So..which way?

[negativezeroz 5,000+ posts]

Usually you take the space you have and see the biggest box you can get and see what that cf is. Then build accordingly.

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[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

They pretty much go hand in hand. You need to find a subwoofer that will work well in the available space that you have. But, you can't just say..."well, I have 2cuft to work with, so my sub will go in a 2cuft enclosure". Not how it works.

The sub's performance will depend ENTIRELY on the volume of the enclosure it's in. So, you need to determine the enclosure volume you'll need for optimal performance and know that you will need to have atleast that much room or the subwoofer will not work for you due to space restrictions. If you only have 2cuft to work with, don't purchase a sub that needs 3cuft and expect the sub to perform well in that smaller 2cuft enclosure. But, if you have 2cuft to work with, you know that any sub that will perform well with up to 2cuft will work for you, and you can build the enclosure smaller if necessary if the subwoofer doesn't need the entire 2cuft.

But, don't just build a box to a certain size, toss any ole sub in and expect performance. Determine the optimal enclosure size for the sub, and then determine if you have enough room for that enclosure size.