2 drivers in a box designed for 1
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=109758
Printed Date: May 12, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Topic: 2 drivers in a box designed for 1
Posted By: nadraw
Subject: 2 drivers in a box designed for 1
Date Posted: December 14, 2008 at 11:03 PM
I found some amazing info here @ the12volt, so I thought I would try out the forum as well. Admittedly, my post has nothing to do with car audio, but I figure the principle of tuning an enclosure is the same regardless of application. You all seem to understand that better than the PRO Audio folks I have talked to. I am building a compact bass guitar cabinet, which will be running at full range, but want to get the most thump possible, and I also need it to be LOUD! I want to build a box intended for just one 10" driver, properly sized & tuned (I think I’ve got that covered) Then, purely for added sound levels, I want to cut another hole in the box and put in a second identical driver. Will that just muck the whole thing up? Will the second speaker cancel out the proper tuning of the first, or is there additional tuning (without resizing the enclosure) that can be done? If I only effectively get the low end of the one speaker, I am fine with that. I just don’t want to take away from it. Thanks in advance, as well as my advanced apologies for being dense.
Replies:
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: December 15, 2008 at 12:58 PM
My granfather used to tell me "The only stupid question is the one that wasn't asked..." Words to live by, and I wish more people did... I ask questions everyday, even if they might sound stupid.
If it is a vented enclosure, you can do some serious damage to your drivers, if the tuning changes dramatically. I am not saying that you WILL, I am saying that you CAN. Big difference, there.
In a sealed enclosure, the damange will only be to the response of the cabinet. Imagine taking the one driver you have right now, and put it in a box that is half as big as it wants. Not a good thing. If the drivers are identical, the Fs of the system (resonant frequency) will go up. WAY up. There goes your "thump" and your low-end response. It will change the total system Q, and make the whole thing just sound pretty horrific. You will end up with a HUGE peak in your system response, probably WAY higher than you really want.
Your best bet is to gut the current cabinet, and if your amplifier can handle two drivers in parallel (which will cut your impedance in half - which DOUBLES the workload for the amplifier - also not good in every case) buld a proper cabinet for those two drivers.
Post your driver make and model, (actual specs if you have them would be AWESOME) and if I can't get to it, maybe somebody else here can help with volume requirements.
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Posted By: nadraw
Date Posted: December 16, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Thanks haemphyst, that is exactly what I was looking for! My goal is to keep the box as small as possible for portability, hence jamming two drivers into a box designed for one. My amp should do the trick of of powering them, 1000 watts @ 8 ohms, and the drivers I was looking at were 4 ohms. Luckily I have not purchased the drivers yet. I think I found some from Eminence that are designed for small enclosures. Plus, Eminence posts recomended enclosure designs! I may not be able to get as small as I want, but it is a fair trade off for quality sound! Thanks again!
Posted By: xplorin16
Date Posted: December 17, 2008 at 12:36 AM
If they are single 4 ohm woofers that will be perfect for your amp just make sure you series the woofers and not parrallel, Heamphyst was right earlier but if your amp is 1000@ 8 ohms, thats a little different than most of us car audio guys are use to thinking about.
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