Car sub vs. home sub

keith allen
keith allen Posts: 734
edited February 2006 in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
I have a onix rocket which I really like,hits fairly hard,10" driver 500watt amp.My neighbor has a kicker 10" sub 250 watt amp in his car,the car sub hits much,much harder than mine.Why is that,only thing I can figure is car has little cubic feet,when my living room has much more,is that the difference?
Post edited by keith allen on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited February 2006
    yes ...
    Never Forget
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ohskigod
    ohskigod Posts: 6,502
    edited February 2006
    also factor in that the car sub isnt going as low as your home sub most likly, ut the biggest factor is as you said. easier to pressurise a small car cockpit than an entire room in your house. put that car sub in your living roon, and even if it still sounds loud, it will sound terrible. it isnt made to be used in a house.
    Living Room 2 Channel -
    Schiit SYS Passive Pre. Jolida CD player. Songbird streamer. California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC, DIY 300as1/a1 Ice modules Class D amp. LSi15 with MM842 woofer upgrade, Nordost Blue Heaven and Unity interconnects.

    Upstairs 2 Channel Rig -
    Prometheus Ref. TVC passive pre, SAE A-205 Amp, Wiim pro streamer and Topping E50 DAC, California Audio Labs DX1 CD player, Von Schweikert VR3.5 speakers.

    Studio Rig - Scarlett 18i20(Gen3) DAW, Mac Mini, Aiyma A07 Max (BridgedX2), Totem Mites
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dudeinaroom
    dudeinaroom Posts: 3,609
    edited February 2006
    actualy if the box is built right the sub will sound good in the house, won't be as loud or go as deep as it did in the car
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited February 2006
    Car subs are designed to make more output than home subs mainly to overcome road noise levels. Also Kicker is pretty much strictly an SPL sub and is made for only one thing, lots of volume.
    polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
    MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • keith allen
    keith allen Posts: 734
    edited February 2006
    Well,it all makes since,I guess something like a dual 12" high power svs could get ya close to that kind of punch in a fairly large room
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ohskigod
    ohskigod Posts: 6,502
    edited February 2006
    dudeinaroom wrote:
    actualy if the box is built right the sub will sound good in the house, won't be as loud or go as deep as it did in the car



    your right, but from my experience, thats a rarity. Most Car Audio nuts I see just care about Volume. Polkfest was an eye openner for me because I saw Car Audio guys really care about the overall sound quality over "MAD BASS!!!!" Wish more of those guys lived near me instead of the people I know with (bad) stock systems that they think sound awesome because they added a 1000 watt amp and 2 12" subs in the trunk to it.
    Living Room 2 Channel -
    Schiit SYS Passive Pre. Jolida CD player. Songbird streamer. California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC, DIY 300as1/a1 Ice modules Class D amp. LSi15 with MM842 woofer upgrade, Nordost Blue Heaven and Unity interconnects.

    Upstairs 2 Channel Rig -
    Prometheus Ref. TVC passive pre, SAE A-205 Amp, Wiim pro streamer and Topping E50 DAC, California Audio Labs DX1 CD player, Von Schweikert VR3.5 speakers.

    Studio Rig - Scarlett 18i20(Gen3) DAW, Mac Mini, Aiyma A07 Max (BridgedX2), Totem Mites
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ward91
    ward91 Posts: 338
    edited February 2006
    my sub is custom built 2ft x 3ft it gives a good sound and deep bass.(with car audio sub in it)
    (just posted pics in diy section)
    ELECTRONICS
    arcam cd93
    linn wakonda
    MC2 MC450
    Teac ud h01 DAC


    SPEAKERS
    Tannoy DC6 t se .
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drew spelts
    drew spelts Posts: 310
    edited February 2006
    Yeah, Ward has it right and I do not like or agree with what ohskigod had to say.... I built a custom two 12" Alpine type R sub unit for my room with a 300Watt plate amp for well under $600 and its insane I dont think you could beat mine with about anything. I NEVER turn it up to even half volume. I had a post called the difinitive way to build a sub but that post seems to no longer be on here. The box was consturcted out of two sheets of MDF laminated together in order to give 1 full inch of thickness. Its a beast and goes as low as a mexicans cadillac.
    Harman Kardon AVR635
    RTi10's Up Front
    CSi5 Center
    RTi6's Rear Surround
    Furman RA-1210:rolleyes:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drew spelts
    drew spelts Posts: 310
    edited February 2006
    look here Keith http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?p=416741
    Harman Kardon AVR635
    RTi10's Up Front
    CSi5 Center
    RTi6's Rear Surround
    Furman RA-1210:rolleyes:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,644
    edited February 2006
    I could find its weak points! :)

    Wouldnt take long either... ;)

    And not just your sub, any sub! Ha! Ha! Ha!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drew spelts
    drew spelts Posts: 310
    edited February 2006
    Hey I saw those speakers you made sid and was prety impressed. Thanks for posting all the photos on this site I really enjoyed them. Yeah I bet they sound a little better due to more quality controll on the build.
    Harman Kardon AVR635
    RTi10's Up Front
    CSi5 Center
    RTi6's Rear Surround
    Furman RA-1210:rolleyes:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited February 2006
    Allow me to state the obvious -- if you're gonna build a DIY HT sub, it should be with a driver(s) designed for the home, not for a car.

    MOST of your typical BB or CC car subs will not make great HT subs, especially for music.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • drew spelts
    drew spelts Posts: 310
    edited February 2006
    mine sounds perfect to me so i can not comment on this too much
    Harman Kardon AVR635
    RTi10's Up Front
    CSi5 Center
    RTi6's Rear Surround
    Furman RA-1210:rolleyes:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited February 2006
    Early B. wrote:
    Allow me to state the obvious -- if you're gonna build a DIY HT sub, it should be with a driver(s) designed for the home, not for a car.

    MOST of your typical BB or CC car subs will not make great HT subs, especially for music.

    Not true. You take a cheap car sub from Circuit City and it will sound just as bad as a cheap home sub. But if you take a high quality car sub itll easily stack up against a high quality home sub.

    Ill gladly take a JL Audio 10W6, stick it in a properly built sealed enclosure and properly powered and would put it up against ANY home sub out there and probably cost 1/3 of the home sub.

    If I were going to do a DIY home sub Id definitely check out the car market. Some of the subs on the car market are excellent and brands like Image Dynamics and JL Audio are standard setters for subwoofer regardless if theyre car or home. Not to mention car audio prices arent as bloated as home gear.
    polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
    MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • HiPerf360
    HiPerf360 Posts: 436
    edited February 2006
    I agree with MacLeod...

    Check these out:

    http://home.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?prod_id=370
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited February 2006
    I didn't say a $400 car woofer such as the JL Audio 10W6 wouldn't work well in the HT environment, I said most BB and CC car drivers would make lousy HT subs, and you guys seem to agree.

    Keep in mind that the experts in the field such as Dr. Hsu, the fellas at SVS, and many others designed their drivers to work in a home environment. They take into consideration cabinet size, room gain, placement, etc. to achieve optimal sound quality and output. They don't use car drivers in their subs, nor do they market their HT drivers to the car audio market. In addition, I don't believe the big manufacturers such as Polk use their car woofers in their HT subs, and they would certainly have a financial incentive to do so. Also, when you search the 'net for DIY HT subs, you ain't gonna find too many designs that use a driver exclusively designed for cars.

    However, a handful of smaller companies sell the same drivers to both markets such as Dayton and Ascendant Audio. I currently own drivers from both of them.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,644
    edited February 2006
    Drew,
    Thanks. Your sub looks top notch as well, excellent job!

    Early,
    Im with you - Id rather take a sub that was designed around the home over the car...

    But really, a good home sub with 2-3-4" of excursion wouldnt need to be designed around the car. Thats why the Shiva, Tumult, etc can be used in both very effectively. They have very large amounts of XMax and can take loads and loads of power so they can be flipped between each very easily.

    The problem with the cheaper car (and home) subs... is they take little power and they dont move alot. While you can get by with that in a car, it dosnt quite work well in the home as it takes more than a 40hz tune to hit to 20hz in a 10x10 room, where as in a car...
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited February 2006
    Ive always wanted to take the baddest assed SPL sub in the world, the Orion H2 and use it in a home environment with about 2000 watts. I think it would be pretty cool to to be able to peel the paint off the walls with it! :D
    H2.jpg 34.4K
    polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
    MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • thehaens@cox.net
    thehaens@cox.net Posts: 1,012
    edited February 2006
    MacLeod wrote:
    Ive always wanted to take the baddest assed SPL sub in the world, the Orion H2 and use it in a home environment with about 2000 watts. I think it would be pretty cool to to be able to peel the paint off the walls with it! :D

    That is the sub I am using in both of my cars w/ a subzone box....excellent sub......

    scott
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited February 2006
    If I ever decide to compete in SPL, thatll definitely be the one I use as well!
    polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
    MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • thehaens@cox.net
    thehaens@cox.net Posts: 1,012
    edited February 2006
    MacLeod wrote:
    If I ever decide to compete in SPL, thatll definitely be the one I use as well!

    IMHO - as long as you have some bass management in your car, this sub actually sounds pretty musical. I use an old Alpine ERG (?) Eq. that really helps out to tame this beast. My wifes car on the other hand doesn't and we have to literally put the bass control all the way down to (0), and lower the gain on the JL amp....
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ward91
    ward91 Posts: 338
    edited February 2006
    wont most car subs be desighned for beats??
    music rarther than movie.
    ELECTRONICS
    arcam cd93
    linn wakonda
    MC2 MC450
    Teac ud h01 DAC


    SPEAKERS
    Tannoy DC6 t se .
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DJMosfet
    DJMosfet Posts: 15
    edited February 2006
    ohskigod wrote:
    also factor in that the car sub isnt going as low as your home sub most likly, ut the biggest factor is as you said. easier to pressurise a small car cockpit than an entire room in your house. put that car sub in your living roon, and even if it still sounds loud, it will sound terrible. it isnt made to be used in a house.

    I have a car sub and 2 home subs, the car sounds way better than the home. Also it might not seem to hit so hard because your home amp isnt completely LowPass but no amp is. Mine isnt. But my car sub is in a home box . . .
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,644
    edited February 2006
    What home subs do you have experience with? Just curious
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Meeks32
    Meeks32 Posts: 330
    edited February 2006
    Didnt JL make some changes to the W7 in there home subs so they would be more suited for home theater use?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ward91
    ward91 Posts: 338
    edited February 2006
    well if you think about it what can really be that different to car ones than home ones. they work of the same technology’s

    there is differences like the surround size that effects excursion.
    wont car subs be designed for the boy racers that push everything into distortion?? as they all seem to have some kind of info on the voice coil or its cooling.

    home subs properly will give a more "correct sound" than car subs , i don’t really think that designers’ of car subs will be really bothered about how flat the response is as match as home audio designer people things.

    wont car subs be more like a bass pa driver than a home audio one as they have a high power handling and seem to all have some fancy basket or voice coil, magnet or whatever .

    ??
    :D
    ELECTRONICS
    arcam cd93
    linn wakonda
    MC2 MC450
    Teac ud h01 DAC


    SPEAKERS
    Tannoy DC6 t se .
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,644
    edited February 2006
    There is NO difference between a CAR and a HOME subwoofer - ONCE YOU GET TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE/PRICE.

    A subwoofer, with long excursion and high power handling will work equally as well in a car or home.

    A subwoofer with almost NO excursion and low power handling will work the same in a car as it would the home, but it will work alot better in the car since its a smaller area to fill... thats what people have in most of their cars, these are the ones that are bottoming with each hit... these will work in the home, but unlike the car - they will have their natural 30-40hz roll off...

    The biggest difference between home and car is the build, a car sub should be able to take ANYTHING - extreme colds, extreme heats, big bumps in the road, where as some home subs would get demolished going through these conditions.

    A good subwoofer is a good subwoofer, it moves air. All it needs is a good enclosure.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ward91
    ward91 Posts: 338
    edited February 2006
    exactely
    ELECTRONICS
    arcam cd93
    linn wakonda
    MC2 MC450
    Teac ud h01 DAC


    SPEAKERS
    Tannoy DC6 t se .
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DJMosfet
    DJMosfet Posts: 15
    edited February 2006
    Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote:
    There is NO difference between a CAR and a HOME subwoofer - ONCE YOU GET TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE/PRICE.

    A subwoofer, with long excursion and high power handling will work equally as well in a car or home.

    A subwoofer with almost NO excursion and low power handling will work the same in a car as it would the home, but it will work alot better in the car since its a smaller area to fill... thats what people have in most of their cars, these are the ones that are bottoming with each hit... these will work in the home, but unlike the car - they will have their natural 30-40hz roll off...

    The biggest difference between home and car is the build, a car sub should be able to take ANYTHING - extreme colds, extreme heats, big bumps in the road, where as some home subs would get demolished going through these conditions.

    A good subwoofer is a good subwoofer, it moves air. All it needs is a good enclosure.

    A sub is a sub either way you flip it. :p
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,644
    edited February 2006
    Twist It...

    Pull It...

    Bop it...

    Exchange Hands...

    Pull It...

    Bop It..

    Twist It...

    Flip It...

    Invert It...

    Subs are fun.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter