5.25" subwoofer recommendations

[Jarrett]

So I'm interested in getting a small subwoofer that would fit into a specific enclosure. Not an aftermarket MDF box, but one that works similarly to a normal rear deck speaker pod. That said, it will be open space below.

I know most people who look for bass performance will think something that size is a waste of money. Truthfully, I agree. But what do we do to these cars that isn't?

The enclosure fits a 5.25" subwoofer and I've only been able to find a couple that look like they might have decent performance.

This offering from JL Audio looks like nothing more than a mid-bass woofer but the peak power handling would seem to indicate otherwise.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136C552...-C5-525cw.html

This one from Tang Band (whom I've never head of) is said by two users on random forums I found to be the best 5.25" available. 80W of max power seems to dispute this claim, though.
http://www.parts-express.com/tang-ba...ProductDetails

It does seem to perform like a capable subwoofer in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqrG4IDldRk

Anyway, I could list links and stuff all day long on here. That's not really what I'm after. If you have experience with one, let me know what you think. I know the price would almost warrant I look into a 10" but that's not what I want.

I would likely run this with an amp to power both these and the rear 6"x9" speakers.

[sonikaccord]

If you are running IB, or very large sealed you won't get much output unless you have a lot of excursion. If you could port it, it would be much better.

With that being said, it's a waste of time...I'll go throw my CB away now.

There are very few "woofers" that will perform the task you are asking. Don't worry about power handling. You can go a couple of watts more than the rating for a while, not indefinitely though. I'll look for some as I'm interested now

Morel makes good drivers:
http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com...w538-5-woofer/

[Jarrett]

Thanks for the reply. I should clarify by saying that in no way am I looking for a lot of bass so I can "impress" the general populous at intersections. I want something that compliments my Boston 6.5" speakers up front and whatever mid-range 6"x9" speakers I get for the back.

To be honest I can't stand bass-heavy setups. If I hadn't found this OEM enclosure I wouldn't even be asking about a 5.25" subwoofer.

[sonikaccord]

I completely understand, I used to be one those people when I was fresh out of high school. Now I'm just going for quality and headroom and that's much harder in the car. And even for low end extension you need to move a good bit of air.

Speaking of car, you also have cabin gain to help you out on the low end. Maximize the response of your door speakers using deadening and sealing up the access holes with aluminum flashing and silicon. Your rear 6x9s can put out a surprising amount of bass as they almost have the cone area of an eight. Then you add another woofer, xover and eq correctly and you can have a thick lower end to give the music some body.

It's an OEM enclosure? Could you post pics?

[Jarrett]

It's from the European '99-'02 Accord 2.0i CG8/CG9.

[sonikaccord]

So it may actually be vented...Does it have a port on it? How deep of a driver can you fit?

[Jarrett]

It's combined with a third brake light housing so it can mount all the way to the trunk floor provided you cut a hole in the rear deck structure.

[toycar]

Probably be best off finding a subwoofer for a home theater setting for what you are looking for.


Why not just custom fab a box in the same location to fit an actual subwoofer? Nothing too fancy. Just dial it the fuck down so that it does what you want but isn't offensive.


I am with you on the rounded sound desire, and really am not down with BOOOOM BOOOM BOOM down the block.

Nope.

But, I do have a 15" sub in the car I DD. Its dialed way down. My Headunit can turn up the volume if I want. I just wanted a nice rounded sound. Nothing offensive at all. I have about a grand tied up in the component set, 6x9 and amp in the car. I wanted the quality of the sound to be right. A stereo shop turned me on and I couldn't be happier.


The thing is, a small as woofer isn't really going to give you the range you are looking for. It'll make bass sounds, but it won't give you the bass you are looking for. Not that a 15" sub is the answer, but I really like mine. Its in a ported box, and when I have the stereo on full blast the woofer barely even moves.


When I have the sub turned up, it is too loud in the car and turns the rear view mirror down and shit. I don't care for that.


But, having a system that can do that means when its turned way down it still sounds great and hits every note I am wanting it too.

[sonikaccord]

Yep. and your need cone area and/or excursion to play those low notes.

http://www.parts-express.com/peerles...ofer--264-1078

This one is inexpensive. Peerless makes good woofers

[cb7 calling]

Yep. and your need cone area and/or excursion to play those low notes.

http://www.parts-express.com/peerles...ofer--264-1078

This one is inexpensive. Peerless makes good woofers

Cone area is the easiest way to make low notes. But if you are able to attach a box to that pod below your rear deck you can port it tuned to low frequencies like 29-30 Hz at the sacrifice of some db. I have not been on the market for a 5.25 sub before but jl is always a good bet. If you are buying new I would personally be looking for the sub with the lowest fs. That rating is usually a good indicator of how low the sub will play before excessive impedence rise strains the amp and prevents the sub from sounding deep. I suspect a jl product will be among the best at doing that. The smallest sub I have seen from jl is 6.5 inch though. Your amp choice will also make a difference. I have a 40 watt a/d/s amp in my g/f accord lx on factory speakers that sounds like it has a sub in it. This is because the amp can deliver its power so linear. It does not give up at low frequencies like a pioneer would. In a sense 80 watts is plenty for a 5.25 inch sub, it really comes down to sound quality determining how loud it sounds.
All that being said I could go to the thrift store,buy a sub from somebody's old computer speakers for 10 bucks (it might take a couple trips to find an old Boston acoustic or quality jbl ect but I have seen it a lot) and pull the sub out, build a box out of mdf to attach to the back of the pod you have and meet your needs with 50-100 watts. It would take a couple of practice boxes though because the thiele small parameters would be unk.
Edit...you just replicate the box and port volume, not in shape but exactly the same size.
Edit,edit. That is a Jl mid bass and the one from tang bang...well I never heard them