Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

[Bumperlt12]

I want to put one or two sub in my boat. It is currently grinded down to the hull getting ready for stringers and whatnot. It's pretty much your run of the mill runabout layout. 18'. Ideally I'd like them in two different locations so the sound isn't spotty. I was thinking about putting one under each console, venting one toward the passenger's feet, and the other venting to the area between the consoles. This is of course assuming vented is the right way to go? I figure its obviously all open and venting is the best way to do it. I was thinking a slot style vent for each and doing in such a way that water cant get inside the boxes. Any input?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

By 'vented', do you mean ported? I'd highly suggest NOT using a ported box in a 18' boat. The box size for a typical ported setup is almost double what a sealed box can be at the low end. Space and weight is always at a premium, so a good sealed box will help on both of those accounts.

Not quite sure on your description, but it sounds like you want to just install the subs in the floor, pointed up, with a port next to them. No box behind it? That would sound bad, and the sub wouldn't last very long.

Got any pics of the layout? I've installed two big stereos in boats this year alone, and am going to add another 12" to mine before the spring is over I think.

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

+1 ^^^
Sealed box will be much smaller.( i think they sound better too, i don't like "boomy" bass)
I"m curious if your gonna mount these in the floor also. Pics would be great!

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

Im also thinking about a sub for y boat and I'm curious to see what others have done. Could somebody post pics of where they mounted their subs? They take up a lot of room and it just seems like there is not a good location anywhere in a boat

 

[dvtran]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

I will take some pics of my install tomorrow and post them in this thread.

 

[mark1905]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

Bazooka tubes are the most durable, best, easiest bass that you can put on a boat. Use them under the dash and corner load them into the sides of the hull. The sound waves need to refract off of something. Firing a subwoofer into the open air with nothing to bounce off of will leave you wondering why everything is moving but nothing is making sound. Trying to hide a sub under cushions or in an engine compartment will give you virtually zero sound, either. Against my pleading and recommendations, I've had clients insist on other locations before.. and literally out of the 5 or 6 times that they don't listen at first, they always come back and go the Bazooka route.

Here's a pic of my 2 x 12" Bazooka tubes which have been retrofitted with 3500w Pioneer subs. Notice the side firing. These things are so loud that my gauges become unreadable when turned up. No, really. Teeth chattering loud. It's nuts..




The only drawback with Bazookas is that the sub isn't able to handle tons of power. While on one hand, the design is super efficient and you don't need a ton of power.. but if you want the ability to make some serious boom on demand, you'll need to upgrade the speaker. However.. for a perfectly designed, weatherproof enclosure.. you would spend easily that much money/time/effort trying to fabricate one yourself.

 

[Bumperlt12]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

No, I'm not planning on mounting them in the floor so to speak. Where the floor goes up at about a 45 degree angle under the consoles, so I'd like to put them there. Something like this. http://www.streetbeataudio.com/wp-content/uploads/boat2-JL-Audio-Subwoofer.jpg

 

[mark1905]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

No, I'm not planning on mounting them in the floor so to speak. Where the floor goes up at about a 45 degree angle under the consoles, so I'd like to put them there. Something like this. http://www.streetbeataudio.com/wp-content/uploads/boat2-JL-Audio-Subwoofer.jpg

While that looks nice, you're losing 70% of your sound if not more. If you're more into looks than sound, that's one thing.. but if you're trying to actually get some bass.. then..

You take for granted the fact that when you have subs in a car, you're in this perfect chamber of sound that allows a resonance effect to happen with the sound waves. Bass frequencies are literally very long sound waves. If you could see them, they would literally be a giant wave that's about 10-12 feet apart from high point to high point. These waves.. they crave a chamber or surface by which they're allowed to refract off of and build. It's not just the speaker box that is making the volume, it's the chamber by which it's resonating into. In your car.. you have this perfect area of around 6 feet x 6 feet x 6 feet.. more or less. The bass waves bounce around inside.. and BOOM! You have bass.

In a boat, you're out in the open air with not only nothing to bounce off of.. but wind rushing by you. If you don't have some type of chamber.. some type of something to corner load that sound into.. it's lost. This is why people try and build the same boxes that they build for their cars applying the same thought processes.. and wonder why when they hook it all up that it's so underwhelming to the point that they want to cry and throw tools.

..or don't believe me.



PS. You do want a vented box in a boat. You need all the help you can get creating air movement.

 

[Bumperlt12]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

I'm aware of all that. Obviously youre not saying boats shouldn't have subs, but thats how I'm taking what you said. My boat is pretty shallow (the deck doesn't even go across the hull all the way).

This is how the interior will look when im done.. roughly.

While this picture shows that there MIGHT be enough space to mount it in the rear seating facing the bow, it wont work in mine cause it's only 5-7 inches.

http://www.iboats.com/sites/laniermarine/site_page_8842/images/l_vp1438182_8.jpg

 

[Bumperlt12]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

PS it took me like 20 minutes to find that picture so if anyone has a pic of full wrap around seating behind captains chairs in a runabout please post them. Outboard is a plus, as mine is such.

 

[mark1905]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

Oh.. boats can have subs.. I'm just saying that it's a tricky thing getting them to sound right and easy to dump money and time into them thinking that you're going to get BOOM and all you get is a (whoosh). I've given you my $0.02 on what to use and how to use it.

 

[raymondpickens]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

I have seen and heard plenty of very loud large sub setups in boats and do they work well under the console on each side but not facing straight out like that. They best sounding ones have been using the structure of the boat and glassing it all in to under the front seats as boxes and mounting the sub acutally like upside down behind the glove box pointed down to the floor. Good luck, it is a pain to make it sound good.
Btw, I am pretty sure if you showed up to the lakes around here your bazooka tubes wouldn't be loud enough to drown out the laughing. I have seen some pretty nice setups with 4 15's that using storage compartments as sound chambers that didn't take up any extra room and they have NO problems pissing people off all the way across the lake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8xK_88_5H0&feature=related This is an example of the norm around Austin Texas... Have a good one.

 

[mark1905]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

I have seen and heard plenty of very loud large sub setups in boats and do they work well under the console on each side but not facing straight out like that.

Exactly. Facing out with zero resonance will get you nowhere quickly.

BTW.. you do know what "assume" stands for, right? The only thing "Bazooka" is the enclosure at this point. You can put 12 - 15"s for all I care.. bigger isn't always better sounding.. and it depends on your space limitations, how much money you're wanting to throw at it and how much space you're willing to give up. A pissing contest over how many subs you can fit in your boat..? Shoot. No amount of bass can drown out the laughing about the stupidity on that one..

 

[raymondpickens]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

Yeah, I didn't mean they dont work, and I have used the round tube sub enclosures before, not bad, just not awesome. I think they take up way to much floor space is all. I wasn't mean to start a pissing contest sorry, no need to get upset:redface: I was only pointing out the excessive use of speakers around here that a boat with that set up wouldn't be ideal.. "the girls dont know or care how it sounds as long as its loud lol". I didn't mean more is better. Some of the louder sounding ones I have heard were actually variations of bandpass enclosures with nothing more than a couple 10's ported towards the bow under the dash. If the boat has a tunnel under the gunwales from under there to the front storage areas under the front seats. Not quite as Musical but effective for sure.

Good luck bumper,

 

[Bumperlt12]

Re: Audiophiles.. where are your subwoofers? What type of box are you using?

In the video that was posted, seems like it would be difficult to get to the gauges, or fuse block, or anything that is typically under the dash. Then again, that type of boat sometimes has access from the back too.

I like the sub on the left facing down, but not to the floor.

When I get my floor done I'mm start trying to plan out what i'm going to do, i think i'm going to have to utilize some of the space under the bow seats for an enclosure because unlike that 23' wakesetter, ALL my electric crap is there and it needs to be accessible.