subwoofer enclosure construction?

Question

Okay, my subwoofer is
Peak Power Handling: 1000 watts
RMS Power Handling: 500 watts
Frequency Response: 18 - 300 Hz
Subwoofer Size: 12"
Impedance: dual 4 ohms
Dual Voice Coils
Surround Material: Rubber
Reccomended sealed Box Volume: 0.95 cu. ft.
Sensitivity: 92 dB
Top Mount Depth: 5.43"
RE: 6.8 Ohms
QMS: 8.50
QES: 0.75
RE: 6.8
QTS: 0.69
FS: 33 Hz
VAS: 41.5
Cutout Diameter: 10.9"

I am putting two of these in a sealed enclosure. Based off the bottom few lines, it has a 44 EBP. Basically what i have come up with was, it needs a .95 cu ft enclosure...where as i have ±1.14 cu ft enclosure per chamber. This includes the 1.2 avg driver space. Is this going to distort sound at all? and if possible i want to get to atleast a .95-1.00 cu ft space, if it will help it sound louder and hit harder. Obviously, i cant re build the box as it is nailed and siliconed already. however, the top is still off the enclosure and i can fill it with a a material that will help drop some space down. What materials should i use that wont make the box sound BIGGER than it is, (such as styrofoam or stuffing) Experienced or personal experience answers only please!

Answer 1

Just to make sure I read it correctly, you wanted a 0.95 cubic foot enclosure per chamber and have a 1.14 cubic foot enclosure per chamber after sub displacement, correct?



If that is the case then you will be fine with that little of difference. One benefit of a sealed design is that they are very forgiving. A 0.2 cubic foot difference is not going to make much of an impact and probably won't be noticeable in your case.



I made sure of this by using an enclosure designing program using the specs you listed. The enclosures measured pretty much audibly identical like I first thought.



If you want to get rid of the extra 0.2 then you can always add bracing. Just use some scrap pieces of MDF and make some small bracing on the inside. Just don't add too much or you will end up with too small of an enclosure.



If you want to stick some material in there I would recommend a dense material that is going to be audibly neutral. Putting a low density material like stuffing/polyfill will do the opposite of what you want, like you mentioned. A dense material would take up space and not make the enclosure appear larger to the sub.



I would just leave it as is or add a little bit of bracing. You won't have any problems with a slightly larger enclosure. A larger sealed enclosure will actually slightly help your sound quality. The downside is reduced power handling of your sub, but in this case that is neglegible.



Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

Sealed boxes: For deep, precise bass A sealed box is an airtight enclosure housing your subwoofer. A sealed box is best for any music that demands tight, accurate bass. Expect flat response (not excessively boomy), deep bass extension, and excellent power handling. Since a sealed enclosure tends to require more power than a ported box, use an amplifier with ample wattage for optimum performance. Ported boxes: For forceful bass Ported boxes use a vent (called a port) to reinforce low bass response. You get more output than you would from a sealed box at any given amplifier wattage. Some people prefer the sound of ported boxes for rap, rock, heavy metal, or any hard-driving music. Ported boxes can deliver deeper bass than sealed boxes, though they need to be much larger than sealed enclosures to accomplish that. Bandpass boxes: Maximum slam Bandpass boxes are a special type of ported box designed for maximum slam. The woofer is mounted inside a dual-chambered box (one chamber sealed, the other ported), with the sound waves emerging from the ported side. The sound that comes out of the port is extra loud within a narrow frequency range. Because bandpass boxes are super efficient within that range, they tend to boom. Their aggressive sound is great for rap, reggae, and hard rock. Not all subwoofers work well in bandpass boxes, though and they tend to sound muddy if not properly tuned

Answer 3

using slightly bigger boxes will mostly tend to shift your response curve a little lower. it should sound good still all in all and you can negate some of the volume behind the woofer by adding filler that is hard and dosen't resonate like sand or maybe glueing a block of wood inside it. that should help. ive seen people use sand before with success but you might want something lighter for a car if thats where it is.