can somebody tell me what this is? sorry....i have a second gen.

 

It is a question in the wrong forum? Should there be a picture here?
j/k

 

here is the picture in question?

 

i was looking at a 3rd gen for sale online and have never really looked in the hatch area before ...sorry

 

The bose wave system. Provides bass in the Bose eguipped cars. Mostly it's a waste of space.

 

Bose system

 

I you see one in person...

 

It does take a lot of space, but I sounds good though.

 

A lot of space? Compared to a 12" or 15" subwoofer with enclosure?

 

Bose Hose! Can't wait to get rid of mine :o

 

Not compared to them, but compared to the little speakers it has inside. Although I'm still keeping mine for now.

 

Yea it def. takes less space than a sub + enclosure. But then again, that's cuz it isn't a sub. It's a bass tube. And every base tube I've ever heard sounds sooo weak, in comparison to even a simple and cheap 10" Alpine Type R sub. IMO

 

Yes, there is a compromise between space and sound quality when it comes to car stereo equipment. Can't always have your cake an eat it too.

 

the bose system is pretty impresive.....to a really old man!!!
the audio system like the drivetrain can be improved impressively over stock.
on the plus side star wars is getting popular again!

 

Yea Mahjik I realized not just that, but I also came to the disappointing realization that w/o serious modification (cutting up the dash and interior panels and inserting additional speakers), the sound quality in the FD simply sux lol (again, my standard for comparison is my boy's Volvo C70 w/ Dynaudio, STOCK!).

Lemme ask you this tho...are the recommended enclosure dimensions for subs strictly a requirement, or are they simply what's recommended to get the most outta the sub? Ie, can you get a sub, say a 10" and make a custom enclosure smaller than what that manufacturer recommends, but large enough to handle the sub, and have no probs? Cuz I went that route for over a year, and I had no probs whatsoever...

 

It's been a while since I got into the whole "audio" thing. But yes, the boxes are usually built for optimal dynamics. However, IMO, if you are going to go that far for audio, why cheapen yourself by not using the "recommend" dimensions? You may as well keep the stock system in that case, IMO.

 

The specifications of the subwoofer determine the ideal enclosure size and type and determine it's response range. Put too big a woofer in too small a box and you'll cut off the low end. You'll still move a significant amount of air, but you'll be cutting out the bottom octave(s) by limiting the driver's excursion, especially with a sealed enclosure. You'd be better off with a smaller woofer in a properly sized enclosure.

The FD design is 12+ years old, so what do you expect? For 1993, it was state of the art.

The stock system has horrible imaging because the right and left front speakers are very low in the doors, buried on the floor. As soon as you put a driver and/or passenger in the car, the direct path from the speakers to your ears is blocked and all you're getting is a bunch of reflections. It's almost impossible not to have a muddy sounding system unless you raise the front sound stage. The only thing that really saves the stock system is the center speaker, in my opinion.

 

Eloquently stated SEnior Labreck.

 

Yes I understand that, but let me give you an example. My 10" Alpine Type R sub was fit into a custom enclosure, designed to fit under the rear strut bar, and to extend not too far out (it fit in the indented portion of the trunk, way in the back near the rear divider). Here's a pic of it.



I never had issues w/ sound quality. In fact, this sub w/ my amp hit some of the deepest notes I've ever heard, and out-sounded (if that's even a word lol) practically every other sub setup I've heard in simple clarity and deep deep crisp bass. All this, and it's an ok sub (not the best quality), and the enclosure size was considerably smaller than what is recommended by the manufacturer.

On the flip side, right now, I have two 8" subs, in a freakin HUGE enclosure that takes up practically all the rear trunk. They are great, but they don't hit the low notes, even w/ all that space (prob cuz 8's just aren't designed for that). And that's in a slot ported box too. I'm contemplating going back to the 10" (but a better sub) simply for the clear crisp deep bass, in a same sized enclosure, which is again, much smaller than manufacturer recommended specs. So I don't see any prob w/ it...do you? For reference, JL recommends the following for enclosure sizes: Sealed Range: 1.00 - 1.375 cu. ft. (28.3 - 38.9 ltrs), Recommended Sealed Volume: 1.25 cu. ft. (35.4 ltrs.)

Yea Jim you're def. right. The biggest diff in sound between my boy's C70 and the FD is the 3-way component system in the doors. Main sub in the bottom of the door (still higher than the FD's), mid range components above the level of your knee (so no passenger interference), and highs in a tweeter mounted even higher up. And it comes w/ a HUGE center speaker. Too bad I don't have a center speaker anymore (I got Frank's center speaker gauge pod instead).