Hey gang, I have a JLAudio 250/1 driving a JLAudio 10" Free-Air sub in the stock location (not 100% sure on model could be 10W4 or 10IB4). I'm looking to get a bit more "ooomph" and better bass out of it. My question is will dynamatting the area help give the free air a deeper and better sound? Is there a better free-air to try here? I don't want to go with a trunk area sub as I need to fit my golf clubs back there but I do want better sound if possible. Any recommendations would be appreciated!!!

 

I dont know much about free-air, but i had a alpine E 10" in the stock location in a box and it just doesnt sound as good as were i have it now.
Here is the link to my post with pictures.
https://my350z.com/forum/audio-builds/127513-pics-of-my-new-sub-box.html
I too didnt want to lose the trunk area or under the strut so i built mine right in front of it, I had no need for that space, plus it helps block the view to see into the trunk aera. Now it looks like a stock rear deck. Plus lots of room for that golf bag

 

From what the guys at Car Toys told me, with a free-air in the stock location it would indeed help to seal the area. Not dynomat. They talked about using fiberglass or other sealants to enclose the area better. There's too much air escaping through all the nooks and cracks back there.

But in all honesty, I think you're probably about as good as can be unless you get a custom box built to go there.

 

I called up Audio One here in Richmond, VA and spoke with the guys there. Since they did my initial install they have since been building a custom box and using a JLAudio 10W3v2 10" in the stock location. The tech said it will sound much better than the free-air 10IB4 that I have so I'm going to give it a try. I have an appointment Monday to have the sub installed in a custom box for around $300. Hope it sounds much better! Anyone move from a free-air to custom box in stock location have comments?

 

I did both. I used FatMat to seal up as many of the holes as possible and lined the bottom of the car floor with more mat - still not happy and I'm moving to a closed box where I can manage the Qts.

 

Okay, so I took a look at the sub area "as is" and discovered my JLAudio 300/4 that was installed in the location behind the free air. That wouldn't help much in regards to putting an enclosure in this space. I did however find the pass filter setup on the amp to be all screwy. I defeated it on the amp and made adjustments at the alpine head unit and was shocked. For the past 1.5 years I've been missing most of my mid-bass! The sound system is much more in tune to my liking now. I'm going to give this setup a whirl for a few weeks before going down the road of a new sub. Leason learned, always check how the installer setup your gear!!@ I'm much more impressed with the free-air now that the mid-bass fills in the gaps I was obviously not liking.