Subwoofer Box Question

[T4RNightHawk]

Hey guys I'm thinking about building a custom sub box since right now mine takes up literally half of my trunk and have basically figured it out. In case it matters it's a 12 in JL W1.

My question is does having less space behind the sub and more beside it result in worse sound and less punch. I've researched it and haven't found a definitive answer.

I kinda feel like it might seeing as subs create punch by pushing air and having less air behind and more to the side would most likely create a softer punch.

 

[paraordnance]

Hey guys I'm thinking about building a custom sub box since right now mine takes up literally half of my trunk and have basically figured it out. In case it matters it's a 12 in JL W1.

My question is does having less space behind the sub and more beside it result in worse sound and less punch. I've researched it and haven't found a definitive answer.

I kinda feel like it might seeing as subs create punch by pushing air and having less air behind and more to the side would most likely create a softer punch.

It depends. What do you mean by "having less space behind sub"? Do you mean clearance from your sub magnet to the back of the box? From my personal experience it does not matter much as long as you have an inch or two. But it probably more depends on subwoofer. I managed to build custom (fibergalss+mdf) enclosure which is only about 6 inches at the thickest point and it fits in factory location.

How to install subwoofer in factory location

 

[T4RNightHawk]

Yea I was talking about doing one like most on the forms you know how with a generic box there's more space behind the sub

 

[cpark_12]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter as long as it's not touching the magnet. I usually give it about 2"

 

[T4RNightHawk]

Good to know. Hopefully I'll get some time to work on it next weekend.

 

[riceandpho]

Building a shallow and wide box. Might want to add a lil polyfill. It might help sound better.

 

[T4RNightHawk]

I'll have to look into that.

 

[sportyota]

I had a shop do mine. I had already purchased a 12w7 (thinking bigger is better) but the guy who built my enclosure said he could make a 10" sound louder than my 12". Plus it wouldn't have taken up as much space but I also didn't want to spend more money and hang on to a spare woofer. All in all, sounds great and love the jl and finish

 

[RedSled]

Are you not supposed to have a certain amount of cubic air space for a paticular speaker?

 

[UnderFire]

Are you not supposed to have a certain amount of cubic air space for a paticular speaker?

This man is correct. JL recommends 1.25 Cu Ft Net for the 12W1.

Torres' Box Tuning Calculator will do all the math for you, you just have to tell it what you're working with.

Torres' Box Tuning Calculator - Updated 8/18 - Subwoofers / Enclosures - SMD Forum

Really easy to use, make sure to check what thickness of wood you are going to use, and type .12 into the woofer displacement box, other than that all you'll need to do is type in dimensions that will fit the mounting depth of the sub (leave at least an inch between the magnet and the back of the box.) and the area you want to fit it until you find the right net volume (~1.25) and you'll be good to go. The calculator will do a whole lot more if you decide to delve in further, but a small sealed box is a great first build.


I could go into a ton of detail about any question you may have, feel free to ask me anything here or PM me.

 

[BrianSD_42]

My question is does having less space behind the sub and more beside it result in worse sound and less punch.

Most sub manufacturers publish online PDF manuals that state the ideal box size in cubic inches for each sub model.

Usually, at least when I was researching for my Alpine it was a sealed modest sized (as in not big at all) box.

Look it up for your sub.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I had a shop do mine. I had already purchased a 12w7 (thinking bigger is better) but the guy who built my enclosure said he could make a 10" sound louder than my 12". Plus it wouldn't have taken up as much space but I also didn't want to spend more money and hang on to a spare woofer. All in all, sounds great and love the jl and finish

Looks awesome

 

[stir_fry_boy]

Most sub manufacturers publish online PDF manuals that state the ideal box size in cubic inches for each sub model.

Usually, at least when I was researching for my Alpine it was a sealed modest sized (as in not big at all) box.

Look it up for your sub.

Totally agree with Brian. There are online calculators for box size and you can make adjustments to the dimensions from there.

 

[T4RNightHawk]

Yea I've looked at JL's guide for making a box I was thinking more custom though. So it sounds like it doesn't really matter on the shape of the box.

 

[cpark_12]

Yea, the shape of the box doesn't matter as much as the volume. Of course, it's easier just to build a cube box, but it could be a dodecahedron shaped box as long as the volume is right for the tuning.

 

[rooost]

I had a shop do mine. I had already purchased a 12w7 (thinking bigger is better) but the guy who built my enclosure said he could make a 10" sound louder than my 12". Plus it wouldn't have taken up as much space but I also didn't want to spend more money and hang on to a spare woofer. All in all, sounds great and love the jl and finish

That amp is Huge, what does it power and how much ?

 

[bergs]

Building a shallow and wide box. Might want to add a lil polyfill. It might help sound better.

Agreed. Always with a sealed box.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Air space is air space, whether it's on the side, or behind the sub, as long as there's room for air to flow around the magnet you're fine

 

[riceandpho]

jl woofers do sound better when the box is a little bit bigger then the recommended air space. that why u build the 1.25 box and then add a layer of polyfill to give it a deeper tone.

 

[UnderFire]

Yea I've looked at JL's guide for making a box I was thinking more custom though. So it sounds like it doesn't really matter on the shape of the box.

Yep, shape of the box doesn't really matter at all when it's a sealed box, ported boxes are a different story with a lot more rules.