Quick Free Air Sub Question....

So I am on a budget and would like to mount a free air sub in my kick panel. Boat is a 2005 Cyclone. Probably going to have 150 RMS give or take to burn. What happens if I free air mount something like this? http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2067C10VR2/Kicker-CompVR-07CVR102.html?c=3&tp=111&avf=N

I am guessing I know the answer. Open to suggestions too. I know you guys are full of info.

Chuch-

That sub, or most any other sub for that matter will perform better and handle more power if you mount it in an enclosure.

FTI, You also can put more power to that woofer than you suggest as well, but since you are on a budget... What amp do you plan on using for the woofer?

Since you are looking at Kicker, take a look at the KM10 marine sub. It handles the power you claim, and will work okay in an infinite baffle installation. It will work better in an enclosure like almost any other woofer, so consider building a box that either uses the kick panel as one of the walls for the enclosure, or build a complete box and then cut a hole so the woofer sticks through. Those are just two options for you to think about on the enclosure; there are other ways to do it as well....




Phil
Kicker

box, box, box, box,......... free air sucks

Chuch,

There's nothing really wrong with a free-air woofer if it's a true free-air design and if it's put to task correctly.

A true free-air woofer is highly self-damped and has very different parameters than a sealed-box woofer. Sealed box woofers sound muddy and lose power handling when used as free-air. If a woofer is a jack-of-all-trades then it does all things less effectively than dedicated designs.

WetSounds, Sony, Kenwood, Clarion, Alpine and JL Audio are a few of the companies that make true free-air marine subwoofers.

'Free-air' simply means an infinite baffle of three cubic feet or larger for a 10-inch woofer. However, it is just as important as with any other woofer, that the mounting surface is extremely rigid and secure and that the woofer is acoustically isolated front to back. If there is an opening or pathway that allows the woofer's front radiation to meet the rear radiation within several feet then the free air woofer isn't going to work as well. In this case you have to either take the measures to ensure acoustic isolation or you've got to go with a sealed box type woofer in the appropriate enclosure.

David
Earmark Marine

Thanks guys for the heads up....

I use the Kicker Comp VR10 in infinite-baffle installs quite often, and it performs great....but only when you really poor the coals to it. It's rated at 400 watts RMS and that's what it likes. Give it the power it needs, and I think you would be pleased as it's great for a factory-like install or upgrade where a sealed or ported box would get into the custom $$$ and sometimes loss of foot room or storage.