2019 Silverado Skar ZVX8 box input

[nathanls14]

Hi all, looking for some input on box designs. Bought the zvx 8 and currently have it in a small sealed 0.64 net cube (per skar spec) box under my truck seat. Wanted to go this route to maintain some space under the seat since I’ve got 2 kids and also wanted to side fire to avoid accidental kicks.

Anyway, not sure if it’s my box design or something else, but I’m underwhelmed slightly by the current performance. So couple of questions, is the current box too small, if yes, how big should I go. Or should I go ported and if so, what dimensions to keep it under the seat?

Without measuring, current box is something like 16.5 deep, 14.5 wide with the left side being 11.5 tall and right side 6 tall. Again, it’s under my truck seat and fires towards the door.

Appreciate any and all thoughts / feedback.

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[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Appreciate any and all thoughts / feedback

I had 2 zvx8s in an underseat ported box. I do not know if the box was to spec, they would hit hard but were just loud and boomy, no detail. Got them with the box so no telling if the previous owner had the box professionally made or just something the shop had laying around. The leads went out on them so I switched them out. I still have one of them to fix, when I do I will put it in a home made box to see if I can make it sound to my preference.
I have never heard them sealed but you will get loud in a ported box. Built to spec you should get better results than I did.

 

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

Hi all, looking for some input on box designs. Bought the zvx 8 and currently have it in a small sealed 0.64 net cube (per skar spec) box under my truck seat. Wanted to go this route to maintain some space under the seat since I’ve got 2 kids and also wanted to side fire to avoid accidental kicks.

Anyway, not sure if it’s my box design or something else, but I’m underwhelmed slightly by the current performance. So couple of questions, is the current box too small, if yes, how big should I go. Or should I go ported and if so, what dimensions to keep it under the seat?

Without measuring, current box is something like 16.5 deep, 14.5 wide with the left side being 11.5 tall and right side 6 tall. Again, it’s under my truck seat and fires towards the door.

Appreciate any and all thoughts / feedback.

Taking the box dimensions you provided and assuming it is all .75” MDF, that box will have a gross internal volume of almost 1.13 cu. ft. which is much too large for sealed and slightly too small to vent. Time to rethink the subwoofer configuration - In most instances, you can vary the size of the enclosure by roughly 10% without a lot of difference, but if your guess on the box size is correct, you are off by more like 40%. You may want to scrap the single 8” and go with a lower profile box and different sub. Let’s say you cut that box down 4” so that measures 16.5x14.5x7.5 comes out to roughly .68 gross internal volume. Stuff a ½ a pound of Acusta-stuf and then mount the following 10” shallow woofer driver from Skar (facing up), should produce much better output from the same amplifier.

https://www.skaraudio.com/products/vd-10-inch-car-subwoofer

The 10" driver moves a lot more air and is almost 6db more efficient thatn the 8” driver you are using. That 8” sub is nice but it’s a competition-ish sub, needs to be in around a 1.25-1.35 cu. Ft. ported (tuned to 36hz) enclosure and fed LOT’s of power to be, almost acceptable. I’ve modled it several ways and it always seems to look very peaky (boomy, not in a good way) regardless. That 10” is the way to go (IMHO).

 

[SlugButter]

The ZVX 8 doesn’t do well sealed. 1.25 cubes ported 35-38 HZ is what it will like. Very inefficient 8 and wasn’t very impressive to me, even in a custom box. I bought an RDS audio 8 to replace it, and it was a huge difference. Plays much lower, has better SQ and the RDS only needs .75 cubes ported. Resilient Sounds Gold is another 8 that was quite impressive. The Skar will do numbers well on a SPL meter, but most people don’t roll around in their truck listening to 50 HZ test tones. The Skar just doesn’t cut it for any kind of bass music. Unless you’re an all the time classic rock or country music listener, the Skar isn’t going to be very impressive.