I have been running 1 12" Soundsplinter RLP for the past 6 years. I used to play around and try different set ups pretty frequently, but buying a house and having a child put a damper on some of that stuff. Driving a Mazda 3 right now and I am looking to get the best and cleanest output(on a budget of course), so I am looking at either building a new box for my RLP and having it fire into the cab with the backseat down, or get 2 DCON 10s and building a box to fire into the cab the same way. I listen to all kinds of music and I am limited at what I can put in the car because of the size of the trunk. I have about 700-800 watts rms, which is why I was looking at the DCON. Not sure if I am going to do sealed or ported.

If I were to get new subs, would these subs provide similar type of quality as what I have currently? Also, would sealed or ported work best in a small car like this one with the subs firing towards the front of the car? Any help would be appreciated!

i cant vouch for them personally but people say great things about the dcons. Also you can check into the SA-10s, sundown carries some of them b-stock at a great price if you are interested. If youve had the same sub for six years why not go with something a little different?

I have heard great things about the SA's as well, but not sure if the power I have would sufficiently push them. I would only be giving them 350-400 rms each. I am running an old school MTX 2300. I know there are probably more efficient sub amps out there now, but I have had this amp for 11 years now and it has never even hiccupped. Would that sufficiently power SA's?

Personally I'd keep what you have especially since you have had it for 6 years and seem to have had no problems and you enjoyed it. Just my take on the matter.. plus that is a great sub.

Is your soundspliter currently ported? Could you be a little more specific about your musical preferences and what kind of sound your after.

Dont worry about not having enough power, they will work fine.

Edited June 7, 201114 yr by trod2902

Is your soundspliter currently ported? Could you be a little more specific about your musical preferences and what kind of sound your after.

Yeah, ported in 1.55 cubes tuned at 34 hz. Not really pleased with how the box turned out that I made for the Mazda 3. I built the box with the port opening up and there is no way to get air into the cabin without having the backseat down. Right now the port is firing air right into the rear deck. Poor planning on my part. results in some odd frequency response and a great deal of rattling (I believe I can fix that)

Well, my musical preferences are pretty much anything and everything. Listen to hip hop, alternative, classic rock, house/techno, even some country.

My next box I want to make with the sub firing towards the front of the car with the port facing the same way. I would like to try and seal it off from the trunk as best possible. I am trying to save as much trunk space as possible, get as much sound as possible into the car, and either use the sub I have to get my desired sound or get some sub(s) to fill the job.

I wouldn't mind keeping my sub, since it has been great for me, but am keeping my options open. Any feedback is welcomed.

What about Ascendant Audio?

http://www.ascendantaudio.com/chaos.php

I'd go with a Chaos over a DCON.

Is your soundspliter currently ported? Could you be a little more specific about your musical preferences and what kind of sound your after.

Yeah, ported in 1.55 cubes tuned at 34 hz. Not really pleased with how the box turned out that I made for the Mazda 3. I built the box with the port opening up and there is no way to get air into the cabin without having the backseat down. Right now the port is firing air right into the rear deck. Poor planning on my part. results in some odd frequency response and a great deal of rattling (I believe I can fix that)

Well, my musical preferences are pretty much anything and everything. Listen to hip hop, alternative, classic rock, house/techno, even some country.

My next box I want to make with the sub firing towards the front of the car with the port facing the same way. I would like to try and seal it off from the trunk as best possible. I am trying to save as much trunk space as possible, get as much sound as possible into the car, and either use the sub I have to get my desired sound or get some sub(s) to fill the job.

I wouldn't mind keeping my sub, since it has been great for me, but am keeping my options open. Any feedback is welcomed.

I highly recommend the ideas in bold to lots of people. If I were you I would keep the current setup, especially since it's still working well, and build a really nice spec'd box in the fashion mentioned above. Then, if it's STILL not giving the output you're looking for and you've done all you can with it, look into changing equipment. Then you'll know the measurements and techniques it will take to get the box just right in your car for whatever you upgrade to in the future.

Just my .02

I'm a big fan of doing all I can to get everything out of what I already have before spending money on new stuff..... I'm a cheapskate in that regard....

Yeah, ported in 1.55 cubes tuned at 34 hz. Not really pleased with how the box turned out that I made for the Mazda 3. I built the box with the port opening up and there is no way to get air into the cabin without having the backseat down. Right now the port is firing air right into the rear deck. Poor planning on my part. results in some odd frequency response and a great deal of rattling (I believe I can fix that)

Well, my musical preferences are pretty much anything and everything. Listen to hip hop, alternative, classic rock, house/techno, even some country.

My next box I want to make with the sub firing towards the front of the car with the port facing the same way. I would like to try and seal it off from the trunk as best possible. I am trying to save as much trunk space as possible, get as much sound as possible into the car, and either use the sub I have to get my desired sound or get some sub(s) to fill the job.

I wouldn't mind keeping my sub, since it has been great for me, but am keeping my options open. Any feedback is welcomed.

If I'm not mistaken generally the best way to aim subs/port in a trunk is sub back port back. That doesn't mean this is always the best way, its install dependent. Personally that is the orientation that I have and even with the seats up the sound is fine. Edouble has a build log where he faced his sub firing into the cabin with the box sealing off the trunk, but this required removing the seat. I am not at all familiar with that soundsplinter sub, but depending how well they work sealed this may be the best way for you to go if you really wanted to save space and keep the sub, but you will loose output. I'm also not familiar with that car nor do I know how much space you were looking to save or how much output you are expecting. If you have issues with rattling the only way to really fix that is with sound deadening, placement won't solve the problem. Depending on how well that driver performs sealed and if you don't mind the output that may be a decent way to go. Sorry I couldn't be of more help

2 dayton ho 10's would work in <2 cubes

Is your soundspliter currently ported? Could you be a little more specific about your musical preferences and what kind of sound your after.

Yeah, ported in 1.55 cubes tuned at 34 hz. Not really pleased with how the box turned out that I made for the Mazda 3. I built the box with the port opening up and there is no way to get air into the cabin without having the backseat down. Right now the port is firing air right into the rear deck. Poor planning on my part. results in some odd frequency response and a great deal of rattling (I believe I can fix that)

Well, my musical preferences are pretty much anything and everything. Listen to hip hop, alternative, classic rock, house/techno, even some country.

My next box I want to make with the sub firing towards the front of the car with the port facing the same way. I would like to try and seal it off from the trunk as best possible. I am trying to save as much trunk space as possible, get as much sound as possible into the car, and either use the sub I have to get my desired sound or get some sub(s) to fill the job.

I wouldn't mind keeping my sub, since it has been great for me, but am keeping my options open. Any feedback is welcomed.

I highly recommend the ideas in bold to lots of people. If I were you I would keep the current setup, especially since it's still working well, and build a really nice spec'd box in the fashion mentioned above. Then, if it's STILL not giving the output you're looking for and you've done all you can with it, look into changing equipment. Then you'll know the measurements and techniques it will take to get the box just right in your car for whatever you upgrade to in the future.

Just my .02

I'm a big fan of doing all I can to get everything out of what I already have before spending money on new stuff..... I'm a cheapskate in that regard....

I hear ya. I think I am going to grab a sheet of mdf and a PVC elbow and 45 to make the port work. Sub sounded great in my old car, but I was able to port through the rear deck. Night and day difference. Thanks for the input.

Yeah, ported in 1.55 cubes tuned at 34 hz. Not really pleased with how the box turned out that I made for the Mazda 3. I built the box with the port opening up and there is no way to get air into the cabin without having the backseat down. Right now the port is firing air right into the rear deck. Poor planning on my part. results in some odd frequency response and a great deal of rattling (I believe I can fix that)

Well, my musical preferences are pretty much anything and everything. Listen to hip hop, alternative, classic rock, house/techno, even some country.

My next box I want to make with the sub firing towards the front of the car with the port facing the same way. I would like to try and seal it off from the trunk as best possible. I am trying to save as much trunk space as possible, get as much sound as possible into the car, and either use the sub I have to get my desired sound or get some sub(s) to fill the job.

I wouldn't mind keeping my sub, since it has been great for me, but am keeping my options open. Any feedback is welcomed.

If I'm not mistaken generally the best way to aim subs/port in a trunk is sub back port back. That doesn't mean this is always the best way, its install dependent. Personally that is the orientation that I have and even with the seats up the sound is fine. Edouble has a build log where he faced his sub firing into the cabin with the box sealing off the trunk, but this required removing the seat. I am not at all familiar with that soundsplinter sub, but depending how well they work sealed this may be the best way for you to go if you really wanted to save space and keep the sub, but you will loose output. I'm also not familiar with that car nor do I know how much space you were looking to save or how much output you are expecting. If you have issues with rattling the only way to really fix that is with sound deadening, placement won't solve the problem. Depending on how well that driver performs sealed and if you don't mind the output that may be a decent way to go. Sorry I couldn't be of more help

Traditionally, yeah, that is the best method, but in this car there is no way to get air into the cabin without the sub firing directly into the cabin. I plan on building the box to face forward and try and seal it off from the trunk and leave the backseat down. I am the only one who rides in the car, so I really don't have a problem with this. I am not trying to make a stealthbox to conserve space or anything like that, but I don't want to build a box that is much bigger than what I have currently. If that makes any sense. I think I am going to try a ported box and see how it goes.

If you build another ported box I would listen to alton and build it to spec. Make sure its a quality box and I think you should be happy. Good luck

I am going to use a round flared port design. In order to get the port where I need it, I am going to use an elbow and possibly a 45 degree piece. Anyone ever try this before? I imagine it wouldn't matter if the port is angled or straight, just as long as the port area is correct. Any thoughts?

The port won't care whether it's angled, straight or bent. The things that matter most is that the length is correct for the tuning frequency you want, that there's enough port area to keep from having port noise and that area is consistent throughout the length.