Reasons to have my sealed box custom built

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

whatsup guys, I'm just about to buy a sub that seems to work well in sealed enclosures so that's what I'm going to get. The recommended enclosure volume is 1 cubic foot.

I feel like I could walk into just about any car audio shop and get a pre built sealed box at 1 cubic foot for a lot less then it would cost to have them custom built. My question is, are there any other things that they do special for custom builds that wouldn't be included in a prebuilt box? If I walk in and show them my sub, what will they do special to the box that they build for me that would NOT be a part of a box they could give me off the shelf? I know for ported boxes there's lots of different port tuning options, but I don't see the reason for paying the extra money with a sealed box.

Thanks for any feedback!

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[brandinooooo 10+ year member]

The prefab would be 1 cu ft gross, where as the custom would take into account the displacement of the sub itself

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Is the volume of the sub not supposed to be a part of the cubic foot?

 

[Falcons 5,000+ posts]

That's what sub displacement means. It's probably gonna be like .1 in displacement for the sub, so you alreally want to get a 1.1 cubic foot box

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

for a sealed box it really doesnt matter as much as a ported box. the difference is slight, but make sure there is enough space and seal the corners up good and you'll be fine

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

A sealed prefab is "ok" to work with. You will have to reseal all edges to ensure it is sealed though. They are also basic in sizes. Which means it may not fit or look right in your application, but it will be ok in most..hints a prefab. They typically use cheaper materials as well in their enclosures to help cut costs down. Most are just glued and pressed together with light pressure and sent down the line for carpet. This again works for most, but if you have decent power it can become an issue.

Perks to custom enclosures are it fixes all those issues. You can also have what ever wxdxh you might need to make it work/look better and you can also do flush mounting or other custom options.

Bottom line is if you are broke and need to cheap out you are ok with a prefab. You will upgrade later on anyway as you will want something bigger/better.

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

for a sealed box it really doesnt matter as much as a ported box. the difference is slight, but make sure there is enough space and seal the corners up good and you'll be fine

So you suggest I get a pre-built one? And sub displacement is only .1 cubic feet? I feel like subs are a lot bigger than that lol.

What is used for sealing box corners?

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

So you suggest I get a pre-built one? And sub displacement is only .1 cubic feet? I feel like subs are a lot bigger than that lol.
What is used for sealing box corners?

Sub displacement is different for each driver. Not knowing which one you have selected to use will not allow us to determine the displacement for it.

For sealing..you can use just about any silicone based product for that.

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

A sealed prefab is "ok" to work with. You will have to reseal all edges to ensure it is sealed though. They are also basic in sizes. Which means it may not fit or look right in your application, but it will be ok in most..hints a prefab. They typically use cheaper materials as well in their enclosures to help cut costs down. Most are just glued and pressed together with light pressure and sent down the line for carpet. This again works for most, but if you have decent power it can become an issue.

Perks to custom enclosures are it fixes all those issues. You can also have what ever wxdxh you might need to make it work/look better and you can also do flush mounting or other custom options.

Bottom line is if you are broke and need to cheap out you are ok with a prefab. You will upgrade later on anyway as you will want something bigger/better.

Good insight, thanks man. If I was going the ported route I would certainly get a custom box just because it seems practical, but I'm going for SQ mainly and a sealed box seems to be the way to do it.

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

Good insight, thanks man. If I was going the ported route I would certainly get a custom box just because it seems practical, but I'm going for SQ mainly and a sealed box seems to be the way to do it.

Sealed does not mean better SQ.

Enclosures size and type are based on the driver itself and application. The sound reproduced is based on the same things.

If you get it wrong you will know. If you get it right you will also know. LOL

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

I'm not allowed to post links in here yet apparently but the sub I have is a single Boston Acoustics 12 inch G3

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

depending on the sub, if it really likes about 1 cube sealed and youre not really running much for power, then you should be fine with the prefab IMO.

What sub are u running?

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Sealed does not mean better SQ

Well I've heard unanimously that sealed means tighter more accurate bass instead of more booming air pushing bass, which to me means SQ

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

And again it is the 12 inch G3, it is rated at 375 RMS but I've heard it can handle more so I'm throwing 500 watts RMS to it.

 

[ckunke002 10+ year member]

Where can I get a good silicone sealer?