Sub Boxes

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

Allright dont chew me out cause im new here and im posting this post. To all those ppl who are going to say "Use the Search Engine you idiot!" i already looked and i cant seem to find the right post. Im looking for plans to build sub boxes. I picked up two 12" phoenix Gold subs, and I am looking for box plans. Can any of you guys lead me in a direction that will work for me? Im sort of looking for dual and single box plans if possible.

Thanks

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[dreamer 10+ year member]

First of all, what type of enclosure do you want to put them into? Usually the manufacturer puts out specifications for both the sealed and ported boxes. A box that is ported or sealed can be any shape at all, as long as it possesses the proper airspace and port length/width.

In all cases for subwoofer enclosures, I would recommend 3/4" or greater thickness MDF which you can get at a hardware store such as menards or home depot. It's cheap and available. To figure out the internal volume of a single subwoofer enclosure, take the L x W x H in inches and subtract 1.5 from each of them. Multiply your modified L x W x H then divide it by 1728(12^3). That is the volume of the box.

You need to figure out what dimension box you will need for your car. Say you were going to put it in the trunk between the rear wheel wells in your hypothetical coupe. It has 36" of room between the rear wheels and you can get 15" of height out of it. Say your subwoofers need 1.5 cubic feet each BEFORE the displacement of the subwoofers. You need 3 cubic feet total. Here's how you figure out the depth of the box.

34.5 x 13.5 = 465.75 square inches

3cubic feet = 5184 cubic inches

465.75x = 5184

x=11.13 inches

add 1.5 to x, and that is the final dimension. 1.5 is added to account for the thickness of the wood

final dimensions to build box is 36" x 15" x 12.6"

You can round up or down, very minor differences won't matter too much.

To cut holes for things such as speaker terminals, or for subwoofer, use a compass and draw the appropriate diameter, drill a hole near the line that is large enough to fit a jigsaw blade through it, then use a jigsaw to cut along the line.

You probably should add a baffle board between the two subwoofers, and that will change the internal volume needed slightly.

Make sure that at some point during or after construction, you devise a method to make all joints sealed. It is very important that the subwoofer enclosure does not leak. Use silicone caulk, or liquid nails or even paneling cement.

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. We were all newbies once. I fortunately had a full workshop with table saw at my disposal to figure out how to make subwoofer enclosures. I've made some hella bad ones, and some hella good ones in my day.

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

WHOOOAAA!!! slow down. Im really new at this. I only want to build a single box. i have decided to put just one 12" sub in. I dont under stand the LxWxH thing. MAN! im totally lost here.......

 

[dreamer 10+ year member]

L x W x H is simply Length x Width x Height

To figure out what you need to build, just measure where you want to put the sub and see the maximum length and height it can be. Then, figure out how much Width you need with the formula I gave you to make the box the right size for your subwoofer.

 

[gibasscarguy 10+ year member]

Man just go buy a box for a single 12" sub. Make sure it is MDF though, alot of em are but there are ones (walmart style) that are made with the worst kinda wood possible DO NOT get those.

 

[dreamer 10+ year member]

I suppose prefab can be okay, as long as it is large enough for the sub and well constructed. Too small sealed enclosures sound, in my opinion, very bad.

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

right on thanks dreamer....what u told me helped alot....i think im going to keep reading and learning.....and i will give your method a try.

Thanks

 

[SasquatchBump 10+ year member]

Im wondering about this displacement stuff.

I bought a 1.0 cu sealed for my 12" type-R as the site recommends, do I need to get a bigger box because of the sub displacement or did alpine quote it right on their site.

Also, do you know how to tune a ported box?

(im thinking aboyt making one for this same sub.)

Thanks

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

Dreamer i hope u get this as im still haveing problems figureing out your posts. I am putting the sub (i only want to make a single sub box) in the back seat of my 99 Ford Ranger. I have lots of room to put a single box. i hope u can give me some info with these pics.

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

This one too.

 

[pioneer 10+ year member]

hey disturbed youth check this site out...i was just like you a month ago and i used this site and my box came out very good for a first time...i built a single box for an orion xtr

my next challenge is a box for a pair of xtr's

http://www.the12volt.com

there is a cool volume calculator there...and a link to a DIY box buildign page

(Do It Yourself)

hope it helps

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

Pioneer can u post the link to that DIY box building page?

thanks

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

You know what i found it.....and i REALLY!! dont understand it. All the Formuals is really messing me up.

 

[disturbed_youth 10+ year member]

i thought id add this before i signed off..........Dreamer im looking at makeing a wedged box. Im sorry i didnt post this before. i am hoping that u have some ideas on how to build this one. i think u gave me directions on how to make Square boxes.

thanks

 

[pioneer 10+ year member]

hey well the volume calculator is pretty simple...if I could figure it out anyone can

ok you wanna build a wedge box...on the page i sent you...there is a volume calculator that calculates the volume of any type of box....its simple to use...just type in the dimensions that you wanna work with...and the wood's thickness

there is a fraction to decimal converter also...for example...if you are using 3/4" MDF...then the decimal is 0.75

a wedge box is pretty tricky to build especially for your first.....i think you shoudl consider making a normal box first...just my opinion