Subwoofer box shape?
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=18458
Printed Date: July 15, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Topic: Subwoofer box shape?
Posted By: Spaminator
Subject: Subwoofer box shape?
Date Posted: September 03, 2003 at 8:52 PM
Does it matter what shape your sub enclosure is in as long as it's the correct volume? For example, will a square box sound different than a rectangular box of the same internal volume? Or a triangle shape for that matter? What are the effects on sound quality, loudness, etc., if any at all? I am asking because I am going to build a sealed enclosure for a 10" sub requiring 1.0 cubic ft. of air space, and would like to shape the box to best suit my needs of utilizing trunk space. Also, when the manufacturer gives you the recommended internal volume, does that factor in the displacement of the sub itself? Or should I add the extra volume to compensate? Thanks to anybody who can help with these retarded questions. This will be the first box I have attempted to build with exact specs. All the other ones I just threw together without any attention to allowances or detail. Thanks again, sorry for the long post.
Replies:
Posted By: samdub
Date Posted: September 03, 2003 at 9:11 PM
no the shape dont matter just make sure construction is good , factory specs do not normal include displacment some do but most dont your install/owners guide should be specific on this
Posted By: Ketel22
Date Posted: September 03, 2003 at 9:14 PM
advice for making a box for trucks. make sure you measure four or five time to make sure you are making a box that will fit perfect. if too big with too large an angle the seats sit foward, this is especially for minis
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Posted By: wvsquirrel
Date Posted: September 04, 2003 at 2:45 AM
Actually, the shape of an enclosure does make a difference. Whatever you do, do not build a perfectly square enclosure. You get standing wave cancellation and will result in very poor performance. You also do not want to buile the enclosure too shallow. I believe the rule of thumb is to generally try and give at least 6 inches of clearence between the enclosure and the back of the magnet on the sub.
Most manufacturer's will give their recommended specs for both sealed and ported enclosures (not only internal volume, but also the external dimensions of the enclosure). You can use those specs as a base, and either modify them or manipulate them into your own design. And no, most manufacturers do not include the displacement of the sub in their volume requirement. Unless their specs specifically state that it is included, then you will want to add the displacement to the required volume (as well as adding the displacement of any ports or bracing that is used).
What is the make and model of your 10" sub? We might be able to get you some specific numbers... ------------- Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
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Posted By: spl/luxy
Date Posted: September 04, 2003 at 1:08 PM
Ketel22 wrote:
advice for making a box for trucks. make sure you measure four or five time to make sure you are making a box that will fit perfect. if too big with too large an angle the seats sit foward, this is especially for minis
mmm yes this i found out the hard way, i have a single cab hilux (tacoma) with 2 12inch s-type Alpine subs and what %$#@ it was to get them in. and i agree that box shape does make a difference no matter what the specs are. And NEVER build a square box it just doesnt work. ------------- Australia's Loudest Street Max 3-4 Car Ever!
Posted By: samdub
Date Posted: September 04, 2003 at 7:34 PM
the rumor around the square design is the most unfounded ive heard in my 13 years in the buisness so if anyone can find this in writing from a credible source please e-mail it to me
Posted By: Spaminator
Date Posted: September 04, 2003 at 8:44 PM
Thanks for the help so far guys.....the sub I'm using is a Pioneer TS-W255C and the 1.0 cubic ft. of internal volume includes the displacement of the speaker itself according to the sheet that came with it. The box I'm building is going into the trunk of a 2000 Dodge Neon, and I use that trunk to haul stuff an awful lot, so that's why space is sort of limited. I understand there will be some give and take, but I would like to build the box and still have room to haul things around, and I want to have somewhat easy access to the spare tire. So I guess I will be standing at the drawing board for quite some time scratching my head. Anybody have any suggestions?
Posted By: specialblendj
Date Posted: September 05, 2003 at 12:17 AM
OK, this has been covered already but box shape does matter. You never want to have a cube box because as stated above, this creates standing waves. When designing a box try to think of it this way, you want the sound waves that have come from the back of the sub to deflect off the enclosure walls and come back to the cone at different times. You do not want a cube box, cause then the sound waves have the same distance to travel to get to the walls and back to the sub in every direction, so they all hit the back of the cone at the same time. Where as a long rectangular box, with the sub placed away from the center, creates much larger differences in the distance sound waves must travel to and back from to hit the cone again, so they hit the cone at different times. This will make the sub sound better. And I can vouch for the anti-cube enclosure theory, a book at borders talks about it. Oh and can anyone give me more specific information on why not to have your subwoofer too close to a wall of the enclosure, cause im in the middle of a fiberglass project where the enclosure is molded into the wheel well, and the sub would be very close to hitting the bottom of the enclosure.
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