Xpjim1's Stereo Thread

[xpjim1]

Here is my sub box that a local high school kid built me in wood shop. He counter sunk the screws and wood filled them. Very clean. Nice slicone bead on the inside seams. He messed up my dimensions but I let him slide since it cost me nada. The box is 2 inches shorter, an inch wider and 3.5 inches deeper than what I drew up for him. It fits through the opening so not a big problem. I went to walmart and bought 2 cans of Plastickote spray on bedliner for $7 a can. Just enough. A gallon was $45 and I did not want to hassle rolling it on. They had other brands for $4 a can. His teacher brought in speaker connections and they routered in a nice opening with a lip for the connection plate. Only not in a spot I would have put it but it works.

[xpjim1]

Now I have to decide how to mount it. I took out the 10 inch clarion. I could just rotozip that opening to 11.25 for the new wetsounds xs 12. Mount the sub to the fiberglass on the drivers side and screw into the box behind the wall like talltigeguy or enlarge existing hole to 12.6 inches and mount a speaker ring onto the box, mount my sub directly to subox and slide it into place.

[chpthril]

Box looks good

I just built one this weekend for a customer and used Herculiner in a 1qt can. $30 bucks from PepBoys. Used about 1/3rd of the can and got a nice thick coating.

I'd like to look into spraying on with a gun for a more professional look, better coverage while using less material.

I did mine as 5 sided box and will mount the box to the back of the bulkhead and mount the sub to the front. We'll see how it comes out.

[xpjim1]

Box looks good


I did mine as 5 sided box and will mount the box to the back of the bulkhead and mount the sub to the front. We'll see how it comes out.

Thats what I am leaning towards. If I ever sell the boat and the new owner wants the storage back they can have the sub only. If I enlarge that hole to fit the speaker ring they have to go to a 15" sub. I thought of a 5 sided box but the kid had a dificult time with a normal box. Just wish he got the depth right so I could have used the walkway door to get into the compartment.

Found a guy on ebay who builds sub boxes for reasonable and coats them. Shipping is the killer though. For about $60 shipped you can have a pretty nice box

[chpthril]

Thats what I am leaning towards. If I ever sell the boat and the new owner wants the storage back they can have the sub only. If I enlarge that hole to fit the speaker ring they have to go to a 15" sub. I thought of a 5 sided box but the kid had a dificult time with a normal box. Just wish he got the depth right so I could have used the walkway door to get into the compartment.

Found a guy on ebay who builds sub boxes for reasonable and coats them. Shipping is the killer though. For about $60 shipped you can have a pretty nice box

Good thinking on the large hole left for the next owner.

$60 is not bad, but it's pretty easy to build a box, even though I'm the worlds worst carpenter.

So far i've got in mine: $22 4x8 sheet of MDF (used about 1/4th) a couple of bux in screws (I keep lots of them anyway), Silicone sealer (keep it to) and the 1qt liner (used 1/3rd) so, less then $20 a box plus my time.

[xpjim1]

I thought about building mine but this was easier. I just do not have the tools that would make it easier. It pays to be nice to the neighborhood kids

[xpjim1]

Whoever cut the hole for my existing sub butchered it. Whats good to use to enlarge the existing hole? Pretty thick fiberglass there

[xpjim1]

The picture of my sub box really makes it look good. Not that good looking up close. Doesn't really matter as it will be well hidden

[chpthril]

Whoever cut the hole for my existing sub butchered it. Whats good to use to enlarge the existing hole? Pretty thick fiberglass there

The couple i've done, i've used a jig saw. Use the template to cut the carpet out, then use that as a guide to cut the hole in the wall.

The picture of my sub box really makes it look good. Not that good looking up close. Doesn't really matter as it will be well hidden

That's the way mine is. I'm the reason they invented wood putty and sand paper With enough spray-on liner or carpet, I will make it look good

[philwsailz]

Whoever cut the hole for my existing sub butchered it. Whats good to use to enlarge the existing hole? Pretty thick fiberglass there

I would use a router with a straight cut bit. Mount it in a circle cutting adaptor. Then use this trick:

Place a sacrificial material board of 1/4" plywood or similar material over the existing rough hole. Make a small hole for the circle cutting adaptor in roughly where you want the center of the new hole.

If you mount the router on the surface of the sacrificial board, you have one shot at it, as you will cut a circle in the board in the first pass. If you can mount the sacrificial board BEHIND the bad hole, and cut it from the front, you can do it in a few passes to prevent the router from trying to cut too deep in a single pass.

[xpjim1]

Well since we had quite the rain and thunderstorms in Lake Havasu this weekend, I decided to install the new Wetsounds XS 12 sub to replace the non functioning clarion. Whoever installed the Clarion really butchered the hole as only 4 of the 8 mounting screws were hitting fiberglass. Phil and Chpthril gave good ideas of how to enlarge the existing hole. Since I do not own a router or a rotozip I opted for a really old gigantic saber/jig saw. If you ever do this do not cut the hole in the sub box first. I had no choice as it was a kids woodshop project and I was close. I took the template and drew the new circle getting as close to where the bottom needed to be due to the sub box. I tried to eliminate the step of cutting the existing carpet off but when I was cutting the carpet fuzz did not allow you to see the line. Got out the razor knife and cut the carpet out. Using the jig saw I made a beautiful circle. When I tried the sub it was too small . I then tried using the jig saw but I kept busting blades because not enough room to turn. Off to Sears to use the Xmas gift certificates and got a rotozip. Be careful as the cutting tool really cuts fast. I got the hole enlarged so the sub would fit. Now as Talltigeguy stated kind of dificult with one person to get the sub box against the wall. My luck was running good as my daughter arrived from LA just in time. She crawled into the compartment and held the box into place as I placed the sub in the hole. We were a little off as the sub box was too low. Found some old packing foam from one of the surfboards and cut a 3/8 inch strip. Under the front of the sub box it went and perfect fit. Screwed a screw thru the fiberglass and into the box to hold it into place. 8 mounting screws into the sub. another few from the wall into the box and done.

I only had 16 gauge wire handy so that is what I used. Amps is not adjust yet but I can honestly say IT ROCKS!!!

[TigeDuner]

I put in the same sub and agree--it thumps hard.

[xpjim1]

With all the talk of the 485's, I might need to put a single 485 in the middle to take up the unused space on my tower.

[TigeDuner]

It fits perfectly between a pair of Pro 80's.

[xpjim1]

Gain Setting Help
Here is my set up

I am planning on using a voltmeter if I can find mine from years ago

I go from out put on HU to a splitter to 10 foot rca cables to LC1 then 10 foot cables to another splitter and then to amp. When setting my gains they are pretty high. After reading billspins stereo post he had installed a line driver. I have a clarion xmd3, which I here puts out pretty low voltage.
I am planning on putting the line driver after the LC1's.
Question
1) when setting the gains should I have the LC1's wide open?
2) The LD directions say to set the amp gains all the way down and use the gains on the LD. If not enough only then use the gain on the amps. I have also heard set the gains on the LD to the mid and then use the amp gain. Any way more preferable?
Amps accept up to 8v and LD max output is 8v
Thanks