Sub Box Options
I too have thought about the option of a fiberglass enclosure that would fit inside the spare tire itself. It seems an 8-inch sub should have enough space for fit as well as air space. I've not researched this though.
Another option I'm even more interested in would be just like the ones zenclosures is making for 10 and 12-inch subs but for the newer 8-inch subs that seem to work exceptionally well. I was in a car audio shop last week and listened to a few different mounted subs, single 8, single 10 and single 12. The one I thought sounded best by far was a little 8-inch Kicker in a custom made box that was slot ported. The smaller sub is lighter, less expensive and requires a smaller, less expensive amp to run. This could also simplify wiring since some bigger subs are best run with a separate, dedicated sub (mono) amp. The smaller sub would also require a smaller airspace so the box would take up less of our cargo space and weigh less. Although I do want better sound quality, this is still a sports car and I think most of us would prefer adding no more weight than necessary. 12" subs and high power amps are stinking heavy!
To qualify some of my opinions, I don't listen to rap or hip hop. I like Led Zeppelin, Badlands, Boston, ZZ Top, Rainbow, Joe Satrianni, Queensryche, Gary Moore, Van Halen, Dio, The Cult... you get the picture. I'm betting the 30 Hz frequencies produced by today's high performance 8" subs is plenty low for my listening. After all, this is a very small cockpit to fill with omnidirectional low frequency sound.
I'm interested in the opinions of others on this subject (especially other rockers). Was it the ported enclosure design that made this little 80.00 sub sound so good? I've read that sealed boxes provide a tighter, more responsive bass sound and are also generally smaller than ported boxes.
What about best brands of subs for rock? This inexpensive little Kicker 8" impressed me but I am impressed with the engineering and design philosophy of the Polk MM840DVC. I haven't heard one mounted but they look like serious quality for the money and the explaination of thier design is convincing (I work as a tech writer for our aircraft maintenance engineering department).
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