my last experience with my 12" Eclipse SW9122, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't really the Elements bad acoustics muffling my 700 dollar subwoofer - it was simply the massive amount of air I had to move in order to get a bass note. And combining that with a *sealed* box, I was asking a lot of my single subwoofer.
I wanted something that was fairly self-contained and would be easy to remove (easy for theft, but thats the price you pay for wanting to use your cargo area). My first thought was using a ProBox High Output box, which are covered in Linex and are heavy as hell and sturdy as concrete. The only problem with that box is that I would have to attach some sort of feet on the bottom or it will slide all around. I could have gotten a cargo liner, I suppose, but that just added to the cost. Considering that my insurance company paid me about 43% of what I lost, cost was a big issue.
My first step - an alarm. I opted for this one:
http://www.directed.com/security/viper/images/771XV.jpg
Viper 771XV
The range on it is good, plus I mounted *two* sirens on the inside of my car, plus one under the hood. When the alarm is activated, the horn continuously honks (like one long steady honk), but the real fun is on the inside. The two interior sirens are mounted up behind my stock sub behind the dash. When the alarm is triggered, the decibel level inside the car is INSANE. I can't even bare to sit in the car for more than a few seconds, so someone is going to have to be really dedicated or wear some earplugs to steal anything. Plus I can add a GPS tracker to it for a little more money and keep tabs on my car via the web or my cellphone.
My next purchase was the new subs. I didn't want to buy the amp first, since I really wasnt sure what kind of ohm load/wattage I would be looking at for the subs. After shopping around, I opted for this:
http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/images/enlarged/HO212R_W3v2_FLT.jpg
It's a dual slot-ported box made by JL Audio specifically for their W3's. The ports are inside the lip of the box, on each side of the speaker. Here's more specifications on the speakers and the box:
http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/HO212RW3v2.html
Here's a cross section that shows how the box is actually constructed on the side. This is what mine would look like standing on its end:
http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/images/ENC_MP03.jpg
Next, the amp. Since the ohm load is 4 and the speakers will hold a max of 600 RMS, I bought the same trusty amp I had before:
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/content/product/image/large/im-kac-x811d-lrg-2004-kusa.jpg
A Kenwood KAC-X811D.
533 watts RMS @ 4ohms.
or 915 watts RMS @ 2ohms.
or 1016 watts RMS @ 1 ohm.
Needless to say, shes pushing the ever living CRAP out of those W3's.
It's about 3 times as loud as my setup before and the clarity of the JL ported box is amazing. I have never been a fan of ported boxes since the range sucks so badly with them. But spending the extra money to have a tuned box that was specifically designed for the subs that are in it was completely worth it. They hit just about the same range as my sealed Eclipse SW9122, but about 3 times the volume. It's fantastic. I'm pretty happy with the overall result of being ripped off..haha.