# 6.5" Subwoofers in the rear doors: good or bad idea?



## dmarks (Jan 1, 2012)

Has anyone tried mounting small subwoofers in a rear door location? I have really deep rear doors (5"?) that can handle 6.5 or 6 3/4" drivers. My goal is really SQ for the front seats at moderate listening levels.

What kind of issues are there with this sort of configuration? Is it possible to use rear doors in an IB configuration or would I have to seal the door panels?


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## snake hunter (Dec 30, 2011)

I use the German Maestro 6.5 add a woofers and crossovers running off the rear channels on the JL 600/4 but I also use a volume nob for adjusting. Works great you can really hear the drums pan around the cabin at any level. It brings alot to the system at lower volume listening.


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## nubz69 (Aug 27, 2005)

No reason this won't work as long as you make the mount solid and use the proper drivers in the proper enclosure or use IB drivers. If you can fit 8"s though I would try to get them in there.


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## fit_tuner (Aug 14, 2006)

im running hybrid audio's 6.5" subs in my rear doors. it's not optimal for the sub, but it's decent for what it's worth. 

Just dont expect bass from a larger driver and you will be okay.


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## Patrick Bateman (Sep 11, 2006)

dmarks said:


> Has anyone tried mounting small subwoofers in a rear door location? I have really deep rear doors (5"?) that can handle 6.5 or 6 3/4" drivers. My goal is really SQ for the front seats at moderate listening levels.
> 
> What kind of issues are there with this sort of configuration? Is it possible to use rear doors in an IB configuration or would I have to seal the door panels?


One of the biggest things that 'gives away' subwoofer location is rattles, so be sure to use a SERIOUS baffle on that driver. I've been using bamboo cutting boards for a lot of projects lately. It's strength is comparable to aluminum, and way more rigid than plywood or MDF.

Another thing you might try is a relatively low-QTS driver. High QTS drivers 'ring' more than low 'QTS' drivers, and that ringing will tend to exacerbate any rattles in the door.

If you really want to go buck wild, epoxy a rod from the back of the magnet to the car door to keep it from flexing.


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## robert_wrath (Apr 24, 2011)

I run a pair of JL Audio 8IB4's no problem. Both the panels & the doors are heavily sound dampened. A 6.5" may require an enclosure of some sort built to house around it to achieve LFE.


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## Oscar (Jun 20, 2010)

Patrick Bateman said:


> I've been using bamboo cutting boards for a lot of projects lately. It's strength is comparable to aluminum, and way more rigid than plywood or MDF.
> .


That's a pretty good idea.


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## Subirex09 (Nov 20, 2009)

Dmarks, did you ever attempt this?

I am considering putting 6.5" subs in well deadened rear doors powered by the rear channels of a JL HD600/4 to complement a 10" sub. The 10 sounds awesome on rap and electronic, but is a little lacking in the kick drum in rock.


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## Oscar (Jun 20, 2010)

Subirex09 said:


> Dmarks, did you ever attempt this?
> 
> I am considering putting 6.5" subs in well deadened rear doors powered by the rear channels of a JL HD600/4 to complement a 10" sub. The 10 sounds awesome on rap and electronic, but is a little lacking in the kick drum in rock.


you can always raise the crossover frequency. For kick drum to sound good on rock, you need a subwoofer that has a nice clean frequency response into the 150Hz range.


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## Subirex09 (Nov 20, 2009)

Yeah I could do that but at 150hz, I would worry about the sub pulling the front stage to the rear, but I could always try.


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## ribrown (May 2, 2012)

The only reason why one should use that option for sub is if a larger sub in a seperate enclosure is out of the question. Will it work? Sure it will work. But it depends on what you mean by work. Will it sound as low as an 8 in a sealed box? Doubtful. But that still doesn't mean it won't sound good. If 6.5s in the doors are the most convienient option for you then you must do like all the other posters have suggested. Just do the best job possible at mounting them, deadening the doors and door panels, and curing all rattles and loose fitting door mechanics. Then of course take your time in tuning them correctly (crossover and gain settings). I'm sure with enough time spent at setting them up well you can make them work pretty darn good.


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## KtrainHurricane (May 20, 2011)

I was thinking of the same thing - putting 6w3's into the rear storage compartments of my 94 Toyota Pickup, and running them off the rear channels of an HD600/4 (JL ZR components in the front). 

Very interested in how this would work out. Would love to see some pics of people who have done something similar...


OP - did you ever go ahead and do it?


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## Gary S (Dec 11, 2007)

ribrown said:


> The only reason why one should use that option for sub is if a larger sub in a seperate enclosure is out of the question. .


 - I agree. The 6.5's are small, they might not have enough output... plus, doors are prone to rattling. 

At the least, before you mutilate your doors by installing mini woofers, put the sixes in test boxes on the rear floor to see if you will like the sound.

But I would recommend a sealed subwoofer box. Listen, I'm a sound quality guy, but even I want at least a couple of 10" subs in a box.... extension and reasonable spl is part of sound quality.


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## theoldguy (Nov 17, 2009)

I have done this with a pair of JL 6W0s. Did it work? yes. I used some of those foam baffles that I coated with fiberglass and a slurry mixture. Personally, I feel it was a waste of time. They sounded OK. The output was decent, but being a tiny subwoofer, they were more of a midbass accent than anything.


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## alex.kiefer (Nov 3, 2015)

If there are any large holes in the rear doors, you'll need to seal them up with something rigid cut out to match the shape. (MDF, plexiglass, etc.) Having a airtight enclosure for them will make a big difference in low-end extension.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Subs in doors usually ( not always) performs way less than you expect. So long as you have good eq to balance the peaks it would sound pretty good. IB 6.5" be prepared for almost no output , so it really depends how much your after. I would definitely look into a enclosure of some kind.


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