Anyone Build there own Subwoofer boxes
- Thread starter Steve69
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iskwezm
10 Year Member
Use MDF (medium density fiberboard) You can buy it at Home Depot etc. unfortunately you usuall have to by a 4x8 shet. When making the box, you will have to calculate the volume required for you specific speaker (found in the specs for the speaker). There are "closed" boxs, "ported" boxes. Be sure to use the right combination for with your speaker. Closed box is the easist to do.
1320stang
Founding Member
Make sure you're getting MDF and not particle board. 15 years ago we couldn't get MDF at the lumber yard, had to buy particle board.
jikelly
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Is the MDF that heavy stuff?
Is there a lighter alternative? I have seen boxes made out of plexiglass before.
Is there a lighter alternative? I have seen boxes made out of plexiglass before.
iskwezm
10 Year Member
you dont want to a material that is so thin it flexes,then your loosing energy from the speaker. The MDF is kinda heavy, but a box and speaker shouldnt weigh more then about 35-45 lbs depending on the speaker size.My box in my truck that i had weighed with speakers about 260 lbs and had 3 JL 12's in it.Plexi is ok to use as long as its thick enough and sealed with a foam tape to prevent aireaks and screwed about every 3 or 4 inches.jikelly said:
Taranis
New Member
If you want some good info about building Subwoofer Boxes, do a search on the Home Theater Forum.
In general, subwoofer boxes need to be very rigid. 3/4" MDF is what is used on a number of speaker boxes and is what you will probably get if you have the box made at a Car Audio store. Be careful, though. The more powerful the Sub, the more rigid the box needs to be because the box will actually flex with the pressure levels changing inside the box, adding distortion to the sound. The biggest subs will need internal bracing in the boxes. As far as building a sub box out of lighter material, there's fiberglass. I haven't tried that yet, but I have plans to once my car actually looks like a car. MDF is the most economical.
Different subs are made for different enclosures, ported, sealed, bandpass.... AND for different sizes of Enclosures. If you download WINISD (it's free) and know the T/S parameters of your speaker (commonly available on the Sub's literature or on the company's website) you can see what type of output you can expect from a sub/box. If you don't know the T/S parameters, WinISD has a whole bunch of pre-loaded subs with their parameters. Hope this helps somewhat.
In general, subwoofer boxes need to be very rigid. 3/4" MDF is what is used on a number of speaker boxes and is what you will probably get if you have the box made at a Car Audio store. Be careful, though. The more powerful the Sub, the more rigid the box needs to be because the box will actually flex with the pressure levels changing inside the box, adding distortion to the sound. The biggest subs will need internal bracing in the boxes. As far as building a sub box out of lighter material, there's fiberglass. I haven't tried that yet, but I have plans to once my car actually looks like a car. MDF is the most economical.
Different subs are made for different enclosures, ported, sealed, bandpass.... AND for different sizes of Enclosures. If you download WINISD (it's free) and know the T/S parameters of your speaker (commonly available on the Sub's literature or on the company's website) you can see what type of output you can expect from a sub/box. If you don't know the T/S parameters, WinISD has a whole bunch of pre-loaded subs with their parameters. Hope this helps somewhat.
