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View Full Version : Added some bass to the truck



toddshore
06-07-2008, 07:09 PM
A few weeks ago I picked up two Jensen 8" Ribbed Paper Cone Subwoofer (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=299-800) drivers for $8/each in order to add some bass to my '95 Ranger club cab. Then I started spending some money. :rolleyes:

091-1247 (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?Partnumber=091-1247) - Dayton BPA-38SN HD Binding Post Pair - $5.90 X 2 = $11.80
260-767 (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-767) - Cabinet Carpet Medium Gray - $3.75/yd X 3 = $11.25

Next, off to eBay to pick up a Concept CC-1252 2 channel amp (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140227940016) for $54.98 delivered. It puts out 125W at 4 Ohms. I also got a 4 gauge amp wiring kit (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150241345917)for $25 delivered off of eBay.

Finally, a trip to Walmart to pick up 5lbs of stuffing for around $9.

I already had some 1/2" birch plywood, glue, and screws for mounting the drivers, so I was all ready to go. In all, I spent around $115 in order to do something with my $16 worth of woofers. :confused:

The box is two chambers of 2 cu. ft. each. The front and top baffle are both double thickness totaling 1" while the bottom, back, and sides are just 1/2". Each chamber received 2lbs of poly stuffing. There is one brace in each chamber running top to bottom. The driver cutouts are chamfered on the back side and airflow is good. The carpet was affixed using 3M spray adhesive.

My current speakers are fairly crappy Kenwood KFC-C6889ie 6" X 8" in both the doors and in the back. They are driven by a Kenwood KDC-X569 head unit. The audio source is usually my Verizon (HTC) XV-6700 cell phone, which plugs into the X569 through the aux input. I currently have an 8GB card in the XV-6700 and can carry a good portion of my music library with me. The app I use on the phone for playback also has an EQ, which comes in handy for taming the 5KHz peak in the Kenwoods.

I'm crossing over fairly high at 200Hz. I run fullrange to the Concept amp and let it low pass. I also have the Concept amp add about 6dB of bass boost around 40Hz.

All things considered it sounds pretty good. The Kenwood Speakers are still crappy, but at least I now have some pretty tight bass that extends fairly low.

mzisserson
06-07-2008, 07:31 PM
Awsome, I love when people cheap-it and it works! Well done.

toddshore
06-07-2008, 08:13 PM
I figured if the cheap Jensens didn't do the job then I could add some decent 10 inchers later on. For now, the Jensens seem to do the job in that small truck cabin and I don't feel the need to share it with the rest of the world.

mzisserson
06-07-2008, 08:37 PM
Aw come on! Everyone wants to hear your music... Men in hats, right? :p

tomzarbo
06-07-2008, 08:38 PM
That looks pretty good, Todd. And with the seats in place, I bet no one looks in and sees anything they want to steal...smart! Nice match on the carpet, too.
Yeah, I had a 15" MTX something or other in my pickup truck a few years ago, but kept it dialed back quite a bit. I didn't want everyone to hear my boom-booms, I think I've outgrown the loud music in the car behavior.
Just curious, have you listened to the subs before you put them in the cab? Just wondering how the "cabin gain" has increased the low end.

Looking good!
TomZ

toddshore
06-07-2008, 09:18 PM
Aw come on! Everyone wants to hear your music... Men in hats, right? :p

You pegged how old I am. I took my wife to pick up her car today and while we were driving it went from Louis Prima to Pink Floyd to Johnny Cash. Luckily she was already out of the car before the Bangles came on. :D

toddshore
06-07-2008, 09:22 PM
Just curious, have you listened to the subs before you put them in the cab? Just wondering how the "cabin gain" has increased the low end.

Unfortunately, no. I almost hooked them up to a pro amp I have, but got too lazy. Next time I clean out the truck I might use some longer speaker wire to play them while they are out of the truck.

In the sealed alignment they are in they definitely needed a little bass boost. That made a tremendous difference. The stuffing also made a big difference in tightening everything up and adding to the extension.