self contained sub under seat?

[MLB]

under the passenger seat?  I"ve seen a couple of very thin (3" or less) small woofers in plastic housings with amplifier that look like they'd fit under the seat.  Anyone tried one? They are small diameter (6-8") so not going for THUMP, just some actual bass noise.  

 Like this:  http://www.jbl.com/car-subwoofers/

 

https://www.shop.com/KENWOOD+KSC+SW11+Kenwood+Compact+Powered+Subwoofer+Enclosure+150W+Max+power+Wired+Remote+Control-1583085226-p+.xhtml?sourceid=298&CAWELAID=120179650037056799&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=22435473779&CATCI=pla-65399634571&CATARGETID=120179650035805681&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwmK3OBRBKEiwAOL6t1BW59QJCgBdHqOQOOT3Pzc7YZmZaQRiiiKKqrRuqeosQXXTcCZd4lBoCYGEQAvD_BwE

Edited September 27, 2017 by MLB

[Don Ridley]

There are several threads about under-seat subs here:

http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=156468&p=1521281&hilit=subwoofer#p1521281

 

 

[MLB]

Not much there. 

 Has anyone figured out how much height there is to use under the seats? 

[MLB]

PLENTY of room under there!  I got the Kenwood ksc-w11 self powered subwoofer and it fits' in the little storage space under the passenger seat but I'll probably put it under the drivers seat to keep the silly little storage space. 

 Sub and rear speakers (JL Audio) , back up camera and dash cam came today.  Head unit (Kenwood dmx7704s)  and front component speakers coming separately.  Gonna have it professionally installed.  

Can't wait. 

[mrtn]

Nice. I have been looking at Android Auto compatible mechaless head units to display Waze and other phone based navis and media players. Not many around yet tho.

[zalienz]

I used the JBL Bass Pro SL subs under the seats or my Connect, 2 of them - one under each front seat. I purchased the reman units, $75 each less than new. They work great for Rock n Roll. May not fill the bill for super bass heavy rap and stuff, but if you're not into that, they will work great, fit under the seat, powered, outta sight and mind.

 

https://www.harmanaudio.com/jbl/BASSPRO+SL.html?dwvar_BASSPRO SL_color=Black-Z#start=1

[mrtn]

I have not been able to tune the sub for rock no matter how I’ve tried to play with xovers and amp settings. There’s always the sub missing at low listening volumes. The sub becomes audible at mid volume and is good for the rest of the scale.

[zalienz]

I agree, mrtn. I have also noticed the same thing. I'm still working with a real time analyzer to get the sound where I like it. At mid volumes, I have too much sub and not enough mid bass. I'm using Hertz HSK-165.4 component speakers, 6.5 mid bass door speakers and 1" tweeters, with a Rockford P500x2 powering them, and the 2 JBL Bass pro subs. All are connected to a Audio Control DQ-61 that interfaces with the factory head unit. It's a work in progress. :-)

 

[mrtn]

Does the audio control unit allow you to configure signal power for different HU output power levels?

[zalienz]

Yes it does. There are separate input and output levels so you can configure HU inputs and amplifier outputs. I was lucky enough to borrow an oscilloscope from work, and set my input and output levels just below clipping. The Rockford amp is actually a little more powerful than I need, but it allowed me to set levels slightly lower, resulting in a clean signal that is plenty loud enough, and lowers the stress, heat, and power draw on the amp. I used this processor as I have Sync 3 and am stuck with the factory head unit, but I'm not bothered by it. My goal was to have a clean, loud system with 25-20khz range that exists in the factory speaker locations, except for the subs of course. I wanted this to discourage thieves. Looking through the windows, there is no indication of anything aftermarket. The system is really decent, still tuning, don't know if I'll ever stop tuning, lol

 

http://www.audiocontrol.com/car-audio/factory-system-upgrade/dq-61/

[mrtn]

I’m also all for factory look. 

[zalienz]

I made some tuning strides today.  Something just wasn't right, hours of EQ was not providing the results I wanted. I had always felt the midbass was stronger on the right than the left, thought it was just speaker placement vs my ears. I came to the conclusion there was a fundamental problem somewhere in the system. I decided to pull the left front door panel and check the phasing of the left door speaker, and ah-ha, there was the answer. I'm surprised, I was really careful checking polarity connections while installing, but I made a goof - the left door speaker was out of phase. I swapped the + and - leads and sure enough, the speaker came alive and the lack of midbass issue I was experiencing was gone. Going back to the EQ, and adjusting, the sound is so full now. I'm really close, I think a very slight boost to the sub (I had previously turned it down quite a bit) will make it golden. That's next weekend's small project.

[mrtn]

Haha, done that, the first test run sounded like something crushing my skull but not in a good way. Now that I said it, it sounds wrong again.

[Don Ridley]

It's nice when we can find a solution. The factory speaker wires are all black so this mistake is easy to make.

I installed an Audio Control D4.80 amp/DSP. This is my first real sound system and the DSP computer app has been invaluable. I have tuned the system about 10 times and finally have it about right. 

 

I also like the stock look and aftermarket sound. Plus, retaining all stock controls was key. Insulation and sound deadening was key and there is a lot to learn.

 

I finally have a sound system that is too loud. I hope yours is equally enjoyable! Still can't believe I paid more for the speakers than any other component.

[MLB]

On 10/17/2017 at 3:02 PM, mrtn said:

Nice. I have been looking at Android Auto compatible mechaless head units to display Waze and other phone based navis and media players. Not many around yet tho.

 

 

 Yeh, that's the sole reason for me to buy this versus a comparable earlier disk playing model for $150 less.  I make deliveries and looking forward to having a 7" display with maps and voice control.  No rear glass so I need a backup camera and the dash cams are just good idea these days for commercial vehicles.   I'm hoping the back up cam gives me enough visability to skip getting a window installed in the right side door.  If so I'll have paid for 1/2 the system in savings there.