Sub Placement in 07 Wakesetter vlx
 

I have to JL 12's that weremgiven too me plus an amp from a buddy. were can i put them in my boat? i have one 12 under (thats all i want to hear in the seat all day) the dash but somewhere in the back would be nice.. any suggestions?

only 1 good place for it... under the helm, behind the fault wall/kick panel

Pictured here in a new VTX.

Michael,
A side-firing 12-inch sub in a sealed box will fit comfortably under the dash and have tons of output.
You can stretch it to a bass-reflex enclosure with a lot of extra work as the enclosure will become far more complex.
Other than that you have several other compartments large enough to house a large woofer/enclosure. The storage next to the engine compartment is under the a hatch similar to that which covers the engine and behind a bulkhead. Both are designed to contain sound. So the woofer and amplifier would have to work inordinately hard to create nothing more than a bunch of indiscriminant rumble. Not musical bass.
The port side locker under the passenger helm console and behind the observer's seat shares the same challenges as the rear compartments. You can cut up the boat to vent the compartment and lose your best storage but again, from an acoustical standpoint its weak.
Then you have the complexities of multiple and dissimilar sub locations. Due to the different distances from separate subs to the listener plus different surrounding boundaries, you will have phasing problems where you have erratic summing and cancellations at various points around the boat. Two subs will not be the addition over one that you might expect. They will not sum effectively like they would side by side in the rear of an SUV for example.
Bottom line is unless its a demo boat for show or you are going to an extreme amount of trouble to overcome the above issues, limit it to a single and best sub location...under the dash.
If it doesn't get the job done there is something very wrong in the execution.

David
Earmark Marine

Thank you for your response.. i have a garbage ten under there currently, would you recomend putting 1 or 2 12" under the driver? I do see in this pic you have 1 jl on the right but is there another one facing left?

i am running a single W7 12 under the helm just like the pic above. ported and side firing. in fact my install was done by Mr. Neves himself and all i can say is WOW. that single 12 puts out so much sound. if your looking for function and not eating up all your storage just run that single 12 under there and i think you will be more than happy. i will say this, Johnny has this specific sub enclosure DIALED. if you are a DIY guy and dont want to pay for someone to install your sub i can respect that but if you could convince johnny to sell you the sub enclosure you would be so so stoked. like i said he's got that thing on lock!!!! installing is one thing but having the right demensions, location and build quality of the enclosure is what imo will make or break it.

Will the above enclosure work in a 98 vlx? I currently have a 12' under the glove box, and have to open the the passenger back rest to get full sound. An under the helm enclosure was givin to me, but is not side firing, just a normal enclosure built for the helm area and I didn't care for the output of it so I went back to the passenger side. I'm a huge DIY guy but would pay for a box like the above, just dont want to drag my boat to san jose, I'm in livermore.

Actually looking at the pic again I dont think it will work, damn

Chris - Johnny and his crew (Liquid Trends) can design and set-up anything for any application (mine is pictured above). They truely understand volume and how to tune a system. For a 30 minute drive to San Jose, you will wish you had done this earlier. They are down to earth guys and not looking to stick it to anyone. Just give them a call and talk about what you want and show them some pics of the boat and interior measurements.

Michael - One sub under the helm and properly done is better than something sitting stuffed in a corner. I've heard subs in the storage area and they sound baffled and dull. Just because you have two subs, doesn't mean you have to use both of them. Sell one of the subs and make some money or save it for a backup.

Chris - A box similar to the one above can work in your boat, we have some angels to work around, but it can be done.

- Another Option

^^^ Although this setup is sick, it will not be an easy task getting it in the foot well of the 98 VLX, a much different area then 05 or 06 VLX pictured above

i like the double sub placement, that might be what i need to do..is there any sick grills for the 12"s perferably the look of the polk grills?

ok do you think a polk grill would look odd on a JL sub? i just have polks all over the boat

The post was to offer more options to micheal. This is the thread about 07 wakesetter vlx right??????:confused:

Micheal-
Not sure that I would do the polk grill over another sub. In this application I think the grills would be too loud,but if you were to repaint them and tone them down a little and while covering the logo you might find more fluency between them and the rest of the boat. (double check bolt pattern between the grill and sub first):D

ryan,

Thank you for all your responses. I only ask about the grills bc 1. I am clumsy as hell, And 2. the outer ring on the subs isnt the greatest looking thing. i guess i could find a different ring?

Micheal,
If you have matching Polks throughout the boat then I think it would be okay. My concern is that many models in the recent JL Audio subs have a large flange aound the rim that facilitates a JL mesh grill insert. The Polk grill may not seat well over the JL sub. You will need to check this first to be sure. Now if the grill is mounted independently to the facade then this would not be an issue.
Keep in mind that even a sealed 12-inch sub usually requires around 1.25 cu. ft. displacement. Double that for dual 12s! For a bass-reflex enclosure to house dual 12s and the port volume you are nearly doubling that again. This is a very complex and expensive enclosure to build the right way. Compromising an enclosure volume (smaller displacement, longer port, smaller port) doesn't necessarily produce the optimum performance as compared to a single sub in an optimum enclosure. Get a pro to do this for you. There is alot more to know beyond what a box program will tell you.

David
Earmark Marine

Ryan, sorry about that. Mind was on a 98 VLX, must have been another thread or forum. My B..

David,

Lately i have been contimplating gutting my stereo and starting from scratch, but i get torn between spending the money on my stereo or adding more weight and a prop. I know your right about the box for the 12's. and everything else. So we will see, maybe i can figure out what i can get of for my entire set up and rebuild the stereo.

Chuck, Any way I could get the dimensions on that box? I've got a 06 wakesetter vlx. I have two kicker 12 just sitting in my garage with an amp that I might as well put to use. It would sound better then the one 12 I have right now too.

Chuck,

What would it cost me for an install? I live in discovery bay so im close.

Johnny, Any chance to get a rough quote on a box like that, you can pm me if you like. I can bring the boat down for the work, but dont want to drag it down their only to find out it's gonna cost more then I'm prepared to pay.