Compact box for 10" subs

[fireslave 10+ year member]

I'm trying to install two 10" subs into the trunk of my civic, but I want to maintain as much trunk space as possible, so i was going to build custom boxes.

I was going to mount them in custom boxes that fit in the wide part of the trunk, behind the fenders, and face them both upwards and inwards at a 45 degree angle or so.

Kinda like this:

(my very quick and crude 3d representation of my trunk. the notch in the back is where the trunk lid comes down, and those circles represent my rather non-circular inner fenders.)

Anyways, this would mean that my boxes would have to be cut with a bandsaw to match the contours of my trunk, but i would obviously still have to seal them. I would attempt to get as much air volume as possible, so it would be oddly shaped on the back side of the box (away from the speaker, but towards the side of the vehicle).

Does it matter what shape the box is for sound quality reasons? I know I need at least a certain amount of air volume for my 10" subs, so I was going to make them rather oddly shaped so that I could get as much air volume with as little trunk space as possible...

Also, how many cubic feet of air volume would I need for a 10" sub sealed box anyways? I wouldn't mind going a little smaller than ideal and losing a little efficiency, but I dont want it to small because I still want it to be loud as hell...

Click to read more...

 

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

Air space is determined by the sub, so if you haven't picked a sub yet, search for it now. The Soundsplinter RL-i 10 doesn't need much space at all, in fact several TC subs don't require all that much space. As long as the enclosure is sealed, I don't think shape will make a difference. Why not try fiberglassing to maximize the shape you are trying to obtain?

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

Where in NY are you? I could possibly help out.

 

[fireslave 10+ year member]

I've never fiberglassed before, but I can definitely make complex shapes out of wood and get them to match up and seal perfectly. I wanted to carpet it anyways, and I figured that fiberglass and carpeting wouldn't be a good combination.

Do you guys think it would be a smart idea to add more air volume by doing something like this:

(in red)

Because I can't really use that trunk space anyways...

 

[fireslave 10+ year member]

Where in NY are you? I could possibly help out.

I live in Jamestown, which is like and hour and a half southwest of buffalo. I plan on doing this cheap though, because, well, I'm cheap like that...

 

[fireslave 10+ year member]

Oh yea, and these are the subs I'm using:

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=5230

I got 2 of them and my amp for 50 bucks, so I can't complain... they sounded decent enough in my friends car...

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

Oh, I'm 3.5 hours away. I can't do much from here, lol.

 

[DidUHearThat? 10+ year member]

You need to find out what the recommended box size is from the manufacturer. All subs are different, and it's important to get the correct size (or at least close to it).

Making the box an odd shape does not matter to the woofer... but, it does make it harder to keep the box rigid, sealed and reasonance free. For an odd shape as you have drawn that "wing", most people would use fiberglass, or a combination of wood and fiber glass. You can carpet over fiberglass, no problem.

Also with 2 subs, it is best to keep them as close together as possible. There will be some cancelation of sound if they are on the opposite sides of the trunk. It may only be a little, or it may be alot, it's too hard to say until it's installed and you try it out, which is why you should try to keep them together when ever possible.

 

[DidUHearThat? 10+ year member]

I found this:

Box Specs S-10D
Gross Vb Internal 0.75 cu. ft

Poly-Fill Yes

F3 (-3dB Cutoff) 53 Hz

Acceptable Volumes (.6 - 1.4 cu. ft)

http://www.powerbassusa.com/products/subwoofers/s_subwoofers.html#