VIBE Space 12 D2 / D4 Subwoofer Owner's Manual
Congratulations on purchasing your VIBE Space subwoofer. Please read this manual in order to fully understand how to get the best results from your subwoofer and ensure that all advice on how to look after the Subwoofer is followed. Thank you for buying VIBE. We hope you enjoy listening to your product as much as we enjoyed creating it. - VIBE R&D Division
Warranty and Safety Information
Limited Warranty
All VIBE products carry a full twelve months warranty period, valid from the date of the original receipt and proof of purchase. In order to validate this warranty, the warranty card should be returned to VIBE within seven days of the original purchase date. The original receipt and packaging must also be retained for this twelve-month period.
If at any stage during the warranty period you have a problem with the product, it should be returned to the point of purchase, in its original packaging, complete with no items missing.
If the store is unable to fix the product, it may have to be returned to VIBE. This process takes around 7 working days and no costs will be incurred.
A full description of VIBE's warranty information can be found on our website: www.vibeaudio.co.uk/warranty
A written version can also be obtained from VIBE warranty Dept.
What is not covered:
- Damage to product due to improper installation
- Subsequent damage to other components
- Damage caused by exposure to moisture, excessive heat, chemical cleaners and/or UV radiation
- Damage through negligence, misuse, accident or abuse; repeated returns for the same fault may be considered abuse
- Any cost or expense related to the cost of removal or re-installation of the product
- Damage caused by amplifier clipping or distortion
- Items repaired or modified by any unauthorized repair facility
- Return shipping on non-defective items
- Products returned without a returns authorization number
- Damage to product due to the use of sealant
International Warranty
Contact your international Vibe audio dealer or distributor concerning specific procedures for your country's warranty policies.
Warning
Vibe subwoofers are capable of sound pressure levels that can cause permanent damage to your hearing and those around you. Please use common sense when listening to your car audio system and practice safe sound.
Installation and Setup
Run-in Procedure
VIBE recommends that you follow the run-in procedure for the subwoofer detailed below. When your Subwoofer is used for the first time, like most brand new items, it is naturally very stiff and rigid. It will take time for the moving parts of this Subwoofer to loosen up before the Subwoofer will be ready to deliver its full potential.
For the first 30 hours, it is recommended that you play the Subwoofer initially at low to medium volumes, gradually increasing the volume level as time progresses.
As a guide, if you listen to your Subwoofer for 1 hour every day, it will take a month for the subwoofer to run in properly.
You will notice a big change in the sound of the Subwoofer over this period. As the spider and surround begin to run in, the sound will get deeper and harder, also the output of the Subwoofer will increase as the suspension loosens up.
The Subwoofer is like your car's engine; it needs a few thousand miles before you can drive it to its full potential. Driving it into the redline from the first day will mean engine damage is certain and will not be covered by warranty.
Failure to follow this simple procedure is the most common reason for a Subwoofer to fail after a very short period of time.
Wiring Options
The Space subwoofer has a dual 2 ohm or 4 ohm voice coil. Below are a few different wiring examples; please check with your amplifier manufacturer as to which wiring method is most suitable.
The Space subwoofer terminal includes 2 bridging clips to make converting the wiring from series to parallel easy. Please see the diagrams below for wiring examples.
Single Woofer Configuration
1 Ohm - parallel wiring: Connect the two voice coils in parallel to achieve a 1 Ohm impedance.
4 Ohm - series wiring: Connect the two voice coils in series to achieve a 4 Ohm impedance.
2 Ohm - parallel wiring: Connect the two voice coils in parallel to achieve a 2 Ohm impedance.
8 Ohm - series wiring: Connect the two voice coils in series to achieve an 8 Ohm impedance.
Twin Woofer Configuration
2 Ohm - series / parallel wiring: Connect two woofers in series, then parallel the coils within each woofer to achieve a 2 Ohm impedance.
4 Ohm - series / parallel wiring: Connect two woofers in parallel, then series the coils within each woofer to achieve a 4 Ohm impedance.
Installation Types
Free-air Installation
The VIBE Space Subwoofer can be mounted free-air, but this does not mean that the woofer can work without any form of enclosure. What it does mean is that the enclosure can be very large, and therefore the subwoofer can utilize the vehicle's boot as an enclosure.
The Subwoofer needs to be mounted to a rigid panel as excess vibration will result in poor sound quality. The panel or baffle should also seal the output from the front of the Subwoofer from the output from the rear, otherwise poor sound quality, known as phase error, will occur. This simply means that the output from the rear of the woofer will cancel out the output from the front, resulting in a loss of bass.
As the enclosure in free-air applications is so large, it is worth noting that the power handling of the Subwoofer is reduced to half that of the same woofer in a measured enclosure. Please take this into account when choosing your amplifier.
The sound quality of a free-air mounted Subwoofer will not match that of the same subwoofer mounted in a measured enclosure. However, in applications where building a traditional enclosure is impossible, free-air mounting will add increased bass response to your system.
Sealed Enclosure Installation
The most basic and simple of all speaker enclosures is the sealed enclosure, otherwise referred to as an acoustic suspension design. They are called acoustic suspension enclosures because the air inside the box acts like a brake to control the woofer.
The sealed enclosure is the easiest design to build and tune; as long as you work within the minimum and maximum recommended volumes, you cannot get it wrong. The smaller enclosures produce a tighter, punchy bass; the larger enclosures produce a deeper bass. Sealed enclosures offer high power handling, tight response, and smooth low-end roll-off, and cone motion is better controlled at all frequencies because of the constant pressure on the back of the woofer. Sealed enclosures are ideally suited to rock, jazz, and live music.
| PRODUCT | TIGHT BASS | DEEP BASS |
|---|---|---|
| Space 12 | 1.0 cu.ft | 2 cu.ft |
For twin enclosures, simply double the volume. E.g., 2 x Space 12 in a deep bass enclosure will be 4.00 cu.ft.
Ported Enclosure Installation
A ported or vented enclosure is not much more complex than a sealed design. It consists of a box with a hole in it. The vented enclosure has to be correctly designed in order to function correctly. The vent in the enclosure interacts with the air in the cabinet and the woofer to increase output and reduce cone excursion at and around the tuning frequency.
At the tuning frequency of the enclosure, almost all of the bass is being produced by the vent, not the woofer. It is more difficult to achieve good performance as the enclosure volume and port volume are critical, but the results are worth it, as the ported box is up to 3 times as loud as the same woofer in a sealed box. It is also possible, with the correct tuning, to add a "bump" in the response of the enclosure to boost bass at a preferred frequency. Vented enclosures are best suited to dance, R&B, electronically produced music, and high SPL applications.
| PRODUCT | VOLUME | PORT |
|---|---|---|
| Space 12 | 2 cu.ft | 2 x 3" ports, 6" length |
For twin enclosures, simply double both the volume and the porting. E.g., for 2 x Space 12, the enclosure will be 4 cu. ft with 2 x 4" ports. Many other ported options exist; please contact VIBE for more information.
Enclosure Design and Volume
Enclosure Construction
Use at least 3/4 inch MDF (medium density fibreboard) or Birch ply to construct your enclosure and at least 1 inch is recommended for the baffle. It is recommended that the panels are glued, screwed, and braced with sections of the same material you have used to build the enclosure from. The Space woofer is capable of producing internal pressures that can literally blow apart badly made enclosures, so great care needs to be taken with the construction and bracing of your enclosure. It is also worth sealing the joints with a silicone sealer once the glue has dried to make a perfect airtight seal.
NOTE: Do not screw the Subwoofer into the enclosure within 24 hours of applying silicone sealer to the joints. The gases given off as the silicone cures can perish the surround of the Subwoofer, causing a non-warranty failure.
Enclosure Volume Calculation
To work out the volume required for your enclosure, please refer to the recommended enclosure volumes specified for your Subwoofer. These are listed in cubic feet. To convert cubic feet to litres, multiply the cubic feet by 28.3. If you use this formula, calculating your enclosure size will be easy. 1 cubic foot is expressed as 12" x 12" x 12" = 1728 cubic inches.
If we require a volume of 2.5 cu.ft, then we multiply this by 1728: 2.5 x 1728 = 4320 cubic inches.
We now take 2 known enclosure dimensions that we will use, e.g., height and width, and divide this figure by them, which will give us the depth. For example, our height is 15", our width is 20".
So, our depth is 14.4" for this enclosure.
Note: This formula is for the INTERNAL dimensions. Please add the thickness of the material used to construct the enclosure to the formula to give you the outside dimensions.
So, assuming we are using 1-inch material, we need to add 2 thicknesses to each internal dimension to allow for material top and bottom, so the external dimensions for this enclosure would be 17" x 22" x 16.4".
The displacement of the woofer and the displacement of the port must also be added to the required volume before you calculate the required sizes needed to build your enclosure.
NOTE: When using a port, you must leave a gap at least equal to the shortest measurement of the port between the rear of the enclosure and the port.
Technical Specifications
Parameters for Space 12 D2 / D4
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | Space 12 |
| RMS power | 1000 W |
| Peak power | 3000 W |
| Min. Input wattage | 500 W |
| Diameter in inches | 12" |
| Nominal Impedance in Ohms | Dual 2 Ohm / Dual 4 Ohm |
| Revc = DC voice coil resistance in Ohms | 3.9 Ω |
| Fo = Free air resonance frequency in Hz | 30 Hz |
| Sd = Piston area in square meters | 53 m² |
| Vas = Equivalent acoustic volume in cubic litres | 39.21 L |
| Cms = Mechanical suspension compliance | 0.113 mm/N |
| Mmd = Diaphragm mass in grams | 232 g |
| Mms = Mechanical mass of cone and free air load in grams | 238.5 g |
| BL = The magnetic strength of the motor structure | 16.13 T·m |
| Qms = Mechanical Q factor of driver | 6.322 |
| Qes = Electrical Q factor of driver | 0.547 |
| Qts = The system's Q at resonance (Fc) | 0.504 |
| η0 = The reference efficiency of the system in % | 0.2 % |
| SPL = Speaker's SPL 1 watt at 1 meter in dB | 88 dB |
| Voice Coil Diameter in inches | 3 in |
| Mounting Depth in mm | 170 mm |
| Mounting Diameter in mm | 285 mm |
| Magnet weight in oz | 120 oz |
Related Products and Accessories
VIBE Sound Deadening Material
LESS RATTLE, MORE BASS
- Better sound
- Lower road noise
- Reduced panel rattle
- Reduced heat
- Higher sound pressure level (SPL)
Available in various sizes, including 18" x 32" (45cm x 81cm) and 10" x 10" (25cm x 25cm) packs.
Available at all VIBE dealers or visit www.vibeaudio.co.uk
VIBE Audio Accessories
All accessories are available direct. For next day delivery call 0870 765 8423. For more product info see www.vibeaudio.co.uk
Cabling:
- FLATBASS™ 13 SPK Bass speaker cable: 13 gauge SolidCore™™ flat BASS speaker cable.
- FLAT Y 2M / FLAT Y 2F RCA Y leads: Professional quality OFC Y-interconnects, available in 1 male - 2 female and 2 male - 1 female configurations.
- FLATLINEST™ Power and Ground Cable: Available in 8, 4, and 0 gauge, in red and black.
- FLATSTEREOTM High Definition full range Interconnect: OFC high definition full range interconnect, available in 1m and 5m lengths.
- FLATBASSTM - SolidCore™™ Bass interconnect: Specifically developed for BASS SYSTEMS, available in 1m and 5m lengths.
- FLATFLEX™™ High Definition speaker cable: Super fine OFC copper strands, available in 16 gauge and 12 gauge.
Protection and Power Distribution:
- VIBE 140 amp circuit breaker: 140 amp protection with reset switch.
- VIBE DB6 non fused distribution block: For power or ground distribution, connects up to 5 amplifiers.
- VIBE FD4 fused distribution block: 4-way AGU fused distribution block, 1 x 4AWG input, 4 x 8AWG outputs, individually fused up to 80 amps.
- VIBE CT0 / CT4 compression fit ring terminal: Gold plated compression fit ring terminals for battery connection.
- VIBE RT4 / RT8 crimp on ring terminal: Gold plated crimp on ring terminals with PVC overboots.
- VIBE AGU30, AGU60, AGU80 fuses: 30, 60, and 80 amp AGU fuses.
Control and Other Accessories:
- VIBE BC10 level controller: RCA gain level controller for amplifier adjustment from the driver's seat.
- Slick level remote: Optional remote for Slick amplifiers.
- VIBE PortPlug™: For tuning VIBE CBR bass enclosures (2.5" and 3" sizes).
- VIBE SD4/5 subwoofer defender grill: Protects subwoofers, fits 10"/12" (SD4) and 15" (SD5) models.
- VIBE GB41 banana plug: Quick release banana plugs for bass enclosures.
- PC15 1.5 farad power capacitor: With digital voltage display and power distribution block.
- Deltabox line driver: For splitting and boosting RCA signals to multiple amplifiers.
- FASTPLUG™: Safe, fast removal connector for active bass enclosures or amplifiers.
VIBE Official Merchandise
- VIBE polo shirt
- VIBE T-shirt
- VIBE CD (bass tracks)
- VIBE CD case
- VIBE fleece
- VIBE tax disc holder
Copyright and Legal Disclaimer
All content included in this manual, such as text, graphics, logos, icons, images, and data, are the property of VIBE Technologies Limited and its affiliates, protected by copyright laws. All rights reserved.
VIBE trademarks and trade dress may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not VIBE's, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion or disparages VIBE. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
VIBE provides this manual and its content on an "AS IS" basis, disclaiming all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. VIBE does not represent or warrant that the information is complete or current, and specifications are subject to change without notice.
VIBE recommends caution when listening to music reproduced through VIBE equipment, as it is capable of producing sound pressure levels that can permanently damage hearing. Use common sense and practice safe sound.
By using any VIBE equipment, you agree to take full responsibility for your own safety and the safety of others when listening to music at high volumes. Use of any VIBE equipment constitutes agreement to this disclaimer.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither VIBE nor its affiliates, directors, employees, or representatives will be liable for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this manual or its contents. This limitation of liability applies to all damages, including compensatory, direct, indirect, or consequential damages, loss of data, income, or profit, and claims of third parties. VIBE does not limit its liability for death or personal injury arising from its negligence.
