Thread: subwoofer in wrong sealed enclosure?

No offense, seriously, but you are kinda all over the place with this. I can't figure out what exactly you want. Do you want an enclosure that you can buy off the internet, do you want to build one? Do want to do whatever is necessary to have the W7? Does it need to be fiberglass? Are you trying to save trunck space? Do you care the size? have you seen The JL powerwedges? Gimme as much info as you can so I can help direct you the best way possible. I don't blame you for wanting the w7 Its a great, great sub.

Originally Posted by mrhonnesty99

here are the specs Recommended Sealed Volume: 1.25 cu. ft. (35.4 ltrs.)
. i want to build a fiberglass enclosure for my w7 as small as possible but want to meet the specs of the unit.i also want to know how many layers of fiberglass i sould use?

Yes as long as you dont mind building the enclosure out it will work fine. I would start with 7-10 layers of mat just to make sure the enclosure is solid. 7 layers with the compound angles for the rear should be fine but I would do at least 10 layers on the front baffle using 2 .75 mdf rings and some thick bracing to suspend the rings. When you do the initial mold of the trunk I would come out farther then you want the enclosure to extend into the trunk. Your enclosure needs to be at least 1.39ft3 (for recommended volume because you need to add the displacement of the woofer. after you have your mold done you can take t out of the car and pour in the measured liquid untill you have 1.39ft3 of liquid in the mold then using a straight edge you can draw a trim line pour out the liquid and trim it to size. this will get you in the ball park you need to be size wise. If you want to get technical you should also consider the displacement of the bracing and ring that will occupy interior space. hope I wasnt to confusing any questions just ask.
Aron

Originally Posted by mrhonnesty99

here are the specs Recommended Sealed Volume: 1.25 cu. ft. (35.4 ltrs.)
. i want to build a fiberglass enclosure for my w7 as small as possible but want to meet the specs of the unit.i also want to know how many layers of fiberglass i sould use?

You can certainly build one no problem. I wouldn't worry so much about Layers, I would worry about the thickness. For a w7 you should aim for a thickness of between 1/2" and 3/4" for the fiberglass. Remember, you don't have to use MDF rings per se, thats only if you want the face of the enclosure to be slightly larger than the woofer aesthetically. If you like, you can make a larger square or rectangle mdf baffle for looks. Last side-mount trunk fiberglass enclosure I made for a single 10w3, I gave it a nice square looking face, almost as large as the base.. Looked great and made it easier to calculate volume. Up to you. THe one thing I will tell you is that you cannot begin this project until you've got the woofer in hand. Firstly the diameter is a strange on the w7 and secondly the mount depth is enormous. ALso pay close attention to the required clearance from the magnet to the bottom of the baffle, If I remember correctly, the w7 is a big clearance woofer. Good luck.

Both links show the same amp.

What we've got here is a unique creature. A JL Audio 12W7. Unique in the regard that it contains only a single 3ohm voice coil. Making your wiring options pretty damn limited. In fact, your choices are: Single VC, 3ohm OR Single VC, 3ohm. THis means, that most less expensive amps, designed to offer significant power only at very low impedence aren't going to help you out here. The amp is those links above isn't going to do the trick. That amp is only 500w @ 2ohm. Running a 3ohm load, it will be less. THe biggest problem is that the 500w is max power. You'll want something more capable of doing 500w continuous power @ 3ohm. There are amps available that can run full power at 3ohms. It may come as a shock to you, but they are the JL AUDIO slash series - whod've thunk it? A JL 500/1 would pound that 12w7 accurately, cleanly and with plenty of boom. There are othe amps as well, but I'm not sure how many are designed to run well @3ohm. THat's not to say that a solid 4ohm amp will not run well @3ohm, its just not designed to run as effeciently. You want to be in the 500w - 750w RMS power range. The JL 500w fits in more toward the 750 end than a lot of cheaper amps. THe Slash series are phenomenal amps through and through. IF you go for something 4ohm, get something at least 600w @ 4ohms and make damn sure it plays well at 2ohms too. Go for a mono amp, stay away from 2 channel amps and bridging. Good luck.

I will second that amp will not work very well. The W7 woofer was engineered to work with the Slash series amps, Not saying it is your only choice here just that is what it was designed for. A good quality 2ohm stable mono amp will also do the job but it has to have the power, at least 700 watts rms. That is a great sub but without the right power and the right enclosure it will not perform very well. What are you wanting to achive with this install good sound, mind numbing bass?