Oversizing Sub Enclosure

[Mattymatt]

So, I have a question that I have been trying to research for the past few weeks and haven't been able to find a definitive answer. Maybe someone here can give a coherent response.....

I'm building a box for (3) Infinity Kappa 100.9w's, sealed. The spec sheet calls for .75 cu. ft per sub, and I would like to oversize the box a little to 1) allow for a deeper, lower response 2) without using max wattage.

What is going to happen, practically speaking, if I increase the volume to 1 cu. ft. or even 1.25 cu. ft per sub?

Is there going to be a noticeable (negative) difference with either of those two options? I recognize that RMS may be affected, and the tightness may be affected, but noticeable? Has anyone experimented with this type of thing enough to give some wisdom here?

Thanks in advance!

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[Side Show 10+ year member]

any reason your not going ported? and i'd suggest always making them bigger rather than smaller.

 

[bbeljefe]

Going from .75 to 1.25 in a sealed box will yield a little bit better low end response but otherwise will not make any appreciable difference in overall sound quality. Probably won't even be audible, save the tiny bit of low end that creeps out.

 

[Mattymatt]

Great question. I think the reason is that I've personally always had better luck with sealed. They are typically tighter with a little better response with less wattage. But going bigger, that "advantage" may be going away- I'm not sure. I'm not necessarily looking for louder, just deeper and smoother. Does that make sense at all?

To be honest, maybe another reason is that I'm somewhat limited on space in my trunk (2006 Civic) in that it still needs functionality. The size recommended for ported for these subs is 1.5 cu ft, and the max I can do is 1.3. So, I figured that somewhere in between .75 and 1.25 would be were I would end up sitting.

 

[Mattymatt]

Thanks for the response; I've appreciated your insight several times now! You say that there will be little "appreciable" difference.... does this mean that there will be little "depreciable" difference as well? At what point is there going to be a practical difference?

My only real concern is too much "boom" and/or echo (a problem I had in an early box setup).

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

yep go with sealed then, you can slightly adjust the volume to get the sound you are chasing by adding something to the inside of the box, make sure to mount it firmly tho so it doesn't jump around with the bass inside the box... I have herd of people using bricks to get the volume they needed, then section'd off part of the box