JL 6.5" Subs in Parcel Shelf?
 

The new JL 6W3V3 subs are 6.5 inches in diameter; about $150 apiece. They need very small enclosures (0.18 cf sealed) and come in 4 and 8 ohm varieties. You can see them here:

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/jlaudio_pages.php?page_id=214

and here:

http://www.12v-electronics.com/catal...oducts_id=2107


I want small subs for not much money. I'm not expert on car audio. I want clean, deep tight bass, not overpowering.

This would be the second stage of a modest upgrade path for my SSL IX. (The first stage was adding an Alpine head unit with iPod controls.)

I'm thinking about putting these subs under the parcel shelf, in small ABS pipe enclosures firing up, hanging on bolts from the OEM parcel shelf speaker mounts.

I would remove the SSL sub from the trunk and drive the JLs off the SSL amp for a short period, then upgrade the amp in the near future. (Thinking of a Phoenix Gold with three or four channels, under the driver's seat, driving the subs and the door speakers.) Eventually I'd upgrade the door speakers, too, to 6.5-inch component speakers; maybe MBQs.

Anyone going to tell me this is a dumb idea?

Any which 6W3 sub would be better with a modest aftermarket amp ($200-300 range), the 4 ohm version or the 8 ohm version? Sealed or ported?

Thanks for any thoughts!

It could work, but I doubt you'll get much out of them off the stock SSL amp.

You can also check out CDT Audio. They make excellent midbass/subwoofer drivers that are perfect for the rear shelf or doors. They'll be about $50 more than a set of JL 6W3, but would likely outperform them and you don't need an enclosure. You can just mount them right on the rear shelf or in your front doors and they'll kick quite hard. If you put them in your front doors and rear shelf, you would forget all about your SSL sub.

http://www.cdtaudio.com/m6_midbase_driver.htm

Thanks for a great tip; I'm very interested. You think they'd actually have as much bass as the JL dedicated subs? I really appreciate the idea.

You'll need a decent amp (100W per channel or so) to start with for either option. The stock SSL amp would work, but it won't do either of the speakers justice.

You can get solid bass out of both. CDT makes better speakers IMO and this is coming from a guy who owned a ton of JL stuff. I've heard the CDT speakers in many applications and they sound wonderful and very powerful. The advantage of the CDT speakers that I linked you to, is that you don't need to design the crazy enclosure you were thinking about for the JL. I also think they'll sound better and have slightly more output than the JL.

Thanks. That all sounds right, but I was chewing it over last night and it just seems to me that the CDTs are more of a mid-bass design that would roll off before hitting the really low frequencies, as compared to the JLs, which are small, I grant you, but are actual dedicated subwoofers. Non?

Any 6.5" speaker is going to roll off well before it hits any deep tones with any authority. The speakers are too small to move much air. Check out the CDT HD-M6+...just scroll down the page a little bit and you'll find it.

http://www.cdtaudio.com/custom_components.htm

That would require an enclosure vs. the M6 that doesn't.

Either the JL or the CDT will provide you with good sound. They won't hit extremely hard or deep, but will sound very solid if installed properly and driven by the right amplifier. For my money, I would go with CDT and avoid the crazy enclosures. If I was going with an enclosure, I would just by a 10" in a small fiberglass enclosure.

I recently scooped these badboys up. I've heard nothing but good from these as a free air sub

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=264-832

I have a set of CDTs in the door and I'm gonna amp and slap these on the rear deck.

If you want a sub that goes deep and doesn't roll off much, you are looking at the wrong speaker. 6.5's simply won't go deep enough to be considered a good subwoofer. They might hit 50hz before big roll off on a well designed 6.5. If you want deep bass (sub 35hz) I would really look at at least a 10

Those Tang's are also supposed to be pretty impressive. Keep us posted once you have them installed. I'm anxious to hear someone's opinion since I've never heard them in-person.

{thumbup}

Bang for the buck I don't think theres a better 6.5 out. They should be here in about a week so I'll keep you posted. I'm expecting them to sound "ok"/slightly better than stock, considering I'm running them free air and using an old Rockford Fosgate amp:o Since I refuse to put a box in my trunk this is the best option.

i'm using these currently installed in the doors:
http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/S...id/0/SFV/30046

but i also have an Alpine Type-X 12" in the trunk.

have u considered maybe a Bazooka tube?? u could still mount it under the shelf to keep ur useable trunk space...
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...4BT6014&tp=112

Wow, you beat me to it. I have actually heard these installed in a hatch that has the drop down storage cover...LOL

Decent sound for the price.





My suggestion to you is this:
Instead of paying $300 ($149 a piece for the 6w3), go ahead and buy a 10" sub and box. You will be much happier in the long run and will have spent around the same amount of money.

Something like:

This + This Guy = approximately $150-200




Another good suggestion:



Why are you considering the 6" subs in the first place? I'm not busting on you, I'm just curious as to what your requirements and restrictions are concerning your sound system.

Wow; tons of good ideas here. I need to chew on this more, I think.

To answer the question immediately above, about using 6" subs, I was wanting to avoid putting a big box in the trunk and exploit the existing parcel shelf holes, and it just seems like I'll get more clear sound from drivers that are actually in the same air space as me, rather than something booming away inside the trunk, rattling my license plate and using up cargo space. But as I said, I'm no expert on car audio, so maybe a trunk in the sub would be plenty clear.

BTW, I do have some pretty choice A/V stuff at home, including one Velodyne F-series 12" sub and one HGS-series 12" sub, and I know clean, powerful bass when I hear it. I was just hoping for something smaller and simpler for the car. But I am keeping an open mind here; hence this thread. Please keep the ideas and constructive criticism coming!

here's another option that has the amp built in & is no bigger than a large 3ring binder:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...BASSLN2&tp=114

and this item is even smaller than the above item:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...6XT110P&tp=114

and here is the thinnest powered sub i could find:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...THB200A&tp=114
this last one dimensionally is small enuff that u could fab brackets to hang it underneath the rear deck like a cd changer...

slightly {offtopic} but here's my home setup at my PHX home:
Mitsu WD65733 DLP tv native 1080p
Onkyo TX-SR605 HDMI Receiver
Sony BDS-S300 Blu-Ray player native 1080p
Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD player native 1080p
Geffen 2 to 1 HDMI switcher
Klipsch Reference RF-5 front, RC3 center, RS3 surround speakers (front 3 using Monster reference 1.4 bi-wire), rear 4 speakers w/THX flat cable
Definitive Technologies Supercube III sub w/THX sub cable