Hi. Some of you guys here seem quite familiar with subwoofer enclosures, maybe you can help.
I've always used 15 inch subs. Simple rule is more surface area is better. However, there is a lack of options in 15 inch subs in Lahore. So i got myself a pioneer 12 in 3002 d4.
I have it bridged to a solid audio amp (they're ok, nothing great), at 2 ohms, giving the sub something like 400 watts rms at 2 ohms.
I first built a box for the sub with a 6 inch port (3 inch dia), at 3 cuft. I downloaded the manual from the pioneer website before I bought the sub.
The sound was pretty decent, the lows were nice and clean, and very loud. But above that, the sub was having trouble following the notes in the music I listen to. It was just too muddy, and the bass would seem to disappear at some frequencies.
So now, i went through the owners manual that came with the sub. The ported enclosure recommendations were completely different from the box I had made.
So I followed the instructions in the manual to the last detail, built a second box as per the maximum recommended ported enclosure size.
Now, the bass does not sound muddy or booming. i admit, it's very tight and precise. However, the sub is only hitting low notes. Between 40 and 50 hz. Above that, there's hardly a response. I've tinkered to nop end with the cut off frequencies on my pre (pioneer 6050 UB). I keep all the filters on my amp off.
Frankly speaking, I find it hard to believe that a sub which has such great reviews across the world, can sound this mild, and this shitty. The SVC 15 inch Sony xplod (which is pretty crap) I had previously sounded much better and louder.
So I'll give the benefit of doubt to the sub, and blame the box.
I even tried one of the standard hall road "bass tubes", and they were absolutely lousy. All boom, lots of it, no precision at all.
So I was hoping since you've meddled with this sub recently, you might be able to give an opinion on what's going wrong here.
Honestly, the best sub I've ever had was a Cervin Vega stealth 15 inch. It took almost no power to run it. And in 1 4 cuft box with a 7 inch something port, it was the cleanest, lowest bass I'd ever heard. Nausea inducing bass.
Thanks!