# Sedans vs Hatchbacks for bass



## viking1 (Feb 23, 2019)

I’m considering two different cars that are identical except that one is hatchback body style whereas the other is sedan body style (BMW M140i vs M240i).

Are hatches vastly better for bass than sedans? I would think the larger cabin and of course shared air volume of a hatch would be considerably better. However, I do know that a lot of people build serious systems in sedans as well.

Can anyone tell me how sedans compare to hatches for trunk subwoofer performance? How do you get a sedan subwoofer to perform well? I notice in my home that even if the door between rooms is wide open, I don’t hear my subwoofer from one room to the next very well at all.

Any advice on how big the difference is in audio performance between these body styles would be greatly appreciated.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

hatch any day of the week. No rear deck, seats, or c pillars to worry about in terms of rattles/resonance.


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Can't do ib in a hatch very easily.


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## viking1 (Feb 23, 2019)

dcfis said:


> Can't do ib in a hatch very easily.


Do you know if IB would be easy to do in an M240i?


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

I usually own hatchbacks,..... no problems with subbass.

If you want IB install in HB, then you should look at Peter Steinbacher's Honda...true IM that performs very good


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## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Hatchback's used to be considered "cheater" cars for spl comps. It's really not that difficult for IB in a hatchback. Two plywood sides and some gasket.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Hatch. So much easier to get a sub in the back to blend with midbass up front in a non-trunk car, IME.


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

ErinH said:


> Hatch. So much easier to get a sub in the back to blend with midbass up front in a non-trunk car, IME.


easy in my case too,....but then a bunch of guys who have big problems with that,....lack of experiences maybe


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I have a trunk car. I've helped tune a lot of various cars. Hatch/SUVs are always easier to set up properly.


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## subterFUSE (Sep 21, 2009)

viking1 said:


> Are hatches vastly better for bass than sedans? I would think the larger cabin and of course shared air volume of a hatch would be considerably better. However, I do know that a lot of people build serious systems in sedans as well.


Yes, a hatchback is better than a sedan for subwoofer performance. Do a sealed subwoofer box and place it as far to the rear of the car as possible. Or even do it in the tire well.

I have measured a lot of different cars over the years, and the hatchbacks measure better with fewer cancellations. The only car I ever measured that had perfect subwoofer response with no cancellations was a 2 door hatchback car. It was using 2 x 10 inch woofers in a sealed box. Those subs needed absolutely zero EQ. They measured dead-nuts perfect right out of the gate. Never seen anything like it.

You can make a sedan sound great, but it takes a lot more work. Isolating the trunk airspace from the cabin is not easy. And when you do isolate those airspaces, sometimes there are unforeseen consequences. For example, in my Audi I can't run the window defrosters unless I crack my windows a little bit. The return vents must be in the trunk because there is no airflow now unless I open my windows slightly.


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## diy.phil (May 23, 2011)

Good thread. Yeah I had a sedan back in 1995 and it was so difficult to get the bass or not efficient. All my vehicles before and after have been hatchbacks or SUVs (coincidental, didn't go around picking vehicles for bass but maybe should lol).


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## Bnlcmbcar (Aug 23, 2016)

SkizeR said:


> hatch any day of the week. No rear deck, seats, or c pillars to worry about in terms of rattles/resonance.





subterFUSE said:


> You can make a sedan sound great, but it takes a lot more work. Isolating the trunk airspace from the cabin is not easy.


I’ve been on the mission to tackle this challenge. They are very correct^^^

Takes a lot of effort.. very tedious sound deadening and cabin airspace sealing.

I have a faux IB setup in my sedan with 2 BMmkV subs in a sealed box firing into the cabin with the box itself sealed to the cabin airspace.

Andy W has had success with this approach in his Mercedes sedan (sub in a sealed box that is sealed to the cabin via the rear deck).

I’m enjoying it. But I too concur that one could get the bass with way less effort in a non sedan vehicle.


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## steven9600vasquez (Nov 30, 2021)

Any pics of hatch setups


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## Selkec (Nov 18, 2018)

IB in a sedan is super easy. All ya need is a nice baffle and seal it and it’s gonna blow away any hatchback with subs in a box and sound better doing it with half the watts needed. I’ll never run subs in any kind of box for the rest of my life. That’s how much better IB is. Untill you’ve heard IB you can’t understand. And that’s what I was told also because I had my doubts. Everyone just said wait till ya hear it then you will know and they weren’t kidding. 
Check out my sub in my build thread.








2014 VW cc build log


Hey all, I am getting another VW cc tomorrow and will be logging another sq install. This time I’ll be sure to take many pics of the entire process and post along the way. I can’t wait to get this started.




www.diymobileaudio.com





a little taste of what I’m talking about 😉









Faux Hair trick stereo integrity 18” infinite baffle configuration in 2013 VW cc. Moving some air!


This is in a sound quality car 3 way active system Infinite baffle 18” VW ccWho says sound quality can’t get loud! 🙄.




youtube.com


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