ICE advice needed.

[sealslayer]

If there is a better section of the forum for this then please feel free to move the post.

I have a mk6 LWB High top and have just bought myself a 3000w sub & amp and need some advice with regards to the positioning of the sub.
I only have two options, I either have the sub facing towards the front in the little cubby hole above the cab or have it facing out towards the rear of the van.
Has anyone else got a sub above the cab and have tried both directions? as I use the van for work it has to be mounted up high so I'm pretty limited with its positioning.

I've been advised to have it facing the front by I'm not sure if the bass will become distorted facing the front or if I have it facing into the back all the bass will become lost in the large area.
Thanks in advance.

[chipv8]

Generally speaking bass is not directional like normal speakers tend to be. This means you don't have to aim it towards the listener to be heard clearly as you do with normal speaker. Most car ICE systems have the sub enclosure fitted in the boot, and they still have the same effect as they would sat in the passenger seat infact better as the boot itself acts as an enclosure.
If your going for big sounds one of the most important things to do is insulate against vibration and external noise, doing this helps provide the best performance from even small systems especially in vans. Think of being in a football stadium listening to someone sing acoustically no amplification and everyones talking. Now same singer same song but this time in a silent smaller venue and the sound quality is drastically improved.

[whitevanman66]

my sub is sat between the seats on a shelf behind the baulkhead,which covers my lpg tank ..it works for me (i also use the van daily as im in the building game)

[Guy88]

Sub is not there to be heard really, it created bass that you feel more

[whitevanman66]

i should say so,feels like im having a back massage on certain tracks

[Mad Lensman]

So......

Where would you recommend placing the "normal" speakers then in say a SWB LR with a timber bulkhead? - I've been and got the adapters (Proper nice plastic ones!) for the fronts to go from 5 x 7 to the more traditional 6" round speakers, but am interested as to where people suggest putting say a set of 6 x 9 speakers in a small van to get the best sound.

Bear in mind that ideally, I don't really want to cut holes in the bulkhead on the deck or near the ceiling. I am however considering fitting a second bulkhead behind the first to act as an enclosure for the speakers. Interested in getting some points of view before I do it....!

(And nothing too fancy - I'm an IT engineer not a chippie!!!! - Ed... "That means he'll c*ck it up good and proper")

[Mike]

So you're putting the 6x9's in in addition to the door speakers?

[jolly olly]

In my van i made a box to hold my speakers 6in and just have them lose behind my seats, not sure of the size of the box but it acts a bit like a bass box and sounds good.

[Mad Lensman]

I was thinking of putting the 6 x 9's in yeah....

What I've got in mind is something like a double skin bulkhead idea.... (2 bulkheads held apart by some hefty timbers) with the speakers mounted about midway up behind the front seats - almost to give a poor man's version of the mental massager mentioned above - but to give me more full sound rather than just bass. Want to get a good quality all round sound. What I've got so far is:

JVC KD G331 head unit (MP3 single CD) Max out 50 x 4 (Unamped)
Fronts: FLi Integrator 240w Peak
Rears: ViBE Interceptor 6 x 9's (400w Peak)

I was thinking that maybe down the line a bit to run the ViBE's from a decent amp, maybe with a little JBL sub, but my problem is, I DJ for a hobby and my front boxes (3 ft Square lights) sit nicely along the bulkhead at the moment, so really disturbing the bulkhead arrangement is probably not the best idea.....

Thoughts anyone?