Please help me choose a Polk sub.

[Cider]

Hi guys, I wish I'd found this forum a few weeks ago, but better late than never. In any case, I know zilch about car audio, so naturally I dove in head-first and started buying stuff. You'll laugh, but I installed a Sony headunit (CDX-5710) because it was cheap and it had an input for my XM tuner.

Ignorance is bliss, and I was so happy with the improvement over my stock cassette/radio (which had stopped working) that I ordered some Polk DB650 speakers for the front doors. Those are due to arrive in a few days, but in the meantime I continued down the slippery slope and ordered one of those marked-down Orion 4004 amps.

You might be asking yourself if this is going anywhere, and it is. I'd like to run the fronts off the amp, and bridge the other two channels to run a sub in the trunk. Can you recommend a Polk sub that would be satisfied with ~200W? I only have a 75amp alternator, and I'd like to be conservative and stick with just the one amp, if at all possible.

I have a lot of woodworking tools, and I'd like to build the enclosure myself. I'm pretty sure that what I want is a sealed box, since I don't need it to be really loud. Presently, I'm not using the rear speakers, so I may remove them to let the bass pass into the cabin easier.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[PolkThug]

Welcome to the forum!

A Polk db104 may be what you need. Yes, removing those unused deck speakers will most likely help.

http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/specs/db104/

[MacLeod]

Excellent choice on the amp! Orions are awesome and at that price they cannot be beat!

The DB104 would indeed be a great option. Itll handle 270 watts which will be about right as that Orion is pretty severly underrated. Youll be getting closer to 65-70 watts per channel and well over 250 to the rears bridged. So yeah, DB104 it is.

[Cider]

Excellent, the db104 sounds like it'll work nicely, with a bonus: it's relatively inexpensive. Thanks for the help--it'll probably take me a few weeks to order a driver, build an enclosure and install everything, but I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Cider]

I'm ready to pull the trigger on the db104, but I have another question: will the 10" Polk Momo grill fit on the db104? I'd like some protection for the driver, and I think the Momo grills look sharp (I don't care if that makes me a poseur).

I installed the db650s in the front doors two days ago, and received the Orion amp last night. Cables from knukoceptz are due to arrive today, so it looks like I'll have a fun project this weekend. When I was ordering, I didn't know what size power cable to get, so I went with 4-gauge. Now that I have the amp, I see that they recommend 8-gauge. I hope that 4-gauge isn't too big!

To be brutally honest, I think the Polk speakers in front sound a little thin. Nevertheless, they are more detailed than the ones they replaced. In any case, I haven't lost faith, and I'm looking forward to adding an amp and sub to the equation.

[neomagus00]

polk speakers take a while to break in - they should fill out over the next 2 weeks to a month... and 4-gauge will be just fine, the amp should take it...

p.s. being brutally honest is a good thing! :p

[MacLeod]

All Polk speakers start out thin. After you break them in and tweak em a little youll love em.

Im on my 3rd set of Polk speakers and all have followed the same path. Thin and bright at first but after some breaking in and a little tender love and care they turn out to be the best speakers Ive owned!

[audiobliss]

You know zilch about car audio? Judging from the db650's, Orion 4004, and knukonceptz wiring you bought, I'd have to disagree! Well, you did have a lapse in judgement when you bought that Sony HU! :p

Sounds like you're going to have a killer system when you finish it. Oh, and I'm a fan of not using rear speakers, too.

[Cider]

I took everybody's advice and ordered a db104, which should arrive late next week. I'm looking forward to installing it next weekend. I haven't decided exactly where in the trunk to locate the box, but I have a bunch of Baltic birch lying around the shop that I think would make a nice enclosure.

This morning I installed the amplifier--everything went well and there is a notable improvement in sound quality. At the moment, I'm only using the front speakers, and the extra power really seems to wake them up. It was a fun project, and I'm happy with the results.

[MacLeod]

Welcome to the sickness. Before you know it youll never be satisfied and will feel the urge to spend more and more on a never ending upgrade rampage. And ya know what, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it!

[neomagus00]

except, of course, "...mental confusion, financial ruin and marital chaos"

:D

[Cider]

The sub arrived yesterday, and it's heavier than I thought it would be. I like that--it makes me feel like I got more for my money. I got started on the box last night, but I still need to cut the hole and glue everything up. I used dados and rabbets for all of the panels so it's practically airtight even without glue.

I was wondering if I need to put some kind of seal underneath the driver? I didn't see a gasket in the shipping box, but I noticed that the outside rim of the driver is a hard rubber material. Is that sufficient to make an airtight seal?

[neomagus00]

generally, once you crank it down, yes, that is sufficient... i usually put weather stripping under there first, though, just to be sure... you can find it in the window aisle at home depot, i believe, the 3/4" strip, then you trim the excess...

[Cider]

Thanks for the advice. Until now, I have been using the Crutchfield enclosure article for guidance, but the author suggests using non-hardening rope caulk to seal the driver. I was having trouble with the idea of putting caulk on my shiny new sub.

[Cider]

I finished the enclosure this weekend, and I like the results. I haven't removed the rear deck speakers yet, but I think the sub sounds good. It's not too boomy or overwhelming, and it seems to blend in well.

I still have to paint or carpet the box and permanently mount it in the trunk, but I haven't figured out exactly where I want it yet. Nevertheless, I can enjoy the music in the meantime. Thanks all for the helpful advice.