Subwoofer question

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Subwoofer question

For playing in small bars (25-60 people), would it be possible to use a subwoofer originally intended for the trunk of a car? If so, what would be best? Sealed, ported, or bandpass for someone playing a mix of EDM and Hip-Hop? I’m asking because I have a gig tonight and I’d like to add more bass as I’m using some small 8" Kustom PA speakers w/ horns. Craigslist in the area has tons of car subwoofers in boxes for sale but I’m on a tight budget at the moment. Alternatively, I could bring my Pioneer home theatre speakers but I’d prefer not to do that as they’re in wood-grain type cabinets and I don’t want them getting scratched.

2

i hope your gettin paid to play out. go rent some decent power speakers with the money your getting… your gonna look like a clown rockin home audio equipment in a public venue… why do i feel like i’m being trolled haha

3

You COULD use the box from your car, but just rent a proper SUB from your local music store for the night, it’s typically pretty cheap.

4

no my friend
that absolutely WOULD NOT WORK
before the night was over, you would have burned out the pole in that trunk speaker
They arent designed for FULL SCALE USE over a 6 hour period non stop.

Besides, they are really made to be used in confined spaces, not in open air spaces.

Bandpass would NEVER work in an open air as it vibrates the things around it,
You want to hang out in your bedroom or friends house and F*CK around for a few hours, great, do that with them
but in a venue PA system… hellz no. Plan on not bringing it home after that

5

Agree on everything except on the bandpass hatred. Many pro subs are built with bandpass enclosures, and work perfectly well in open-air environments.

6

absolutly correct however, the ones you are talking about used in venues are generally Dual 15" enclosures with at least a 12" horn on them and the box is over sized by about 17%

Try sticking one of those in your car trunk hahhahaha

they arent built the same as would be for a car is what im getting at.

7

Oh yeah sorry i somehow thought OP was in for building his own, pardon me. I meand pro boxes too :slight_smile:

And yes, to OP, car boxes won’t work. They’ll lack punch and probably blow up mid-set.

8

+1

The Yamaha DXS 15 is the best bang for the buck going and it’s a bandpass.

9

If you are going to be playing out regularly, invest in a decent sub/pa system, or just rent.

Unfortunately when you start playing out you will be judged by not just the sound of your gear, but also the appearance. I would strongly advise against using any type of home theater system.

10

You should not use your carsubwoofer, as someone mentioned its designed for small spaces.

You should not either just use 1 sub, get atleast 2. 4 if possible for easier setup and a tighter more even response in the whole place.
With just 1 sub you will have trouble with peaks in the some certain areas of the room.

Ported constructions delivers deeper bass and sealed gives a tighter, punchier response.