Building my own fiberglass sub box - to vent or not to vent?

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AKR

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I've got a 12" MTX sub from years ago that I'd like to take out of a ported box and stick under my back seat. I listen to mostly pop/dance/indie electronic and I don't want really tight bass. I've seen a number of threads here and elsewhere about people building their own fiberglass sub boxes, but I can't seem to find any that are ported/vented. Is anyone doing this, and if so, do you have pictures/instructions?

The MTX sub enclosure guide says to not vent it into a wall or anything, and if you do, you need to build the port smaller. So, I'm thinking I either need to go small and vent it towards the back wall of the truck, or go large and vent it between the front gap under the seat by making a short wall of MDX that the top MDX panel sits on. I guess either way, I'd need that short wall of MDX for the vent.
 

Etroze86

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Always vent if you have the airspace. Now a proper enclosure for any sub will dictate how it sounds. I have an 18" sub that kicks tight bass like an 8" but it will boogie and play some deep edm stuff when asked.
Personally if I was dealing with the underseat storage solution it would be really fun to port a couple of Sundown SA8's and blow away that MTX you have.(unless its like a 9500 or jackhammer).
 

John94z

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I'm assuming you've never built a vented box before. The reason why most go sealed is that its a more simple build given the obstacles us ram owners have to work around under the rear bench seat.
Now I'm pretty sure you can buy a prefab 12" foxbox vented enclosure for under the seat. BUT before you go out and buy something like that, id suggest doing some reading on the sub and the box to make sure they will compliment each other. You might want to do some reading vented enclosures in general also.
What series is that MTX? You say its old are we talking like a Thunder 6000 or 8000, or the newer 6500 series etc.
Ideally you want that data sheet. If you don't have it Crutchfield should have a lot of that info on their site even if the sub has been discontinued you'll still be able to find it.
Try to post some more specific info if you can. There's a lot of knowledge on this forum but nobody can really help you without knowing exactly what you are working with.
 
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AKR

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Try to post some more specific info if you can. There's a lot of knowledge on this forum but nobody can really help you without knowing exactly what you are working with.


This thing is close to 20 years old. It just says "Thunderpro 500 watts total power" on it. My amp is an MTX Thunder 280. Looking at the specs, it sorta looks under-powered, but I remember it sounding good when it was working. I'm not sure if I should go ahead and break the seal on the sub in the box and see if there's more info on the magnet.

I'm sorta wondering if I should just ditch both of these and get some moderate upgrades since my birthday is coming up next month.
 

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John94z

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This thing is close to 20 years old. It just says "Thunderpro 500 watts total power" on it. My amp is an MTX Thunder 280. Looking at the specs, it sorta looks under-powered, but I remember it sounding good when it was working. I'm not sure if I should go ahead and break the seal on the sub in the box and see if there's more info on the magnet.

I'm sorta wondering if I should just ditch both of these and get some moderate upgrades since my birthday is coming up next month.

Good god man lol i thought i was an old school fan talking about stuff from about 10 years ago. You are running gear from when i was in elementary school. Very cool stuff however i would recommend buying some new stuff. I actually had to look up your sub and it looks like it may even be older than the Blue Thunder series. A couple things: Your amp was never designed to run a sub like this. Secondly, your sub certainly has some years on her. One of the most concerning things to me would be the foam surround on it. 20 years is really pushing it. I would not be surprised if the foam itself started to degrade and even the adhesive securing it to the woofer cone and basket. I would recommend some new equipment. A lot has changed over the years and you wouldn't need to spend a whole lot on something that will run with that setup of yours. Food for thought.
You may be able to get some decent money for this equipment on ebay from the right buyer also. This stuff is old enough to be back when MTX was american built. Some people are enthusiasts for the old school stuff.
 
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AKR

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Good god man lol i thought i was an old school fan talking about stuff from about 10 years ago. You are running gear from when i was in elementary school. Very cool stuff however i would recommend buying some new stuff. I actually had to look up your sub and it looks like it may even be older than the Blue Thunder series. A couple things: Your amp was never designed to run a sub like this. Secondly, your sub certainly has some years on her. One of the most concerning things to me would be the foam surround on it. 20 years is really pushing it. I would not be surprised if the foam itself started to degrade and even the adhesive securing it to the woofer cone and basket. I would recommend some new equipment. A lot has changed over the years and you wouldn't need to spend a whole lot on something that will run with that setup of yours. Food for thought.
You may be able to get some decent money for this equipment on ebay from the right buyer also. This stuff is old enough to be back when MTX was american built. Some people are enthusiasts for the old school stuff.

Oh god, I'm old. lol. Yeah, this was my set up just out of high school. Alright, thanks for the advice. I think I'll start planning for a new set up rather than mess around with something that may need to be replaced shortly anyways. I'll decide on a new sub or two and then start designing the fiberglass box around that.
 

John94z

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Oh god, I'm old. lol. Yeah, this was my set up just out of high school. Alright, thanks for the advice. I think I'll start planning for a new set up rather than mess around with something that may need to be replaced shortly anyways. I'll decide on a new sub or two and then start designing the fiberglass box around that.

No prob. Normally I'd say to go ahead and run it til it gave up on you but if you are going through the trouble of building a custom box then you should build the box around the sub you plan to run so you get the most out of it!
 

BadHabit2Break

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ported enclosures typically need more airspace than sealed enclosures. There is not a lot of room under the rear seat for a 12" sub and a ported enclosure, there is just not. Now if you had a mega cab, I would say go for it and build the box behind the rear seat.
 

Brody57

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As the others have stated, ported is by far the way to go. But with your room restrictions a sealed box would give you way better sound output. Make sure and post pictures when you're finished!
 

baum

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i wish i could find pics, back in the day i saw someone build a slot port box in one of these truck and they had the port go up the back wall of the truck so they could get the max airspace needed.
 

Etroze86

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I really think you should port a couple of badass 8's, you will get the airspace you need and you will be seriously surprised at what a couple of 8s can do.
 

WilliamS

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I really think you should port a couple of badass 8's, you will get the airspace you need and you will be seriously surprised at what a couple of 8s can do.

Although Im a big displacement old school guy, my past was a car audio installer. A couple 8's can really take ones breath away figuratively and literally. It depends on the music style really. A pair of ported 8's can be mean in the right box they can be fast as well lots of SPL if you spend the right money.
 

Brody57

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A couple ported 8's would be pretty sweet! Plus they'd be perfect for the space he has.
 
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