custom box

1604 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by eddiemoney, Oct 25, 2005

[email protected]

Discussion Starter · Oct 19, 2005

im going to be putting 2 13w7's in the back of my tc and im going to build a custom box but im having trouble thinking of some cool things to do, i dont want just a plain box i want something creative and unique. i was thinking about makeing the subs face the back hatch and make a fiberglass box and have the top be plexi glass so you could see through it and maybe get something airbrushed on the plexiglass, and add some neons or something around it. idk thats just some ideas. does anyone else have any ideas?

Save

1 - 12 of 12 Posts

Dr. Isotope

· #2 · Oct 19, 2005

Airspace first, aesthetics second. What you do is going to be limited by the amount of space the subs are going to need. Have you built enclosures before? Are you considering sealed? Ported? Some higher order?

I'm personally one for function over form: it should do a lot and look like not much at all.

Save

eddiemoney

· #3 · Oct 19, 2005

The more curves/contours in the box the more crappy the subs are going to sub because the chance of cancellation is very large. Also it should be sealed because if you port a not uniform box you stand a chance of burning voice coils unless you do it perfectly. I am couldn't have said it better than isotope on this one, function over form, plain and simple. I would suggest a rectangular box with maybe some trim pieces that give you the aesthetic appeal you are looking for.

Just my .02

-Ed

Save

nY1018

· #4 · Oct 19, 2005

are those boxes that have the plexiglass in the front where you see the sub considered sealed? or ported?

Save

eddiemoney

· #5 · Oct 20, 2005

Depends on the box, i believe you are referring to a bandpass box though, i hate bandpass boxes because they have a very small range of response

Save

Dr. Isotope

· #6 · Oct 20, 2005

But... sub boxes should have a small range of response. Any of the bandpass variants are nice because they naturally roll off -- the tricky part is finding the proper sub, and then tuning the box to that sub.

I'm a big fan of the Deathbox, a compact (about 13.5x13.5x20) single reflex bandpass. I have a pair of them in my living room that prove what 50w and a two Klipsch 10s are capable of. In my old Mitsu, I had a DBK12, which held an isobarik pair of JL 12W3d2s... which was insanely loud.

Save

demon2091tb

· #7 · Oct 20, 2005

BTW for a sub box it dosent matter what shape the box is or how many small curves or whatever it has in the shape. Volume is volume, airspace is airspace, and the box will be stronger if there is curves or lots of small little corners. There is not going to be any cancelation at all either, unless say your playing it up into the 100-120hz range where the sound waves are much shorter. Sub should idealy play from 60/70hz and down, and if you calculate or figure up the lengths of waves b/w a 60/70hz wave on down to <20hz region then you'll see why there is going to be no cancelation for sub frequencies, one because sub frequencies are much longer than the interior space of the box, and 2, because bass is a form of pressure, thats the only way that a 30' wave can be heard in a car enviroment, because of the change in pressure.

Bandpass boxes can be done very nicely if done correctly, sure they have a small range of sound production but look at the general idea that the sub only plays from say sub-20hz, up to around 60-70hz(some people prefer lower if there midbass region is powerfull enough) and the rest of the range from 70or so hz on up to 20k is all front stage. If you can find a sub that excells in the region that your bp is for that would be ideal, but sometimes slim pickens.....I happen to like IB somewhat better than BP, Sealed/ported are neck-n-neck though.

Deathbox is a nice design, i'm not too sure if the size relates to the sub in use, or if its generally the same size for every 10/12 or so out there, and swappable.

Right now i have a sealed 4.5cf box in my tC, fits nicely in the rear, sure i have a little bit of weight, but the sound is unbeleiveable. And that would be coming from a single 15" Tempest. I dosent look the best right now, but it will be finished very soon, i'm thinking of trying to put some trim pieces, false floors around the box, but i run into the problem of how to situate the false floors with a movable box to access my spare. Hmm....

Anyway Function over form....but a mix is always very nice.

See less See more

Save

boricua82

· #8 · Oct 20, 2005

My dad and I built a box for the hatch, but our primary concern was a compromise between space and sound. Therefore, we went with a simple wedge shape, sealed (not trying to win a soundoff, just nice, tight complimentary bass). The volume is a lil over one cubic foot, and it houses a 12" sub. It came out pretty good, and the only wire you can see is the speaker wire, nothing else.

Save

[email protected]

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 24, 2005

i work at a car audio shop and im going to have my boss help me build the box, and he can do pretty much anything when it comes to boxes so ive decided it will be fiberglass, not mdf and no plexiglass because plexiglass flexes. i think im going to have to 2 subs faceing upward at the back glass at an inward angle and then im going to try to have either my 3000 watts amp or 2 300/2 amps in the front facing the back hatch. this is just an idea, i still have to do measurments and all of that good stuff.

Save

eddiemoney

· #10 · Oct 24, 2005

You will have MDF in the box, that is what you should use for the base as well as the rings for the woofers and such(you need something more than glass to screw the woofer into.

Save

[email protected]

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 25, 2005

i know this but it was originally going to be just mdf

Save

eddiemoney

· #12 · Oct 25, 2005

Ok just checking

, i have seen people try to drill screws into fiberglass, needless to say it doesn't work real well

See less See more

Save

1 - 12 of 12 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month