Compact subwoofer idea

[rodslinger]

So the past few weeks I've been driving either a Sonic or a Fiat 500 as my rental cars in Miami. What I've noticed is the factory stereo in the Fiat is way better. It is Bose branded so my expectations were low to begin with but have been honestly pleased.

What I noticed is that the Fiat bose setup has this compact subwoofer setup under the passenger seat. Appears to be some sort of transmission line config. See link below

Fiat Bose Subwoofer | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

So far from what I've found is that it uses at very compact, about 4.5" driver with a .5ohm coil. Yikes. But maybe two of these in series, one under drivers seat, one under passenger seat might do the trick with a decent 1ohm stable amp.

Also seems to be a decent amount of space under the trunk liner where the spare tire should go to do something there.

If you are looking for license plate, neighbor annoying, police attention getting bass then this thread probably isn't for you. But if you just want a little clean, low end extension to the factory setup without sacrificing space then this is what I'm thinking about about.

What routes have you taken for this?

 

[Opticon]

The Bose energy efficient series is developed as a complete system and very different from conventional audio systems.

Energy Efficient Series System

Q: Can I buy the parts to add a Bose sound system to my car?
A: No, Bose does not offer audio systems or parts for aftermarket sale in the US because we would be unable to assure the high level of audio performance for which we are recognized. Each of our automotive sound systems is engineered as part of the car itself and installed on the car manufacturer's assembly line. The system's elements become part of the automobile. And, most importantly, special acoustic checks and balances are performed to ensure that the sound quality meets our standards. This level of custom engineering is not possible with aftermarket parts.

The Sonic's 6.5" drivers in the front doors are very capable down to about 120hz. What you need is a subwoofer and amplifier combination with flat performance from 120hz down to about 20hz. I seriously doubt that bose vibrator was designed to compliment conventional drivers in this way... and is most certainly powered in a different manner.

The best solution for "completing the stock system" is a single efficient 12" subwoofer in a correctly sized sealed enclosure and powered by a seperate monoblock amplifier (line-level inputs help). I suggest working with at least 250 watt RMS.

 

[rodslinger]

The best solution for "completing the stock system" is a single efficient 12" subwoofer

I very much disagree. That would be overkill against the stock unit/speakers. It all depends on your listening taste. I don't think I've put any 12" sub in any car I've owned since I was 18.

I also don't go much by what Bose recommends. I believe that unit (or similar) could be used if series paired with an equal to get a minimum static 1ohm load. I'm sure there is impedance rise under power just to be safe.

 

[Opticon]

I very much disagree. That would be overkill against the stock unit/speakers. It all depends on your listening taste. I don't think I've put any 12" sub in any car I've owned since I was 18.

The size of the cone does not dictate the volume of the subwoofer but it does change the audio profile within a specified frequency range. 12" drivers tend to have more consistant performance in the range where I found the stock system lacking.

I also suspect that the Bose 4.5" vibrator has a (mechanically) very narrow frequency profile and is powered by a very unconventional amplifier designed to compensate for it.

 

[rodslinger]

I'll agree with that part. But this is a highly subjective topic to many. I prefer to work with dead space. I would rather stash multiple smaller drivers in unused cavities than take up ANY trunk space.

I'm 40 with two kids and travel a LOT. I will not sacrifice any regular storage areas.

I also do not need and do not want the range and volume a 12" sub is capable of putting out. The solution I am looking for is along the line of what I oringally posted and am interested in feedback from anyone that has taken a similar approach. What you are proposing I do will not work for me. But thank you for the feedback.

 

[Opticon]

How about more conventional shallow mount woofers?

 

[rodslinger]

I am looking at a sedan and have considered such for possible rear deck solution or something in the empty spare tire compartment area. I did something similar on my Sentra Spec-V. I made a metal adapter to put a shallow 8" in place of the stock 6.5" rear deck sub and running on a 100 watt amp. Cleared the trunklid torsion bars and didn't lose any trunk space. Works pretty good.


I still have an 8" Pioneer shallow mount sub sitting in my garage and a JBL GTS series amp. I think it was 75W x 2 but would bridge and run 150w x 1 @ 2ohm and was compact so it may work for what I need.

I'm just planning ahead. Will see what happens when we take delivery.

 

[Stubby]

I installed a sub in my car, but went more conventional. Lost a little bit of space with the Polk Audio 8" sub and enclosure. Honestly, it takes very little room, and has a lot of hit. paired with a kicker 250 mono amp, it sounds perfect.

 

[djinn]

I'm looking at something along the lines of this:

Kicker 11HS8 Hideaway™ compact powered subwoofer: 150 watts and an 8" sub at Crutchfield.com

and sliding it under a seat. I've had good luck with Kicker products in the past, and it's all self-contained. Plus, it should be pretty easy to run a line input to under one of the seats.

 

[Deliboy]

I'm looking at something along the lines of this:

Kicker 11HS8 Hideaway™ compact powered subwoofer: 150 watts and an 8" sub at Crutchfield.com

and sliding it under a seat. I've had good luck with Kicker products in the past, and it's all self-contained. Plus, it should be pretty easy to run a line input to under one of the seats.

Don't you think heat would be an issue? Especially with an all in one unit?

 

[djinn]

I'm not too worried. Worst thing I'll keep it cool in the car putting some cool air on the floor.

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