so. why do you guys "swear" by custom boxes?

[Mik3Ripp3r 10+ year member]

Im just wonderin.. cause I know If I tried to fiberglass or build somethin Im pretty sure with my less to nothing mathmatical skills combined with my non-existant construction backround I would for sure make somethin that sounds worse then my prefab...

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[Stalin-ohaulic]

Im just wonderin.. cause I know If I tried to fiberglass or build somethin Im pretty sure with my less to nothing mathmatical skills combined with my non-existant construction backround I would for sure make somethin that sounds worse then my prefab...
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There are lots of calculators written for you so you don't have to do any math. All you need is the ability to measure, mark and cut.

The reason for everyone saying it is, a box is not just a box. The box is the most important part of the system. It makes your sub sound bad or good. It makes it efficient or not efficient. With your prefab, how many net cubic feet is it? What is it tuned to? You don't know... and without knowing, you can't possibly know if it's right for your subs or not. /thread

 

[perfecxionX 10+ year member]

It's simple, different speakers and different application goals can call for vastly different enclosures. The downsides of a prefab would really depend on what type of enclosure your buying. For example if your talking about a sealed enclosure and, say, a 12" sub that calls for 1-1.25ft^3, that's a pretty standard size and shouldn't be too hard to find a prefab of. A more complex enclosure, like a bass reflex enclosure, could get a lot trickier to find a well suited prefab for your particular sub. The only other considerations i can think of is build quality and the materials that the manufacturer uses (for example a cheap manufacturer might skimp on mdf and use 1/2" rather than 3/4").

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Im just wonderin.. cause I know If I tried to fiberglass or build somethin Im pretty sure with my less to nothing mathmatical skills combined with my non-existant construction backround I would for sure make somethin that sounds worse then my prefab...
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Most 'custom' boxes being discussed on this site are not fiberglass. It doesn't take a lot of background skills to become competent at making the simpler wooden enclosure designs.

A lot of 'swearing by' custom boxes comes from not giving prefabs a decent consideration. Just like 'custom' boxes, there are good and bad prefabs. As for 'custom tuning to mate properly with your speaker' on the custom boxes, most people just recommend the same sizes around here anyway lol (1 cube ported for a 10, 2 cubes for a 12, 4 cubes for a 15, and 6.5-8 cubes for an 18). Bandpass enclosures are really the only type of the common 3: sealed, ported, and BP, that I would almost never consider recommend buying a prefab enclosure for. That being said, I generally recommend making the box yourself, if for no other reason than this is a DIY site.

 

[Mik3Ripp3r 10+ year member]

Im understanding a lil more now....I knew about the thickness of the wood and the necessity of that but as for the tuning I am still kind of confused....Does It say this on my specs for my box? cause thats the one Memphis instruction booklet I dont have!!... although what I DO know is that this eclosure (15-pe2x12) is the exact box needed for my subs (15-m312d2) which are powered by the exact amps needed (16-pr1.500) can I do better then that? and if anyone knows what this thing is tuned to I would, for a little while, be in debted to you!!

 

[power-fanatic07 5,000+ posts]

To the OP, you wont ever be able to do something correct if you don't start practicing. My first box wasn't the best and the tuning was off but the next one was a little better. I built my first wall after only about a year on the forums, I didn't build it right and it fell apart when I put 4kw into it. Now I know next time it has to be done different and stronger. Plus the satisfaction of telling your boys that you built that ****, when it beats down their prefabs.

 

[uz1290 10+ year member]

To the OP, you wont ever be able to do something correct if you don't start practicing. My first box wasn't the best and the tuning was off but the next one was a little better. I built my first wall after only about a year on the forums, I didn't build it right and it fell apart when I put 4kw into it. Now I know next time it has to be done different and stronger. Plus the satisfaction of telling your boys that you built that ****, when it beats down their prefabs.

Very well put, i feel like that at times haha:crap: