*PIX* Infinite Baffle (free-air) setups

[NisAznMonk]

Infinite baffle setups = free-air setups

"A variation on the 'open baffle' is to mount the loudspeaker in a very large sealed enclosure." - Wikipedia.org

"An infinite-baffle system is probably the easiest way to install woofers in your vehicle. You can expect good performance from such an installation, and since there are no boxes to design or build, installation time and cost are kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, there are several disadvantages to the infinite baffle. When a speaker is mounted in an enclosure, the air inside the enclosure acts like a spring against the speaker cone, and he resulting buildup in pressure provides mechanical damping and prevents excessive cone movement. But an infinite-baffle installation does not use an enclosure, so the mechanical damping is poor, resulting in "hang-over" and lack of definition. The power handling of the speaker will also be compromised since the infinite baffle provides very little control over cone excursion." - Termpro.com

I just wanted to post up some examples of this type of setup. A few of them may not be practical for your car, but it would gives you and idea of what can be done if you aren't really knowledgable about building enclosures, or you just don't want an enclosure. There are drawbacks on basically any system you decide to design/install, but this would give you a start on what to look for and what questions to ask. [Pictures were stolen from various internet forums throughout the years] :runcoold:

http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair1.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair2.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair4.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair5.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair6.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair7.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair8.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair9.jpg

[NisAznMonk]

http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair10.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair11.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair12.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair13.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/free_air/freeair14.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/3.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/5.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/6.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/8.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/9.jpg

[NisAznMonk]

If any of you have anything to contribute feel free to do it. If you have a problem with posting pictures then please refer to the sticky I made about that particular topic. Only rule is to stick to the original topic.

[DriftGirl]

Some of those are really nice. I wish I wouldve gone this route....I cant even fit a pair of shoes in my trunk now :(

[aristo93]

hows the bass quality with a free air set up?

[VIPFlame]

IF you have a lexus get a Infiniti IBF-10 its a great sub lots of boom boom!

[NisAznMonk]

Some of those are really nice. I wish I wouldve gone this route....I cant even fit a pair of shoes in my trunk now :(

Who needs shoes? :smiley:

[NisAznMonk]

hows the bass quality with a free air set up?

Depends on what you are after. In my experience it wasn't really much different from a typical sealed enclosure setup. I wish I had a picture of a friend's Ford with a pair of Image Dynamic 12's in an IB setup. That thing definitely impressed alot of people.

[huyqvu]

only thing i never understood was how to seperate the cabin from the trunk. read something once and said you have to seal the trunk space?

[NisAznMonk]

only thing i never understood was how to seperate the cabin from the trunk. read something once and said you have to seal the trunk space?

Easiest way I've seen it done is use alot of sound deadening material. You can cover your rear deck, and behind the rear seats if you need to. Basically you are covering up any "holes" that could leak from the trunk to the cabin.

Now if your car started off with an Infinite Baffle setup straight from the factory then I would be willing to bet that you wouldn't need to do very much as far as separating the front and rear of the subs.

[Yokotas13]

will this work with any speaker
or are certain ones better?

im extremely interested, but kinda concerned

[NisAznMonk]

will this work with any speaker
or are certain ones better?

im extremely interested, but kinda concerned

Generally you want to stick with a subwoofer that has been marketed for "free-air" use. The exact terms manufacturers use my differ when describing a "free-air" subwoofer (example: DLS uses the term "open-air"), but its the same thing. Now this isn't totally black and white as there are some subwoofers out there that can be used for infinite baffle use. This "grey" area (or is it gray?) is reserved for those who like to experiment, or know what the heck they are doing. I've got a friend who did pretty well with a pair of RE Audio SE15's in a Ford sedan, but he knows his stuff. Thats why I use him as my installer.

The difference between a normal sealed enclosure, or ported enclosure subwoofer vs. a "free-air" subwoofer is the suspension. Infinite baffle subwoofers normally have a stiffer suspension because there really isn't any pressure behind the woofer. A soft suspension would allow the cone to overshoot and/or bottom out...thus destroying the speaker you just bought. If you think of it in terms of automobile suspension then it sort of makes sense. Too soft of a suspension setup will cause your car to bottom out.

I've only known two recent manufacturer's that have subwoofer lines marketed for infinite baffle use, but that doesn't mean there aren't more out there. I've just never used them or cared. Sound wise they will be pretty similar so I just went with the one I could either get right away...or got the best deal on. Subwoofer bass is the most forgiving part of your system so the differences you may hear would be minimal at best in an infinite baffle setup. This is simply my opinion though, because if I wanted a LOUD "I can hear you for 10 miles" ride I wouldn't be considering this setup anyways. I already have 2 of those (one under construction).

www.dls.se
- look for the Classic OA series subwoofers. They are mixed in there, but you should find 3 of them. OA12D, OA10D, and the OA8. I have the older OA10 in my 1993 LS400.

www.alumapro.com
- look for the Alchemy Free Air

Before you make your final decision on what sub to get just make sure you have the room to mount it. Measure, measure, measure, and ask questions. If you need help finding someone that has these woofers you can PM me, but I wouldn't think they would be too hard to find.

[Pseudonym]

for cheaper alternatives that sound fantastic, check out the dayton line at www.partsexpress.com. IB setups are fantastic ways to get monster bass from little amounts of power (due to the increase in sensativity) and are hands down the best way to save space in your trunk short of having no subs at all.

the quality of bass is 2nd to none in my opinion. ported boxes tend to be very peaky at certain frequencies and id rather not even get into bandpass boxes. sealed boxes tend to give a great flat response but pale in comparison, as far as output goes, to an IB setup. overall, when properly done (seal the hell out of the trunk to let as little air as possible pass from the cabin to the trunk), an IB setup will yield loud, clean bass, and a relatively flat response, while using less power to do so.

a few things to remember when doing an IB setup:
-seal that trunk
-the more cone area, the better (common to find multiple 12's, 15's, and even 18's for and IB setup)
-it takes less power to reach max excursion with this setup

ive posted this before but heres my IB setup in my bassment. 4 15" soundsplinter rl-p's in an array setup each seeing 350 watts. there are certain scenes in movies that have awakened me from a deep sleep 2 stories up. earthquakes dont make this much noise.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/paulsjunk/IMG_0759.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/paulsjunk/IMG_0758.jpg

[NisAznMonk]

Do you actually have a website? I've seen that setup before, but it didn't have the Soundsplinter subs.

[Pseudonym]

youve probably seen it posted on here. theres like 3 different threads within this very forum that ive posted the same pics in.

there are also alot of pics posted here (http://home.comcast.net/~infinitelybaffled/page2IB-Gallery.html). none of which are mine.

[NisAznMonk]

Nah. It was a setup just like the one you posted up, but with different subs. Why am I questioning it though? Its not like I can tell the difference between your sheetrock and someone else's LOL. :slap:

[Pseudonym]

i dont know, those sheetrock scraps ive got sitting around the subs are pretty distinctive.

[Yokotas13]

apparently inifinity has 3 subs that are free air compatable

while im in the states i will be picking up a bunch of dynamat and ill try a free air setup with some JVCs

dunno how its gonna work, but its worth a try,

[Pseudonym]

id look into image dynamics for some solid and price friendly IB subs. hell, id check into image dynamics for any setup.

[speedaddict]

apparently inifinity has 3 subs that are free air compatable

while im in the states i will be picking up a bunch of dynamat and ill try a free air setup with some JVCs

dunno how its gonna work, but its worth a try,yo! cheapest place I've found for dynamat extreme thus far is www.onlinecarstereo.com They had free shipping a couple times also

[speedaddict]

\

[TLontheDL]

yo! cheapest place I've found for dynamat extreme thus far is www.onlinecarstereo.com (http://www.onlinecarstereo.com) They had free shipping a couple times also

This special?

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=12655

[Pseudonym]

Fuck dynamat (http://www.raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?p=pr)

[19psi]

so what about those of us with fuel tanks behind the back seat? there's nowhere to really mount the subs unless you use the upper shelf, which limits driver size. then you also have to deal with teh trunk springs that run side to side...
what are the options there? i'd love to use this type of setup, but witht eh fuel tank in the way, i dont' see how....

[Pseudonym]

u cant. u could raise the rear deck to make some clearance but thats alot of work and it cuts you visibility in the rear. thank your lexus designers for coming up with such a stupid design. for this very reason, ive stayed away from the ls 400, lincoln towncar, pontiac gto.

[TLontheDL]

so what about those of us with fuel tanks behind the back seat? there's nowhere to really mount the subs unless you use the upper shelf, which limits driver size. then you also have to deal with teh trunk springs that run side to side...
what are the options there? i'd love to use this type of setup, but witht eh fuel tank in the way, i dont' see how....

There are thin subs that is thin enough to fit beneath your seats. A few company makes them now. ask nis about it.

[speedaddict]

Fuck dynamat (http://www.raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?p=pr)i never heard of anyone having sex with it but...ok whatever your fetish :shrug:


obviously kidding...I've heard good things about that dampener in your link..

[Pseudonym]

There are thin subs that is thin enough to fit beneath your seats. A few company makes them now. ask nis about it.

i doubt those thin subs would have the capabilities to be an IB sub. unless you leave a hole in your trunk, youre not really using an IB setup, but rather a large sealed box. putting any of those shallow mount subs in a box 3 or 4 times its recommended size would seriously fuck it up.

[NisAznMonk]

so what about those of us with fuel tanks behind the back seat? there's nowhere to really mount the subs unless you use the upper shelf, which limits driver size. then you also have to deal with teh trunk springs that run side to side...
what are the options there? i'd love to use this type of setup, but witht eh fuel tank in the way, i dont' see how....

This is the setup in my 1993 LS400. You can clearly see the gas tank behind the rear seat.

http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/3.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/5.jpg
http://www.nisaznmonk.com/images/Lexus_LS400/6.jpg

The subwoofer pictured is a DLS OA10. If you (or your installer) is handy at fabrication the rear deck and be modified.

[Pseudonym]

well shit, forget what i said earlier. i was under the impression the gas tank was a shitload bigger. this can clearly be done in the ls. take a look at the GTO's trunk, its all gas tank.

[gmckey]

I'm an audio noob... but I've got this Alpine Type R 12" and an MRP-650 amp to power it... would that be decent enough for a free air setup if I mounted like the last LS400 and just trimmed the rear deck to accomodate it?

[NisAznMonk]

I'm an audio noob... but I've got this Alpine Type R 12" and an MRP-650 amp to power it... would that be decent enough for a free air setup if I mounted like the last LS400 and just trimmed the rear deck to accomodate it?


It should be decent, but make sure it'll even mount up there. My LS400 will accommodate an 8", but my retarded butt didn't bother to measure before starting the project. And it took a bit more than just trimming to make it work since I had to bolt the sub from under the rear deck. OH yeah it had to be angled in a way where it wouldn't touch the gas tank.

[Yokotas13]

OK, so on a new front
Im actually doing this
im mocking it up with a JVC sub until i can get an infinity in
I got some good sound deadening from a local auto store back home and will be doing this in the next few days

[Yokotas13]

fucki me
there is like no way to do it in a gloria

[NisAznMonk]

fucki me
there is like no way to do it in a gloria

Got a picture of your car? I think I could find one of those here in Okinawa and take a look at the trunk. Might not help you much but its worth a shot. Plus I'm bored most of the time. :pat:

NOTE: I assume you are using the JVC sub that they sell at the BX?

[Yokotas13]

yeah, for temp
im going to order the Infinity setup once i get everything solid

ill get some pictures of the setup

but my car is this thing
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1329/723317751_957d72a1a8.jpg
y33 cedric/gloria

its soooo impossible

[NisAznMonk]

yeah, for temp
im going to order the Infinity setup once i get everything solid

ill get some pictures of the setup

but my car is this thing
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1329/723317751_957d72a1a8.jpg
y33 cedric/gloria

its soooo impossible

LOL. Are you going to try and take that car home with you? That car looks pretty damn good :biggthumpup:

I'll try and hunt down one of those soon. Maybe even check the lemon-lot :smiley:

[Yokotas13]

LOL. Are you going to try and take that car home with you? That car looks pretty damn good :biggthumpup:

I'll try and hunt down one of those soon. Maybe even check the lemon-lot :smiley:
nah itll stay here
everything transfers to a q45 anyways
kinda retarded



but i decided im going to do a free air setup with hte Pioneer hella thin sub

the 10 only needs 3 inches of mounting depth, and i think i can swing that
i dunno if it will sound good, but i might try it

[NisAznMonk]

nah itll stay here
everything transfers to a q45 anyways
kinda retarded



but i decided im going to do a free air setup with hte Pioneer hella thin sub

the 10 only needs 3 inches of mounting depth, and i think i can swing that
i dunno if it will sound good, but i might try it

Is that pioneer sub at the BX? If so your BX is alot better than ours :sad:

If not then you can also check out Earthquake. They make the SWS subwoofer, and it is very thin. I think its pretty flimsy in comparison though, but they can be found for less than $100 each on eBay at times.

[Yokotas13]

our BX did have them
but i can order it for liek 110 shipped or so