Buck Box Designs - Refreshed Thread

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

This is a box buck did for me back in the spring.
Its 1 DD 3510 @ 33hz in a Infiniti Q50.
I'm just getting around to getting the system installed but the 10 is actually from a previous system.
What a difference a box makes, It is so much louder now then it was before even though its running off the same amp.

If a garage isn't a mess, then it's not being used properly! Hearing my box made your system sound better is so nice. That's always my main goal: I aim to make all the components in your system work together for the best sound, based off how I design.

Idk at what level people are able to see my boxes, but I don't just design for the sub or your ears. A big hidden component of a box design is how box size, tuning, port area, and sub/port location affect the flow of electricity through the speaker, therefore that also changes the states of the amplifier, which means it changes the state of your entire electrical system. That's all frequency dependent. I try to design boxes, depending on what's truly wanted, to be as electrically consistent as possible, say with a music box. Your box design can make you have electrical problems, and they can be very severe.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Here's a nice visualization of an equalizer. I prefer a multiple band graphic EQ, with 7-9 bands or so. This one has more than that, but it just depends on what you're doing:

My 7 band EQ, that was built into my 9887 when I had it, worked very well. Sometimes there is a thing as too much EQ'ing (too many options to manage).

I could see people using large band EQ's where you have a bunch of horns or something. Different types of audio setups, depending on the speakers, enclosures, environment, staging, etc., can really have wild peaks and dips. Having many frequency choices on an EQ could allow for very specific tuning. You can dampening the harshness of some very loud type of enclosures that may have a very strong and narrow/specific peak. Not enough bands may lead to modification of too wide of a bandwidth, instead of being able to target a narrow frequency range that you might specifically have a problem with.

Some cars are designed terribly, from an acoustics perspective. IMO, you'd be way better off lowering component quality in a vehicle and using that money to get a proper EQ vs not having one; an EQ can potentially fix a horrible sounding system. Sometimes it doesn't matter what speakers you have, as in any speaker put in that vehicle or location would have the same problems, like a horrible in-door resonance in a vehicle. I've seen very radical response issues, where very high quality speakers sound like distorted PA speakers, and it's because of the actual shape of the door of the car. You have no choice, sometimes, but to EQ that horrible resonance out. I wonder how many people have awesome speakers and don't EQ, so they think awesome speakers are terrible, when it's really the environment?

 

[Jroo 10+ year member]

This box is pretty big for 10’s. Like the biggest I’ve ever done, I suspect. These subs are well designed. This is one of those boxes I oversized somewhat, in attempt for flatter and low response, on the sealed side. Dude, these subs resonate lower in sealed than some 18’s do, and their low resonance and box size matches up with a great Qtc. These subs are very well designed.

I’m gonna stop before I give away too much secret sauce haha. 4ths- you have to have the right sub. Even in subs that work in or have recommended sealed, those subs aren’t always the best for a 4th bandpass. It just depends on the frequency response people want. I can tell who knows how 4th order bandpasses work by how they talk about it.

Ratios don’t matter!!! That’s not how it works lol. It kills me inside some, and it makes me feel better, at the same time. 4th order bandpasses can be SOOOOO musical. Or they can be SPL monsters. I prefer series 6th orders over 4th order bandpasses in many situations, especially at a certain power level per woofer.

If somebody wants to explain how they know ratios matter, then go for it. That’s just a great way to not get what you really want.

‘Tis frustrating when I see people say “I want a X:1 ratio 4th”, like that says anything about how it’ll play. My customers haven’t
done that; I’m just talking about what I see online. I’m not gonna name names, but there’s people who have some of the biggest systems and their 4th order b-pillar is designed via a ratio thought process. I wish they’d let me design it. I’ve seen the response graphs, aka the dB’s across their bandwidths. I’ve literally seen like 5-10 dB drop offs on musical boxes within an octave of peak

man I have been looking at these for awhile and also looking at a 4th order. I have a sedan with ski pass and really want to do a 4th order. It sounds like you saying the Ultimax is a good way to go about it? Also way more concerned about musical.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

man I have been looking at these for awhile and also looking at a 4th order. I have a sedan with ski pass and really want to do a 4th order. It sounds like you saying the Ultimax is a good way to go about it? Also way more concerned about musical.

Yes, that box was largely designed for loud musical.

 

[nags 10+ year member]

This box is pretty big for 10’s. Like the biggest I’ve ever done, I suspect. These subs are well designed. This is one of those boxes I oversized somewhat, in attempt for flatter and low response, on the sealed side. Dude, these subs resonate lower in sealed than some 18’s do, and their low resonance and box size matches up with a great Qtc. These subs are very well designed.

Damnit, now you got me eyeballing this thing.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Damnit, now you got me eyeballing this thing.

Ok. I usually don't say this, but with that box, the sealed is slightly oversized vs recommended. The owner knows that, and I've instructed him to slowly turn the subs and up and listen for any issues. These subs are soft-ish, resonance wise, but still mechanically control themselves well. They only have 19mm of Xmax iirc, but that's not bad at all for a 500w woofer; I wish I knew what true Xmech was. I'm not going to state the sealed size, not yet, but if it works well, I think I know exactly how to do these subs. T/s are only measurements. Sometimes there's more play than realized, with many woofers. There's no perfect box size for EVERY situation. There may be perfect box sizes for each individual situation.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I leave the enclosure accessible enough when I oversize, that way it's easy to shrink down, specifically with 4th order bandpasses. You can always shrink airspace; good luck growing a box haha. The owner had enough room for me to make a big box for these, so I like to leave the box open for customization by the owner, in order to allow for very fine tuning.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Somebody buy a dozen or two of those Dayton Ultimax 10's and let's do a b-pillar 4th order wall

I bet I can blow your doors off. Let's do 12 of these 10's in a wind tunnel 4th order bandpass b-pillar wall!!! Hahaha, it would sound SOOOOO good.

 

[Jroo 10+ year member]

Yes, that box was largely designed for loud musical.

exactly what I am after. I need to reach out to you. Just trying to decide if I do a pair of 8's or 10"s? I will do the 4th but space is always a concern

 

[Marve_Lous]

Have you posted the design for this box?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Have you posted the design for this box?

Yes, it’s in the old thread. It’s just a forward firing one sided slot. I can post it again if you want; let me know.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

exactly what I am after. I need to reach out to you. Just trying to decide if I do a pair of 8's or 10"s? I will do the 4th but space is always a concern

I would have to know your dimensions/space.

 

[Marve_Lous]

Yes, it’s in the old thread. It’s just a forward firing one sided slot. I can post it again if you want; let me know.

Yeah, I was curious since most people say the best position in trunks is sub/port facing back close to the trunk opening, and you can’t see the sub or port in the photo. What sub is it?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, I was curious since most people say the best position in trunks is sub/port facing back close to the trunk opening, and you can’t see the sub or port in the photo. What sub is it?

It’s 2 Sundown NSv5 12’s iirc. Tuned pretty low. Fairly big slot port off to the left side. Something like 30% of that boxes internal airspace is the port, super long port.

Firing forward in trunks works, if the conditions are right. Big power really helps. These subs perform better in a larger box -and larger port with their huge Xmax and 3000w Rms rating. If you don’t have a ton of power, then you have to do the box a certain way to make sure there’s enough pressure for woofer loading. It’s all case by case, or that’s how I treat it. It’s taken a lot of studying to understand sound, like I do now.

There’s impedance changes relative to relative air densities; it depends on the location of air, and whether there’s a tuning to said air mass that’s relevant to the bandwidth being played. I don’t think people understand, with some of my boxes, why things are the way they are. Not sure how much I want to explain; I could ramble forever. Buck studies physics constantly

Impedance is sososososo much deeper than just box size, in ported boxes. That’s why your port on your box was exactly the size it was; it was right where I wanted it, based on what you had told me you wanted to hear. That’s why it was that shape, too. It was just the best way to do it, IMO.

 

[Firewalker]

What is crazy is you explaining to me why you did this and that with mine and I knew & understood why you were doing it,lol. Had to take the new ones out today again to look at them after the one cat was snooping around them checking out the boxes. They just look so pretty sitting there! Almost a shame to put them in that box when it arrives...Naaaaah! hehe