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Minimum Box Size for SoundStream SPL160 ?

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=42397
Printed Date: May 15, 2024 at 12:11 PM


Topic: Minimum Box Size for SoundStream SPL160 ?

Posted By: druboy
Subject: Minimum Box Size for SoundStream SPL160 ?
Date Posted: November 06, 2004 at 8:18 PM

Hello,  Can anyone help me find the minimum size requirements for a sealed box for a single Sound Stream SPL160 15" sub? I need to build the smallest box possible with out affecting the sound quality. I am assuming that would be a sealed box, but I don't know much about this, so any and all help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!             Thanks !!!

                                                                                        James




Replies:

Posted By: Rushman
Date Posted: November 06, 2004 at 8:36 PM
Are you looking for sound quality or SPL?(Sound Pressure Level) Having a ported box can give you higher SPL while a sealed box is more suitable for sound quality. Please give the dimensions you have to work with and then we can go from there.

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99 F-one fitty
Pioneer Premier H/U
Alpine EQ
Kicker 1200 amp
4 Kicker comp 10s
6 kicker SS65.2 components




Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: November 06, 2004 at 8:46 PM

https://www.soundstream.com/sub/owner_manual/sp15_160.pdf

You see they have sizes shown for sealed, either 1.5 or 2.0 ft^3  and also show sizes and port sizes for vented enclosures.  All the T/S parameters are listed here.  I ran the parameters through WinISD and it shows an EPB of 80.8...which means it would work best in a vented enclosure.  However, the smallest enclosure for good sound quality would be sealed at 2.0 ft^3

This is a SPL sub, so named for what it does best.  Can you give it 3.4 ft^3 of air space, vented?  If so, put in two (not three) 4" X 16.5" ports.  Your available space would have to include the air space, the driver displacement, the port displacement, the bracing and box walls displacement, too.  This will give you the deepest extension and loudest low bass, tuned at 32 Hz.

There are some varieties of possibilities with this sub if you want to run it through the program.



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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.




Posted By: druboy
Date Posted: November 07, 2004 at 12:46 PM
Thanks for the replies !!  It seems theres a lot more to this than I thought. I'll have to get back with the dimensions of my back seat. I'm not too sure whats more important, SPL or good sound qualiity. Probly sound qual. I had acctually never heard what SPL stood for til I read this, The speaker was a freebee given to me recently! Its currently in a sealed box @ 3.8ft3. That takes up every inch of space I have. Not sure what the EPB of 80.8 means, but maybe I should look into vented boxes too!!     Thanks,   James




Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: November 07, 2004 at 1:24 PM
If that box will fit the car, use it, but port it.  Put in two 4" X 25.4" tube ports and you'll have a great subwoofer.  Box will be tuned at 28.3 Hz.  You'll have much deeper bass extension than you'll be able to get with a sealed box.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.




Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: November 07, 2004 at 11:00 PM

BTW....it's not always better sound quality with a sealed enclosure.  That's not a cut-and-dried truism.  Your woofer's T/S parameters indicate it would perform to its best in a ported box, so that means you should achieve best SQ from that particular sub in a well-designed and -built vented enclosure.  The EBP is derived from the two parameters Fs (resonant frequency of the driver) and Qes (electrical Q at resonance of the driver).  Fs/Qes=EBP  Yours is 80.8.  EBPs of 50 to 90 can go either way, sealed or ported, but 81 is much closer to 90 than 50. 

If you get the two ports as in my last post suggestion, the combined displacement ot those port tubes would take the box displacement down to 3.0 ft^3 and that's why those particular sizes I showed.  But make sure of the interior volume of the box taking all woofer and bracing into consideration, and also make sure the box is well-braced.  The volume would change with any improvements you make, so the vents would then have to be refigured.  Porting is an exact science to match the port sizes with the box volume....but there is room to work with in whatever volume box you can achieve.  Just think along the lines of bigger is better for that sub.



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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.





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