Comparing Subwoofer Boxes: Manufacturer & Prefab Enclosures

[@SonicElectronix]

Sometimes there are tears of joy, fits of rage, and even moments of great inspiration and happiness. We get to feel all of it. :)

[@yhiissuchbs]

Essentially, we have a speaker in a box, inside another box (your trunk), connected to a larger box where the listeners are (the passenger cabin). Don't focus on the excellent design of the speaker box and then just ignore the rest of this equation or you may find that no matter how much you have spent - all bass 'disappears' (standing wave) in one position or is muddy/boomy/fatiguing or deafening in another. Both scenarios are wasting money. For prefab boxes: start with the size that fits, buy the best you can can afford - and then... IF you want BOOM, push those boxes into one of the rear corners of the car (put the kicker on the left side so both the vent and the driver are 'corner loaded', like a Bazooka). Keep turning and moving the box around. This may take several tries to get it right. When you find the best spot bolt it down! IF you want QUALITY, throw out the rear seat, probably turn the box around, and then keep moving the box in all directions until you find the spot where it sounds best. - and bolt it down!

[@shanebent204]

Someotherjim that's the truth right here, I did the same thing and noticed a major difference in bass when placed in the left hand corner of the trunk

[@DOOMBRINGER-vf9ex]

hey bro just wanna ask whats the dimension of the manufactuerer box 126.1?

[@mkygod]

Why do a bass sweep if you are only measuring peak SPL? You should show a graph of SPL for each hz to show how even or uneven the bass is. That's a big part of sound quality when it comes to subwoofers. If one box is better tuned than the other for that woofer, then this type of data would show that.

[@ReWbd23]

Totally agree

[@basstime6129]

ReWbd23 both of you sound like idiots that think you know it all you make me sick

[@luisv9029]

@@basstime6129 smd dingle berry

[@jay1185]

I hate when people don't drill pilot holes before putting the screws in. I cringe when I hear the wood splitting as the screws are put in or removed. You can almost definitely avoid this problem by drilling some fkn pilot holes. 20 seconds could save you from destroying a box.

[@natashacrawford4146]

could you give me a fair price for a shop to put a 12 inch bass speaker nd amp in your vehicle and what to look for I'm a girl trying to give her ride a nice boost nd ik people like ripping women off.

[@tdot1269]

@@natashacrawford4146 depends on how complicated the car is. A Honda Accord is easier to install in than an Audi or Benz. But a sub and mono amp install should be around $125-150. Multichannel amps for mids n highs will be more

[@SonicElectronix]

Thanks! We love the sound of the W7s (almost as much as stories from satisfied customers).

[@CDP135Z]

A generic cheap box isn't as good as a specifically designed more expensive matched box? Huh, I would have never guessed.

[@erikbritz9425]

CDP135Z yes hmm i have a Question i just bought one of these prefab boxes for a very old brand driver which is said to go down to a maximum of 38hz now if i were to get or create a sub enclosure for it at how many Hz should the enclosure be tuned and how big should the enclosure be roughly

[@twinkyunouwantmycreamfilli8297]

Erik Britz, there are a set of measurements that are unique to speakers that are used to formulate an appropriate enclosure. Granted there are also a lot of 12" subs that will work in a generic sized and tuned box, but theres normally a lot more performance you can get out of a sub in a custom box. Ported boxes in particular have to take into account sub sonic filters, cone excursion, wind port velocity, suspension compliance... ect.. Thankfully, most of this is info isnt as complicated as it seems. Google and a good forum board will go along ways.

[@sethh8892]

Erik Britz I would suggest to get a better sub, And make a better Box. Go online and look up Subwoofer enclosure calculator. You can find some that are specifically designed for transmission line enclosures, L port enclosures, and basic tube ports. I prefer the alport enclosures because they have less chances to have port noise, And it's easier to tune in in my opinion. Transmission line closures are nice but they take up way too much room and they use a lot more wood.

[@derrickm2093]

Yeah, and basically only one decibel of difference

[@SonicElectronix]

Yes, you have a good point. It all "depends", which is the problem. One person might blow their woofer, one may not, under the same conditions. What usually happens to a new woofer is the materials, glue, etc are not worn in. As you said, a stiff spider creates more friction, and thus heat, then one that is less resistant to movement. We always prefer to break in a subwoofer, but there are those that argue there is no need. Both sides make great points.

[@SonicElectronix]

Exactly! To each their own, we would rather be safe with it as well. :)

[@seanlittlepytech4659]

thx for the vid. Although test didn't seem fair since box sizes were different, and the port placement was to the left on one and to the rear on the other.

[@SonicElectronix]

If you bolt the box down from the inside, it will make for a cleaner installation and the box itself will be difficult to remove. On the downside, if you needed to remove the box for any reason, it would require you to remove the subwoofer first, same process that a thief would use. Brackets on the outside make it easy for you and a thief to remove the enclosure. If you drill holes in the box and put screws through, you can always apply a bit of silicon to the top to seal any air leaks.

[@JakeiZtheMan719]

you should make a video about shallow vs regular subwoofers

[@KCWhoa]

I used to be a crutchfield guy, but sonics been takin their spot lately. This is what I like to see, educating the consumer. If I ran a business it would be just like sonic. I'm going to be building a SQ system opposed to a heavy bass system, thanks for all the help guys, you'll be selling me 100% of my audio investment. You guys should try to make an affordable oscilliscope for car audio nuts. One that doesn't cost $2000 preferably.

[@robgadeke1129]

Every time you refer to a sub as a woofer, a fairy dies.

[@alexmaicu5523]

Rob Gadeke cause the dumb shit dont know better

[@basstime6129]

Alex Maicu you sound like a dumbass

[@frankrizzo4747]

Woofer? I barely know 'er!

[@markmmm1737]

It is a sub woofer, still a woofer no? If he called it a tweeter........

[@NotSoFast71]

@@markmmm1737 No. A tweeter, woofer, and subwoofer are three different things. "Sub" being the part to pay attention to. It means "below" or "under". It produces sound in a lower frequency than a woofer.

[@SonicElectronix]

Using the term woofer is still accurate. A subwoofer is still a woofer, it merely has been dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies but calling it a woofer is acceptable.

[@magissemperdeficiet4259]

i think the second box would have performed better with poly-fill inserted. if you make comparisons like that the conditions should be the same

[@johnny0454]

Seth, you're supposed to drill a pilot hole (the size of the shank of the screws you're going to use) in the prefab boxes so the wood doesn't crack and split, even with heavy repeated use over many years. Always drill a pilot hole guys, and you'll never have that cracked and split wood problem and your screws will hold better.

[@Dustin5806]

Me personally I would say they are both prefab boxes here ones just tuned just right for that subwoofer and the other box isn't

[@cnnlive10]

I purchases the 43VCWr122 prefab box with the CompR 12" a while back and had to replace the woofer several times as a mechanical noise seems to creep up about every 3 months. The CompR 12" needs about 1.75 cubic feet, minimum ported. The prefab box is about 1.1 cubic feet with the driver installed. I'm guessing the port tuning is about mid 40hz or higher. The package looks good and seems to be made well but the driver will not hold up to abuse. The X-max is 14mm and you will have over excursion noise from the voice coil as the freq. goes below the port tuning. Just a warning, if you buy the Kicker CompR, do not use the kicker prefab box.

[@firebirdude2]

@3:28"Hertz" is a last name. It's not a plural of anything. So 1Hz is still 1 Hertz, not 1 Hert.

[@basstime6129]

firebirdude2 smartass

[@sethh8892]

Bass Time No hes just pointing out the obvious...

[@pantherplatform]

Thank the public schools for that one...

[@AlvlUpSavedMyLife]

Lolol

[@SonicElectronix]

Kicker is good bang for your buck and is great for people trying to stay on a budget, or for people just beginning to upgrade the sound system in their vehicle. There is no "best brand out there", there are simply brands that work better for different people.

[@richisamindset01]

Dave the Box Guy ftw! Both these boxes are 'ok' but if you want the most out of your subs ....

[@KocuRisko]

louder = better sound quality? wtf

[@SonicElectronix]

Usuallly if you put the sub in a box that is smaller then the recommend size, then it will most likely result in restricted bass output.

[@SonicElectronix]

The SPL results of this experiment are not as dramatic as they would be with other brands, as Kicker subs are designed to maintain consistent performance in a wide variety of enclosure designs. However, the difference in sound quality between the enclosures was dramatic.

[@SonicElectronix]

A ported enclosure needs to be tuned and will often have more output than a sealed one. A sealed enclosure is great for those who want punchy bass and sound quality as oppose to quantity. In theory, any box can be designed to do anything, but generally a ported enclosure will be a lot louder than a sealed one.

[@SonicElectronix]

If the shop knows how to build boxes based on the sub specs (most shops know this or have software to assist them), then you should be fine. Going to a shop that carries JL will just ensure that they have more experience with the woofers and that they should know how to build the best custom box. Either should work, but you can be more confident going to a shop that has experience with the sub.

[@SonicElectronix]

We used the Hifonics Brutus BRZ1200.1D for this test wired down to 2 ohm so it was getting plenty of power.

[@twiztid83222]

I basicly just gave you the largest advertisment profit gain information in the world besides tv commercials. If I was the owner of sonicelectronix , I would hire me :)

[@SonicElectronix]

If you can hear the car, you need to ground your amplifier, headunit, or speakers more effectively. Make sure you find the chassis of the car, grind the paint down so it is metal, and create a secure connection.

[@SonicElectronix]

Theres a good chance your are underpowering the subwoofer. Try using our AmpliFinder tool to find compatible amps, and then look for an amp from a quality company such as Kicker, Rockford Fosgate, Massive Audio, JL Audio, etc... I'd recommend the Massive Audio N4, the Kicker IX1000.1, or the Rockford Fosgate T1000-1bdCP.

[@jacktumbleweed]

Polyfill doesn't "get more bass out of your subwoofer." It lowers both the Q and Fb parameters, which will tame the response bump in a box that's too small. It doesn't increase low frequency sensitivity, so if anything you'll notice LESS bass in the sub-50Hz zone. If you want to get the most bass possible out of your sub, you have to build a custom box with very precise specs.

[@dylanwhite2392]

Of course your going to get better sound with a box that came with the sub, as the box was made for that sub. But what if you buy just a sub itself. If i were to make a box to fit the subs perimeters (airspace, tuning), it would sound alot better then if i were to run out to best buy and buy a box there

[@Choppzilla667]

Just get some polyfil for the prefab box

[@SonicElectronix]

We don't sell the Term-LAB SPL meters. I think that you can on;y buy them direct, but im more entirely sure. I'll put in a recommendation and see if we can carry them.

[@alexbarajas2081]

I have to agree on this,might be a bit more expensive but put an MDF box and A Birch plywood box in a high humidity location and let time do its work.

[@SonicElectronix]

It is a secondary sensor located in another part of the vehicle.

[@95TurboSol]

If he says "Woofer" one more time I'm gonna choke someone!

[@95TurboSol]

YourHipHopBeatsTV - Hip Hop Beats | Rap Instrumentals It doesn't drive you crazy?! Ahh maybe I'm just sensitive to repeated words, it's my OCD kicking in or something lol

[@rmb0621]

I was thinking the same thing bro...

[@JK-qj9qp]

+95TurboSol Waffles lol

[@mogawa451]

he said it 16 times,is how much i counted

[@Xdst813]

now*

[@benji0522]

Thanks for putting in a great review.Here is the the difference...fab ported box didnt have accoustic foaming but manufacturer box did.I think fob ported box will beat or match SPL if acoustic foam was put.

[@SonicElectronix]

Not even if it comes with the subwoofer and is tuned to the optimal frequency of the subwoofer? Unless you're constantly taking the subwoofer out of it's enclosure and putting it back in, the Kicker enclosure is not going to chip or break when used with the subwoofer it was designed for.

[@joha7559]

If you want booming bass, go for the 15; if you want tight punchyness, the 8s will offer you this but the 10s are probably a better option; they will be tight and punchy but their larger diameter means they're likely to smash out deeper sounds better (louder/clearer).

[@dreamrealitysyndrome]

Can't wait for the custom box comparison!

[@choppedbydjdc]

actually, you do tune a box based off of the sub and the amp being used. different subs and different amounts of power will yield different port areas needed. also, depending on the goals with that sub, then tuning will be need to be different as well.

[@timgermanyjr]

That minor difference in spl could be attributed to the side aero port vs the rear facing port. Or the slight difference in where the box is sitting in the trunk. That Kicker box sucks too.

[@CarAudioInc]

I was thinking the same thing. 1db wooow

[@ReWbd23]

Yup, exactly... side port and positioning.

[@TrumpWinner]

Yeh I also agree this being a factor. I notice a lot of companies sell their boxes with aero port and with poly fill inside.

[@joha7559]

The optimal balance between boom and punch may be two 12s but this would depend on the enclosure. Personally, if I had to chose from 15,10s or 8s, I'd go 10s. I'm near finished building an amp for my bass guitar - it's a stack with a 15 in the floor cab with a 2x10 above that and the amp at the top :D I decided to have the 15 for the deep rumble that a bass guitar demands, but the 2x10 offers better response for slapping and such.

[@SonicElectronix]

Custom box for sure. You will get the best SQ out of that woofer and im guessing since you paid good money for that woofer you aren't going to want to skimp out on the box. However, if you are looking for quick bass solution, then a prefab will get you bass faster and without the work of building a box.

[@DevineGamingTV]

Never ever get a Sedan if you want a clean subsound. Doesn't matter how tight your car is screwed up, it wil sound horrible. For kickass sub, get a station wagon! :)

[@FatCat693]

._.

[@classifiedneedtoknow8541]

+DevineGamingTV And why is that? Completely ridiculous..

[@DeadEndGlennTruckinAhead]

+Tamriel Broodluste its true. I get some good bass in my 91 crx

[@woohunter1]

Station wagons r for douches.

[@DevineGamingTV]

Sure

[@OhNotJohnny]

I have a question, why is the best way to bolt the box to the car for anti theft reasons? Is better to bolt the box straight through the bottom of the box through the car or use a "L" bracket, bolt the box to the bracket & bolt the bracket to the car? Also will drilling holes for the bolts cause air holes for the air to escape out of? What's the best solution? & also is it ok to bolt an amp to the box as well all the way through?

[@LegendaryGarageYT]

what would be louder a custom ported box or a custom aero ported box with competition grade subs?

[@Langotriel1]

so he heard the difference in sound quality by sitting outside the car? or does louder mean better sound quality to these guys?

[@SonicElectronix]

You should, however there is no concrete evidence that says you can't use the sub full power out of the box. This is a "better safe than sorry" type thing.

[@weihnachtsmann07]

BTW: There are a lot of programs that can calculate the port, volume,etc. by entering only the paramters

[@mtxrules]

Kicker, SQ? Not really. Plus ported is not for SQ anyway. Kicker is all about boom, not how good they sound.

[@SonicElectronix]

We sell a variety of different ports on our website. The port on the Kicker box is proprietary to Kicker so we don't have that exact one, but I'm sure you will find what you need. sonicelectronix [dot] com/cat_i664_box-ports.html

[@watsonanthony8438]

dont forget there are good prefab boxes and also the kicker enclosure is going tp sound better because its tuned to the speaker.. the prefab box might not have a smooth response through all frequencies. and last the prefab box was able to keep up in SPL because the port is firing at the back of the car

[@joha7559]

Depends on what you want out of it. If you want volume you need high surface area; ignoring the depth of a speaker and considering them as flat circles, a 15 will get you 47.1 square inches; two 8s will get you 50.3 square inches and two 10s will give you 62.8 square inches. Going off this, two 8s should in theory be louder than one 15, assuming you're using same amp, song etc to compare them with, and the 10s will be even louder.

[@SonicElectronix]

Yes we will, just email us and we can help you out.

[@Calbenmike]

Practically unnoticeable.

[@BeoXify]

3:30 did he just say "hert"? i'm done

[@basstime6129]

BeoXify hope so your comments are smartass

[@AlvlUpSavedMyLife]

Lololollol

[@master9716]

Actually the little level difference where the woofer is mounted is not athetics. It actually serves a very important purpose for SQ harmonics , forgot the scientific article I was reading but JL audio does it forcal Bmw martin logan and so on .

[@benrogersdevon]

I could easily tell the difference between the two. My home (bedroom) amplifier has two speaker outputs - it's an Onkyo A9155 and if I went down to two speakers could I use a 2.2 setup? two speakers and two sub's - is this possible as I read you can use subs to replace speakers. If this would work would a car sub be better to use than a home hifi or are most car ones 4 ohm. I want an 80hm sub to match the other speakers or else it could knacker the amplifier could it not? many thanks, Ben.

[@byCDMC]

+Ben Rogers you can connect any speaker to the amp, this include subs to. just watch the ohm's. i have used car subs at home and they work fine. the only problem i have is the neighbors.... having six 10" subs, eight 5.25" mids and eight tweeters in an apartment, its just asking for trouble...

[@iceman45ification1]

A DIY custom box will be the cheapest and best sounding if you follow the manufactures specs for a ported box. A sealed box is more forgiving when it comes to sizes though.

[@reub3ngAs]

what cripple cut the speaker hole in the black box

[@frankrizzo4747]

Either that or Stevie Wonder cut it.

[@wordisbond9146]

🤣

[@SonicElectronix]

We left all the amplifier and stereo settings the same on both tests.

[@fastodie]

Thats a big warehouse :D full of car audio :D

[@ricksalt6860]

4:51 song outside of car , 6:40 the do it yourself Box . You can notice the 40HZ area the manufacturer box has better punch .

[@dluepnitz]

"more umph" = the poly fill reduces the colliding sound waves and improves the sound from the port. Also it reduces the velocity of the reflection (bouncing) within the box and aids in minimizing the impact on the back of the speakers cone. This improves long bass tones. The 1 db difference is more likely to have come from the different size of the boxes. These ports are very similar in resistance applied. Large dia & long = small dia and short. The only difference is the audible port noise.

[@eamh2002]

I'm willing to bet the difference is due to a round port vs slot port. Round is louder :)

[@basbas63]

In my opinion it is better to just let them a bit more lose on the spider etc.. they seem to get hotter when you put near full power on them straight away than when they are flexed a lot and actually move an bit more.. i haven't blown any subs but a friend of me who is really into this stuff has blown some brand new never used subs when played too hard, even at lower than rated power some times :P

[@FvD714]

"Prefab box = great for keeping the costs down" "Manufacturer Box = Gets the most out of the woofer." Custom Box = cheaper and tuned to your liking

[@music9556]

if you fill the prefab with batting it will increase the volume. that will tune the woofer to the port.

[@TheCassidyjoelpope]

you should do a custom ported box next

[@supermaster4000]

I have a question. On the left site on your laptop i can see the sound pressure. And now my question what can i see on the right site?? it's the sound sensivity?

[@chamilarathnayake]

Hey could you please help me to give details about good sound system which can be fixed to my Mercedez W123? I need excellent sound + Bass. Could you please tell me what kind of speakers, amplifier, stereo system and sub-woofer should I use ?

[@JosePoop]

Good vid Seth, I can't wait to see the custom box vid. Did I miss the amp you ran this test with, or was it not mentioned?

[@jasonneal]

Did you charge the battery back up when you ran the second test. With the batter low, amp hot, there is going to be a difference of a db or so

[@niro56]

Manufacturer's box, max SPL 126.1 at 46 Hz, means tuned at 46 Hz? I noticed the prefab was 125.2 at 48 hz.. but it sounded somewhat weird.. huge port noise i think. Also, how many watts were you giving the sub?

[@joha7559]

Anyway, like I said, my personal choice would be the two 10s; punchy, loud and likely to have an enclosure small enough to leave you a bit of room in the trunk :P

[@kSwift916]

The Manufacturer's Box has a box loaded with Polyfill, which makes the box seem bigger to the subwoofer than it actually is, thus probably creating a "bigger" enclosure for the subwoofer. Also, being a port slot vs an Aero port can change a lot of things too. If you took 2 ideal subwoofer boxes, one made from the manufacturer and one made from a Prefab box and have them made with exact dimensions and same tuning then you would see probably less than a 1db difference... but yeah, Custom Boxes FTW

[@UNTrider2010]

So... can you please explain to us why the video speed increased during the prefab test?

[@christopherkendall157]

They are not the same cubic sq feet .. that's how you lost the 1 db

[@sethh8892]

Christopher Kendall You don't have to write cubic and squared in the same sentence. Thats like saying, 3cu.sqft^2... wtf? No. Its either; 3cu.ft, or 3ft^2.

[@danyo5509]

Also the polyester filling

[@bakanibaleni5865]

@@sethh8892 fuck you.

[@choppedbydjdc]

i have never had a problem with playing subs while they were new unless i had clipped the signal.

[@GrandAmGTTT]

in other words for that woofer its not worth spending the extra money for the manufacturer box..........imo

[@basstime6129]

Your Moms Hitachi both of you sound like idiots the man was doing his job punks

[@RYDENROAM72]

i was wondering now on getting your spl, what is the volume that you use in the results that we see. and is it the difference of what volume you use to the volume that spl competitions use???

[@SonicElectronix]

There isn't enough comment space on KZbin to answer your question, please email us at support@sonicelectronixDOTcom or find us on Facebook.

[@mrsantosjon]

Soo is a custom ported box for 2 Rockford p3s better than adding them on a universal box?? I trust Rockford recommendations.

[@titone14]

Custom Boxes FTW!!!!

[@TOGSTAK]

If you use rta rather than therm lab, does it gives you same result?

[@itsruf1]

observation: That was 2012. The guy who can't grow a moustache above has had 4 or more jobs (not careers) and this company may or not have new owners or name.

[@robertsalerno6033]

What amp did you use?? What power was the sub getting to achieve those numbers???

[@SonicElectronix]

Our apologies but we do not ship to Bolivia.

[@SonicElectronix]

...and your not even seeing a 1/10th of it! :D With our recent growth we have more than 100,000 sq. ft.

[@worksmagic89]

OK thanx alot and I fixed it now I really appreciate the help

[@Applez00800]

Loudness (SPL) tells you nothing of the sound quality of the enclosure... where's the frequency response graphs of the two enclosure tests?? Sound quality is determined by the 'flatness' of the frequency response and how well the frequency responses of the sub and the other mid and high range speakers mix together. Ideally, the best sound quality would be when all frequencies of sound produce the same SPL.

[@mrwolfe0812]

You guys ever thought about selling sundown audio, or soundqubed?

[@justkiddin1980]

you should ALWAYS pre drill your holes...best way is to use tee nuts and machined bolts.. and then a prefab box will be just as good if not better than the kicker one...

[@barrackb0325]

You need to seal the pre fab box. Don’t know why everyone insists on ported boxes. The sound in ported boxes is flat and lacks the punch of really hard bass.

[@alexbarajas2081]

hmmm...so why aren't SPL competitions dealt with manufactured enclosures?

[@Dougie085]

Actually it looks like MDF, it just looks like a bad or cheap batch of MDF. It's definitely more dense then any particle board I've seen. Also looks like they may of gotten some glue on the edges.

[@tammyforbes2101]

Well for one thing the factory box had Polly fill and the pre fab didn't plus the factory box was bigger or it looked bigger at the end setting on the VW. That's gonna make a difference usually a bigger box is gonna be louder.

[@southsidemikevlogs]

what ported box would you use for 3 skars evl max power is 2500 watt and rms power is 1250 and I am going to be using a 4k amp