Convertible Subs

[New2Talon]

I did a search, but came up with nothing.

Because a convertible (ragtop) is more open than a fixed roof car, what would be the best way to trunk mount subs?

I would assume downfiring, but is there anything that would help make them more effective? Or would you just need a powerful setup to get a bit of bump?

[97'Scort]

You'll need a little more oomph to get the sound, especially at highway speeds.

If it's a ragtop 2 seater, we usually put them in behind the top (like where a rear seat would be) or behind the seats themselves, if there's room).

Another option, which is more expensive and tricky but works fantastic if you can figure it out, is to use dual 10" subs in the trunk, but VENT them into the cabin .

[Hash_man]

^^^ Ya vented into the cabin if you can, or depending on the vehicle go with something up front.

Many 911's can fit 5" subs in the doors and still have room for speakers in the dash.

What kind of car are you putting this in?

[New2Talon]

It's going into a celica convertible. 4-seater.

Vented into the cabin would mean I would neeed to cut out the roof tray, and I would like to keep it clean.

I do have an 8 speaker "premium" sound system which consists of 2tweets, 2 4" and 2 8" speakers upfront and 2 6.5" in the rear.

I was looking at a set of kicker ssmb8's because they seem like a nice set of free-air midbass (50+ hz) that would fit in my door pocket.

Would those, combined with another nice set of 4" mids/tweets sound ok?

[em2ab]

Put them under the seats or 1 in the console.

[97'Scort]

I'd look to replace them with a good three-way system up front, and don't even worry about the rears. Get yourself a good set, something like the Focal Polyglass 165 VR3 (1" tweet, 4" mid, 6.5" woofer) will sound fantastic with a good amp.

I'm also pretty sure (at least this is what my software is telling me for a 2000 Celica GTS with premium sound) that your front speakers are also 6.5", not 8".

[soupey]

in a car like taht ur better off changing your components and if u really wanted some bass response that you wouldnt lose to the open roof - install some bass shakers on each seat or something that would deliver low level frequencies taht you can feel rather than hear.

[New2Talon]

Thanks scort, that was something I had been looking into was a good 3-way up front with upgraded rears running off an amp (or 2) and not running trunk subs.

Do you have any info on that component set? I wasn't able to find any specs in a quick google search. What is the mounting depth on the 4's? If I can , I would like to utilize a 8" woofer in my 8" pocket.

I DO know 100% that the speakers/subs are 8" upfront, along with 4" mids. There as a member of another forum that has the same spkr setup as me (although his is hardtop hatchback), and he is running 8" kicker rsmb8's (predecessor to ss series)

Its a 98 celica convertible. It is factory ragtop from toyota (its USDM) but it does not show up in 99% of databases. I did not know that there was a 7th gen droptop...

I will probably not do anything under the seats, and having a vibrating seat is not a big deal to me.

[97'Scort]

www.focal-america.com will have the specs for that setup. 8" subs are tough to find these days. Audiobahn (back in the day) made a fantastic set, and I think we still have a pair at the shop, but they're not shallow mount by any means.

If anything pops on my radar in the next few days I'll post it up.

[New2Talon]

I'm looking at the 165 vr3 and they look like they might be a bit too deep for my 4" pocket.

No input on the 8" midbass kicker woofers?

SQ is not really what I am after, since alot of the acoustics will either be lost to the ragtop, or the open air.

[GTS Jeff]

Yikes, I would honestly not put any more than the absolute minimum into a sound system on a convertible. As you said, all that SQ doesn't mean shit when it's being drowned out by the wind and the sound of traffic all around you. Any Focal gear would be a waste IMO. You should be focusing on clean, loud sound here. Just buy anything half decent, amp them as much as possible, and enjoy. Same rule applies for components or subs IMO.

All I have planned for my convertible at the moment is just a replacement deck...and a budget one at that. The stock system isn't great, but who cares, it's a convertible. I really just want a deck so I can play mp3s heh.

[GTS Jeff]

Oh yeah, there is a decent selection of 8" woofers, but that isn't the concern, the concern is finding ones that are slim AND designed to be used in an infinite baffle setup.

JL 8IB4 might be good if you can find them still.

[New2Talon]

Haha tell me about it. That combination (slim/free-air) is hard to find.

That was going to be my general rule of thumb for my stereo (cheap/non SQ/amped to shit)

I was actually looking at the JL's before I turned to the kickers ssmb8's. The fact that the JL's aren't very easy to find (new) and the fact theat they are 8ohm is why I'm no longer considering them as an option anymore.

[97'Scort]

I found a 3 way setup with an 8in sub by Dynaudio but it's quite expensive. I have no input on the Kicker's because I have never installed any, but the ones I have heard seem kind of coarse compared to what I'm used to. I'm just picky I guess.

8 ohm impedence should not affect your buying decision. They will have a tighter control over the cone, if anything, so it will help the midbass.

[New2Talon]

But you probably deal with more "hi-end" equipment (focal, hertz, BA etc) so the kickers would probably sound a bit rougher.

Do you have any "ohm-age for dummies" websites to figure out amp impedance output to spkr impedance? IE would it be better to run a 2-ch as opposed to a bridged 4-ch?

[97'Scort]

If the amp can handle the impedence listed in the specs, then you're fine. Check the amp's manual and it will tell you. It will not make a difference in what type (two or four channel) you use, just build it to work and suit your budget.

Here's the 3 way setup I found:
http://www.dynaudio.com/eng/auto/esotec/362.php

That's some seriously high-end shit, but worth every penny IMO. You wouldn't need anything but that three way and something that can provide about 200W/channel x 2 @ 4 ohms. I'd check out the new Hertz amps or Zapco.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by 97'Scort
That's some seriously high-end shit, but worth every penny IMO. You wouldn't need anything but that three way and something that can provide about 200W/channel x 2 @ 4 ohms. I'd check out the new Hertz amps or Zapco.

Ever owned a convertible?

[Deetz]

I have a Celica convertible myself. The speakers are stock, but it runs off an Alpine deck which is far superior to the stock unit. I don't have subs in it, but if i were too, it would be super easy to drop a 10 or 12" driver and box with a decent amp in the trunk and fire it to the back of the car. The trunk is open to the passenger area and should be provide some good bass.

[New2Talon]

My trunk is sealed off from the cabin. There is a partition of board that houses the ragtop when it is down, also muffling the bass from the trunk, along with the actual top itself.

What would those dynaudio's go for? There is no dealer in calgary, or even canada for that matter.

[97'Scort]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
Ever owned a convertible?

Nope, but I've installed stuff in tons of 'em. If you take the time and mount stuff correctly (like using the windshield to reflect the tweeters) you can get around some of the wind noise issues. There's only so much you can do, right?