lctaylor1 Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I have a 99 GS400 w/Nakamichi system. Of course, like any factory system (expensive or not) you lose bass when turning up the volume. I know a big part of that is the free air subwoofer design. I made a sealed enclosure (approx. .85cuft) and mounted it under the subwoofer into the steel rear deck. I then replaced the subwoofer with an aftermarket Pioneer sub (10"). The bass response is better and more accurate. Of course I will not experience a significant bass increase until I add a sub amp. But, can anyone tell me me if I will get better bass with my sealed enclosure, or should make the enclosure ported? I 've had my Lex for about 6 mos. and I need more bass. I had an Acura before with bass that shook neighborhoods. I don't want all that in my Lex, but I definitely need more than what is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINTURBO619 Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I have a 99 GS400 w/Nakamichi system. Of course, like any factory system (expensive or not) you lose bass when turning up the volume. I know a big part of that is the free air subwoofer design. I made a sealed enclosure (approx. .85cuft) and mounted it under the subwoofer into the steel rear deck. I then replaced the subwoofer with an aftermarket Pioneer sub (10"). The bass response is better and more accurate. Of course I will not experience a significant bass increase until I add a sub amp. But, can anyone tell me me if I will get better bass with my sealed enclosure, or should make the enclosure ported? I 've had my Lex for about 6 mos. and I need more bass. I had an Acura before with bass that shook neighborhoods. I don't want all that in my Lex, but I definitely need more than what is there. ← Hey what's going on, I have a 93 GS3 and I'm still running the factory nakamichi sound system. There's actually more to the stock nakamichi sub than you think. I've hooked up a sony 400 watt amp to it and let me tell you, that sub kicks. Another thing is that the way the trunk area is designed for the older GS' like mine, looks like it was designed for two things... 1. to hid the gas tank and 2. an already enclosed box for the sub. Now I've tested the difference between competition speakers on the actual trunk space which were 2 10in. JL audios pushing the same amp and then testing the stock sub in the enclosed area. I was surpised to find out that my nakamichi sub sounded way better than my competition subs. So i've come to a conclusion that the enclosed area was meant for the sub and gas tank. Hopefully this will give you some insight in your projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexusChicago Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Hey what's going on, I have a 93 GS3 and I'm still running the factory nakamichi sound system. There's actually more to the stock nakamichi sub than you think. I've hooked up a sony 400 watt amp to it and let me tell you, that sub kicks. Another thing is that the way the trunk area is designed for the older GS' like mine, looks like it was designed for two things... 1. to hid the gas tank and 2. an already enclosed box for the sub. Now I've tested the difference between competition speakers on the actual trunk space which were 2 10in. JL audios pushing the same amp and then testing the stock sub in the enclosed area. I was surpised to find out that my nakamichi sub sounded way better than my competition subs. So i've come to a conclusion that the enclosed area was meant for the sub and gas tank. Hopefully this will give you some insight in your projects. ← TwinTurbo, I too have a 93' GS300. The nakamichi is great, however, I have blown the sub. What do you recommend? There just isn't many GS300 in junkyards were I can replace my sub with a used one. And if I order a new one, I'm sure it's $500 or more. I could intall an aftermarket sub, but will it sound as good? If so, what brand? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lctaylor1 Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 I have a 99 GS400 w/Nakamichi system. Of course, like any factory system (expensive or not) you lose bass when turning up the volume. I know a big part of that is the free air subwoofer design. I made a sealed enclosure (approx. .85cuft) and mounted it under the subwoofer into the steel rear deck. I then replaced the subwoofer with an aftermarket Pioneer sub (10"). The bass response is better and more accurate. Of course I will not experience a significant bass increase until I add a sub amp. But, can anyone tell me me if I will get better bass with my sealed enclosure, or should make the enclosure ported? I 've had my Lex for about 6 mos. and I need more bass. I had an Acura before with bass that shook neighborhoods. I don't want all that in my Lex, but I definitely need more than what is there. ← Hey what's going on, I have a 93 GS3 and I'm still running the factory nakamichi sound system. There's actually more to the stock nakamichi sub than you think. I've hooked up a sony 400 watt amp to it and let me tell you, that sub kicks. Another thing is that the way the trunk area is designed for the older GS' like mine, looks like it was designed for two things... 1. to hid the gas tank and 2. an already enclosed box for the sub. Now I've tested the difference between competition speakers on the actual trunk space which were 2 10in. JL audios pushing the same amp and then testing the stock sub in the enclosed area. I was surpised to find out that my nakamichi sub sounded way better than my competition subs. So i've come to a conclusion that the enclosed area was meant for the sub and gas tank. Hopefully this will give you some insight in your projects. ← I would have never thought that the factory subwoofer would be able tohandle any more power than it was designed to by the factory Nakamichi system. All free air subwoofers use the trucnk as an enclosure, and even though Lexus may be good at sealing the trunk well. my expereience with free air designs have always left something to be desired. I know Pioneer has a new free air subwoofer. I might try that and add an amp. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lctaylor1 Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 Hey what's going on, I have a 93 GS3 and I'm still running the factory nakamichi sound system. There's actually more to the stock nakamichi sub than you think. I've hooked up a sony 400 watt amp to it and let me tell you, that sub kicks. Another thing is that the way the trunk area is designed for the older GS' like mine, looks like it was designed for two things... 1. to hid the gas tank and 2. an already enclosed box for the sub. Now I've tested the difference between competition speakers on the actual trunk space which were 2 10in. JL audios pushing the same amp and then testing the stock sub in the enclosed area. I was surpised to find out that my nakamichi sub sounded way better than my competition subs. So i've come to a conclusion that the enclosed area was meant for the sub and gas tank. Hopefully this will give you some insight in your projects. ← TwinTurbo, I too have a 93' GS300. The nakamichi is great, however, I have blown the sub. What do you recommend? There just isn't many GS300 in junkyards were I can replace my sub with a used one. And if I order a new one, I'm sure it's $500 or more. I could intall an aftermarket sub, but will it sound as good? If so, what brand? Thanks in advance. ← Pioneer has a new free air design subwoofer. If you are trying to keep everything looking stock, you might want to try it. I do not know of many manufacutures nowadays putting efforts into free air designs. It is so hard to get good tight accurate bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGS300 Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I then replaced the subwoofer with an aftermarket Pioneer sub (10"). The bass response is better and more accurate. Of course I will not experience a significant bass increase until I add a sub amp. But, can anyone tell me me if I will get better bass with my sealed enclosure, or should make the enclosure ported? ← A ported enclosure will be louder, at the tuning freq, howerver I think you box is too small to port. Sounds like it may be a bit too small for sealed as well. Try adding some polyfill, about 1lb to the inside of the box and see if that improves your bass. Also make sure it's sealed tight. <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan3v Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I just found a Infinity Sub that is free air. I will have it in in a couple of days, I will update you on the sound quality.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lctaylor1 Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 I then replaced the subwoofer with an aftermarket Pioneer sub (10"). The bass response is better and more accurate. Of course I will not experience a significant bass increase until I add a sub amp. But, can anyone tell me me if I will get better bass with my sealed enclosure, or should make the enclosure ported? ← A ported enclosure will be louder, at the tuning freq, howerver I think you box is too small to port. Sounds like it may be a bit too small for sealed as well. Try adding some polyfill, about 1lb to the inside of the box and see if that improves your bass. Also make sure it's sealed tight. <_< ← I actually ported the box this afternoon after doing some research and finding out that this sub sounds better ported. The enclosure is somewhat small, but what a noticable difference in bass after cutting a port in the enclosure. I will try some insulation to see if it improves it more. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINTURBO619 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Hey what's going on getting back to you on what sounds good for subs. Well personally, I'm a big fan of JL audio w3's. to me, those put out the best quality sound and a brand that comes close would be the eclipse sub. Those are my personal favorites but will definately go with the JL audio. I only say that because I used to have a JL audio competition in my supra and damnit did it sound good. But as for subs go... JL audio all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGS300 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Did you tune it as well, or did you just cut a hole? I have a nomagram around here somewhere if you need port sizes. With the fiberfill you can just glue it to the sides of the box so it doesn't get blown out by the bass. Let me know how it sounds if you do the 1lb of polyfill, you can get it at walmart in the art and crafts section. <_< I actually ported the box this afternoon after doing some research and finding out that this sub sounds better ported. The enclosure is somewhat small, but what a noticable difference in bass after cutting a port in the enclosure. I will try some insulation to see if it improves it more. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lctaylor1 Posted January 14, 2005 Author Share Posted January 14, 2005 Did you tune it as well, or did you just cut a hole? I have a nomagram around here somewhere if you need port sizes. With the fiberfill you can just glue it to the sides of the box so it doesn't get blown out by the bass. Let me know how it sounds if you do the 1lb of polyfill, you can get it at walmart in the art and crafts section. <_<I actually ported the box this afternoon after doing some research and finding out that this sub sounds better ported. The enclosure is somewhat small, but what a noticable difference in bass after cutting a port in the enclosure. I will try some insulation to see if it improves it more. Thanks for the info. ← I actually went by the instruction manual and ported the enclosure 3in. I also used a port tube and I did get the polyfil. The bass response is definitely better. I just needed a quick fix. I had an Acura before this car running about 1000 watts, so going into this car (even with the Nak system) was a downgrade for me in terms of sounds. I am not going to trick out this car the way I did my Legend. I will eventually have a sealed enclosure made using a JL Audio paired with a JL Audio 500 watt mono sub amp, or least that is what my local car audio store suggested. I have known them for years so I trrust their recommendations. But when you have a home with two growing boys, sometimes your money just disappears, so I improvised for the time being. Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evelynvang Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 I have a 99 GS400 w/Nakamichi system. Of course, like any factory system (expensive or not) you lose bass when turning up the volume. I know a big part of that is the free air subwoofer design. I made a sealed enclosure (approx. .85cuft) and mounted it under the subwoofer into the steel rear deck. I then replaced the subwoofer with an aftermarket Pioneer sub (10"). The bass response is better and more accurate. Of course I will not experience a significant bass increase until I add a sub amp. But, can anyone tell me me if I will get better bass with my sealed enclosure, or should make the enclosure ported? I 've had my Lex for about 6 mos. and I need more bass. I had an Acura before with bass that shook neighborhoods. I don't want all that in my Lex, but I definitely need more than what is there. ← Or you could do what I did. Take out the factory 10'' and put a box and subs of whatever size you like in the trunk. I tried replacing the 10'' but it just sounds like a 10 even with a powerful amp. Once you start, you won't stop til it's like your Honda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan3v Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I droppeed in the Infinity Kappa Perfect 10D VQ sub. I have to say that the sub made a huge difference. All I did was remove the old sub dynamat the back shelf dropin the new sub and was done. The diffference in bass is unbelievable. The Infinity sub is designed for free-air enclosures so it worked prefectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evelynvang Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I don't think it really matters if it's free air or not. Whatever you drop in there, that has higher rms, will sound better. Now add a better amp. And you'll really hear the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboGS300 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I went through about 3 different 12's to find one that sounded really good. They all were an improvement over stock. The best sounding one was the one that had the largest VAS. <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
- t a k t i k s - Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 for the GS, a good set up is either a dual voice 12" sub such as a fosgate or kenwood in a sealed box centered in the trunk or if you want to completely fill the back area of your trunk, use two single voice 10" subs in a ported box. whatever you do, do not go with any type of bandpass box in that car, i doubt you have the need or the want to spend that kind of money on the power necessary to actualy require a bandpass setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexusChicago Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I don't think it really matters if it's free air or not. Whatever you drop in there, that has higher rms, will sound better. Now add a better amp. And you'll really hear the difference. ← For me personally, I don't want to upgrade the amp. I just want to replace the blown sub. Rockford Fosgate is my favorite, however, I don't know if they make free air sub. I would assume that I should match the ohms, etc..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTEGS3 Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I'm currently running 2 12'' Diamond TDX12D4s powered by a Diamond D61000.1 amp. I had them mounted face up like the stock sub instead of face in/out or contained in an enclosure and the quality is great. I also replaced all of the stock speakers and tweeters with Diamond S600s powered by a Diamond D5600.4 amp. I wouldn't recommend this sub setup unless you replace the stock speaks and tweets. Though somewhat pricey, I went with Diamond for pure quality and I can definitely say that I am damn satisfied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evelynvang Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I'm currently running 2 12'' Diamond TDX12D4s powered by a Diamond D61000.1 amp. I had them mounted face up like the stock sub instead of face in/out or contained in an enclosure and the quality is great. I also replaced all of the stock speakers and tweeters with Diamond S600s powered by a Diamond D5600.4 amp. I wouldn't recommend this sub setup unless you replace the stock speaks and tweets. Though somewhat pricey, I went with Diamond for pure quality and I can definitely say that I am damn satisfied. ← That's a nice cean setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abear Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 Hey guys, this is my first post here on LOC, that is a very nice sub setup u got there, and i was wondering if they are 600W RMS, prolly so, they look it. Anyway, i got 2 12" Lanzar(good company) and a lanzar 2000 watt amp(only creates bout 1500 max, but good enough for me) the set up i have now i just dont get any energy, i dont get that chest pain when the bass hits, granted its very loud. I think i have figured out a way on getting my energy back, i have custom designed a box(i have a very clear picture of what i want it to look like in my head, i put it on paper, but lets face it, im no artist) i used paint to draw it on my comp after doing it on paper. i just wanna get someones opinion on how this looks. Let me know BTW i have the stock 10" sub still in a box here, if anyone needs it, just pay the shipping and i'll get it to u. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaSwede_420 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I went through about 3 different 12's to find one that sounded really good. They all were an improvement over stock. The best sounding one was the one that had the largest VAS. <_< What brand/model sub did you finally leave in that sounded the best?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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