Question about enclosure size...

[OmegaBunny 10+ year member]

Is it better to run a speaker in a smaller box and give it more power or a larger box and give it less power even since it is more efficient?

Example say you have a speaker rated for 1000w and you know it can handle 2000w in a 3 cu ft box. Is it better to give it 2000w in a 3 ft box or say 1500 in a 4ft box. What are the pros and cons of doing this?

Pro-Rabbit please chime in, I have been trying to find out the pro's and con's since speaking to you this afternoon and I figure this would be easier than chat.

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[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

THe enclosure size affects the overall Q of the system, which affects the frequency response. Manufacturers offer an enclosure range in order to give a typical Q range between 0.4 - 1.2. A Q of .707 is considered ideal and usually offers the flattest response. It is no coincidence that .707 is also sqrt(2)/2 or pi/4.

What is best is to model the speaker and enclosure combination and determine appropriate size by choosing the frequency response you desire.