Subwoofer Box Volume - Car Audio Basics - CarAudioFabrication

[@CarAudioFabrication]

So glad to hear you like it! I was really nervous with trying something new, The more I hear you guys like stuff the more motivation to make it! Thanks for posting!

[@droppinsteamers7179]

CarAudioFabrication is the height you got for the sealed enclosure from the inside or outside

[@nicksonsbikeski440]

For me calculating the box volume is simple math I paused the video, did the math & checked it yay I was correct, knowing how to calculate the port volume is beyond me - how does one do that?

[@junaidgt90]

Viewed this video 3 times. After lots of headScratching..... Mounted my SUB in a BUCKET 😆

[@rudycastro9814]

LMAO

[@lukeskywalker6736]

Went with that Marshmellow edition huh? Lol.

[@chuy2552]

I think i just change my mind and I'm just gonna pay somebody to make me a sub box. Im still love your videos bro!!

[@volksrod6926]

J J nah man, build! That's how I learned. I started with sealed and moved up. You'll learn and get better with every one.

[@levellepartee7295]

I with u jj

[@bonedaddy1980]

I was just thinking the same shit lol

[@AB-80X]

You're kidding right? This is the most basic of basic geometry. Any 5th grader going to a proper school can do this.

[@GimliTehDwarf]

This is the easiest and best explanation I have every SEEN. Although I already understood this it never hurts to go over it again!

[@CarAudioInc]

I'm really wishing I paid attention in math class now.

[@ledfed1912]

i never paid attention in math class but this interests me so i understand it no prop.

[@CarAudioInc]

Let me rephrase that.. I wish I WENT to math class.

[@ledfed1912]

thornygravy lol

[@geetapaoan2987]

Problem is my lights in my car keeps flashing or dimming whyll i bsss hard, i have 1000 watt mono blk amp. And I also have a alpine 400 or 800 watt.amp 4 way . Battery cap that holds 14.3 amp. . Can you help me?

[@sethezernack2941]

Gee Tapaoan get a car capacitor I got one for my car that had the same problem and it took care of it their like $30 at Walmart if I’m not mistaken

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Sounds good I will add it to my list thanks for watching!

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Well now you know how to calculate the volume of him and work around it! Thanks for watching!

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Haha right! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.

[@MiDnYTe25]

This is so much easier if you just use metric like the rest of the world.

[@curtchase3730]

Got a point there! I was born and raised in USA and only was taught Imperial (US) standards back in the 1960's. Never heard of metric till in high school. Shame. Hated fractions! No fractions in metric! Just "point" this "point" that. Nice. Now being over 60yo, as much as I can appreciate the metric system, it's still a bit hard for me to wrap my head around it. Bummer. If someone told me that it's gonna be a balmy 30ºC today, I have to try to convert to ºF and go, oh...kinda warmish?

[@bass1jd187]

That's how I measure my ported boxes. I build the port around the box, saves me a bunch of time. It was cool to meet you at the sony party at ces man. Keep them vids coming.

[@scottmiller399]

Great video , I can now say im addicted to watching these videos .each one is so well explained .im making a center console with a 10 " sub that I have incorporated some of the thing from these videos .great job

[@edvargo291]

Seriously, I have always Loved doing this stuff. From designing the box, to installing the head unit, and especially wiring up the amps! It's a really Fun Project to figure out how to fit certain things into a car. Or if they won't fit, what kind of things Would. But I'm thinking that for my next system build, I am absolutely going to Simply pay someone who else to do it for me. Let the professionals deal with it!

[@RussLyman]

I was lost through most of this but did enjoy hearing you speak Mark. I will just watch this video a few times before I attempt it on my own

[@CMatthews13652]

love videos in this format, simple and straight forward, keep up the good work and hope to see more vids like this in the future

[@mrevohk7423]

This is a very informative video more like these please!

[@LethaboNkadimeng]

There I am whipping out my exam pad, measuring tape and pen to calculate the volume of my wedge box only to discover that the box is one whole cubic foot smaller than the recommended volume of my two 15 inch subs. These calculations are actually quite fun once you get into them. Looking forward to building my first enclosure once my router arrives. Learned a whole lot from this video so 10000 likes from South Africa even though the constant need to convert from imperial to metric and back is a pain in the proverbial ass.

[@loveaudio1236]

Freaking awesome man, this is sure to help tons of people!

[@1gnxregal1]

Daaaaaaam my brain just fried

[@kizzillaman8295]

awe the joys of basic car audio

[@AB-80X]

Awe, they joys of knowing adults have to use youtube to learn 5th. grade geometry...

[@corygilbert5666]

The short answer is cross sectional area and the length of the port. the free RE calc doesn't tell you cross sec area, i found one that does. Carstereo website port calculator worked for me, used two aero ports to fix my mis-tuned box, now it's Fawesome! removable port extensions let me tune to what i want, and it's cheap. like 7 bucks for a 24" by 4" pipe, just cut it in half, flare it some way, buy a connector and glue it into a board, shove pipes in, and enjoy tuned boomboom! Cheers!

[@PhiMobileSounds]

Sometimes you need to visit the throwbacks. I know this stuff, but it is still entertaining.

[@corygilbert5666]

Excellent video, I didn't think of the packing peanuts thing, Learned something today!

[@DinasGarage]

Mark this is Awesome bro! Thanks so much! Im getting a RSX soon and I want a sub box for it that doesn't take up too much space in my truck area. I think I will be attempting a fiberglass box. This will help me!! Thanks bro!!

[@rhkips]

Narwhals flatten impedance curves at resonance. It's a fact! ;-) This was an absolutely wonderful basic tutorial! Very clean, clear and straight forward. Well done! :-D

[@AB-80X]

In today's episode. Subwoofer design 101 for those who spent their time in the shcool restroom smoking weed. Adults needing this kind of information, I'm staggered. It's 5th. grade geometry.

[@klubstompers]

haha, no sh@!! Same thing i was thinking with all these replies of, "that's too hard". Learned this in the 5th grade, and then over and over and over again every year till graduation.

[@jwish29]

2.17ft^3. Great video! Thanks! I did the same with my fiberglass sub box but I didn't have packing peanuts so I used charcoal nuggets and worked quite well.

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Excellent question, if you search "how to design a sub box" here on youtube I have three videos that it will help you. Check out the one with the thumbnail of a hand writing on paper that should help you out.

[@SaltLakeSPL]

Your videos are godlike!

[@spoogethat]

how to calculate tuning for 4th and 6th order boxes

[@brutisking]

Bad ass! Excellent demo!

[@РоманПлетнев-г3э]

wow this is the most basic geometry knowledge that kids get in primary school I'm disturbed by the fact that a special youtube video is needed for adult people to calculate a volume of a box basically

[@leekrd]

I appreciate the channel info and advice. I’m currently planning a upgrade for my f250 crew cab. I’m a carpenter and have built boxes in the past. Im curious if a behind the seat box or a rear console build would be best. I’m considering a single 10” sub to go along with my alpine components. Any tips or video links are much appreciated.

[@puresoundquality]

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome video. Please keep doing what you're doing. PEACE! V

[@johnalenwork53]

Wants to lern more!!!;-) Thanks C. A. F. F. T. W.

[@WhitentonMike]

Empty box volume= 18.5*13.5*16.5/1728=2.3848ft^3 Brace volume=(0.25)^2*3.1415926*18.5/1725=0.0021ft^3 Driver Displacement=0.21ft^3 This gives us a working volume of =2.3848-0.0021-0.21=2.1727ft^3 ---- Best guess is the driver is a 15 inch round sub due to the displacement and the sub has a cutout diameter of 14.125 inches. Gasket thikness=0.0625inches. Driver cutout volume increase=8.0625^2*3.1415926*(0.75+.0625)/1728=0.0738ft^3 Final interior box volume = 2.1727+0.0738=2.2465 ft^3

[@TheJeremyN]

love all your vids

[@_mokoa]

THANK YOU FOR THIS! this helps soo much and it was presented in a great way. Another question I've had and I've heard asked alot was how to "tune" a box to a certain Hz frequency. So maybe a quick video on that in the future?

[@jeremybaxley5848]

Bobby there's other websites that will help figure that out.

[@BrianW2979]

Great video btw...keep up the great work

[@thedozalife7727]

This is a great informative video. This i going on my favorites!!

[@corygilbert5666]

Could you possibly make a tutorial on how to use WinISD to tune? I have the program but I don't know how to use it, I just wind up playing around with the numbers to see how crazy it can get. Many thanks for your great instructional videos, there's no better teacher on youtube for car audio!!

[@WorldbelowZR1]

awesome vid man! I had a narwhal in my box one time and didn't even know! :(

[@tylerquick4582]

thanks for this vid amazing stuff best explanation iv found to date !!!! :)

[@sw33tn3ss5]

question regarding the wood inside the box. You mention to take away 2" from the dimension with a wood thickness of 1". Does the length make a difference in the calculation? because it look like you only consider the thickness but not the length.

[@pfriday2001]

Great vid. I'm fairly proficient with math but your how to build vids are why I subscribed. Question though. Back in the day, I would calculate the required volume needed by the woofer and get a volume nearly twice as large as recommended by the manufacturer. Was I finding full wave requirements whereas the manufacturer is using a half-wave or quarter-wave requirement? How do you find the needed volume for a specific woofer or do you just go by manufacturer recommendations?

[@adamwatkins76]

nice!!!! I have found it easier to add the top and bottom together on a wedge shape the divide them in half... such as your box was 5" on top 10" on bottom so that's 5+10=15 divided by 2=7.5 deep. but your way works just as good.

[@Woodscraps-lr5vz]

I totally understand the idea of calculating volume and how to do that. What I don't understand is why air volume is important to audio quality, or what it has to do in particular with the propogation of the frequencies we're looking for. I've done audio mixing and mastering, but I'm only just getting into car audio. I'd love to hear more about that.

[@clintonraubenheimer5879]

Not a pro on this, but the way I understand it, it has to do with wave lengths, amplitude, resonance and surface area. Think of it this way... remember the slide whistle we all played with as kids. The more you push the slide in the higher the frequency, the more you pull it out the lower the frequency... need I say more?

[@AB-80X]

The basics are as follows. Your transducer needs an air spring to control it. The volume behind in relation to the volume in front, will determine how well the transducer can resonate in a set bandwidth of hertz. The box is not exactly when gives you the sound quality per se, it's what gives the transducer the optimum conditions to reproduce the electrical AC signal fed into it. That being said, a box can have great effects on the sound quality, but not because of the transducer itself. If the box resonates, or leaks, amplify harmonic distortion or sounds, has too small ports ect. then yes, the box is part of what makes a speaker sound bad. In other words, you want the box to become as "invisible" as much as possible.

[@J3TPILOT]

good lot of info

[@Live_Loud]

You did not cover most important part! Should we design ported box with manufacturer's recommendations or bigger is better? If bigger is better then how big and what rms power should we feed in percentage for bigger box?

[@rudycastro9814]

Easy as that. thank god I educated myself and love math so this is kinder stuff to me. =)

[@UnderLoK]

Great tutorial man, but while most online calculators won't provide you with many options, Torres will in regards to wood thickness, port walls, external ports, aeros, tuning, etc.

[@celestinomangubat4689]

hi where did you get your speaker displacement? is it found in a manufactures specs or there is a thumb rule for this... tnx pls reply

[@jmoonies_racing2642]

I looked up car audio BASICS ..... this is what i got... are you fucking kidding me its like being back in school LOL

[@JoeIsCrazyWillman]

The packing peanuts idea was genius.

[@AB-80X]

While it can be used if you are absolutely lost in terms of figuring out a complicated shape, you can get an idea. Unfortunately my experience is that it can be as much as 30 percent off. Using a large plastic bag and patience, use the water method instead. It's incredibly accurate. Just to get an idea of how hard it is to get a precise measurement by filling with something firm like packaging material, try this. place three cups of flour on three plates you have weighted before hand. Weigh these three portions of flour. They will be very different, and that's using very fine particles. It'll be much worse when you use something like foam popcorn.

[@tylerdavis9301]

so glad you posted this!!! can you show how to calculate ports?

[@vinodrossi902]

Super sir

[@adamgilchrist3698]

Thank you

[@JaMarvelousjmar]

Have you done a video explaining the difference between slot ports and aero ports. Is it true that round ports can be up to 50% smaller than a slot port and be equal in output? I'm in the box building spirit and wanted a lil advice before I try. Thanks for all of your videos. They have helped out a lot

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Just be sure its waterproof! Thanks for watching

[@WhitentonMike]

For what it is worth. This box would accommodate 3x8 subs in the large face, 2x10s, 1 12 or 1 15. An 18 inch would have an outside diameter larger than the face of the box. I didn't feel like calculating for all the various combinations of box volumes. But since the driver displacement was given I figured it was known to be 1 choice anyway.

[@freehugsjonathan]

How do you know how much airspace to give to two subwoofers vs just one? Is it twice as much air space?

[@TheWillmson]

Até para que não fala inglês, consegui entender bem. Ótimo vídeo!

[@angngocson9471]

How to count volume for a 3600w subwoofer? Can you help me solved it? Mr.?

[@pfriday2001]

Anyone can get a box from the stereo shop that fits the manufacturers requirements. So why do some customs boxes sound better than off the shelf boxes? And I know that some prefab boxes won't fit in some cars. Thus far, I haven't found anyone who can answer my Q's. Hope your grit is up to it. And again, great vids.

[@sunneh666]

Now for my problem. I live I europe. Metric ftw!

[@shawngberry5429]

Sonny Brouesse 25.4 or .03936

[@baksteenize]

Veel makkelijker dan imperial.

[@ancelrick5396]

Yes. He really should be more considerate. Americans are better at conversion.

[@klubstompers]

@@ancelrick5396 Yes we are, we convert you stuff to our stuff. Been doing it for centuries.

[@andreitentis8841]

I'm about to build a sealed enclosure for a 12" sub and I was wondering, if I keep the internal box volume recommended by the manufacturer of the sub, but I need to use a smaller mounting depth, how would this affect the output and quality of the sound? And how much of an impact does the shape of the box have on the performance of the speaker?

[@mattwilsey7520]

I have 2 soundstream t5 tarantula 12” subs. The manufacturer suggests a minimum of 1.75 ft3 for a ported enclosure or 1.5 ft3 for a sealed enclosure. Unfortunately I’m extremely limited on space. The box is only able to be 1.25 ft3 per sub. Will it damage the sub if I use a smaller than recommended enclosure? Will ported or sealed sound better at that smaller size? I will be running a soundstream txp1.6000d amp to the subs so power will not be an issue. Thanks.

[@yagoboi808]

Now quick question just a lil confused. For the box in your video. Do i use the 12 and 20 or do i use the 10 and 18 which was after calculating wood thickness? When building the box

[@daveyc.3403]

Can I add Volume to my subwoofer box. If I mount the subwoofer on additional ring spacer like 2 in thick.

[@MW2gamer237]

so if I want a ported box with 6 15s where one sub is recommended using 100liters netto of volume. I assume I wouldn't need 600liters right? just the 100liters + the displacement of all the subs added to the 100l ? or do I need the full 600liters?

[@djcrak]

My question is: I have a ported enclosure that is .90 cubic ft. I have a shallow mount sub that requires the min 1.25cft if ported. Will that hurt the performance of the sub, or can I just increase the power to compensate?

[@nsajgalvan]

I have an old Eclipse 10" SW6102.8 . I cannot find ANY specs on it. I went to the stereo shop where I purchased it (more than 10 years ago) and they had nothing (his internet search had nothing). This woofer still sounds good. I just want to build a difference enclosure. I really don't have away to determine the amount of airspace I need. What do you suggest? Thanks

[@MrJohndarren]

Do yo need air holes for subwoofer boxes and should you stuff the box with cotton or some other material for a better sound?

[@grantm4400]

I really want to understand this 😆

[@DJInclined]

Thank you for this video! I can never get the narwal volume variable factor right in my designs, it just never sounds right.

[@ericgraham4215]

How far away should a ported magnet be from a subwoofer box wall?

[@nicholasram8235]

okay I'm a young one to this, I'm 17 going 18 and I love car audio ever since I was 5. I took it upon myself to build and install car audio into my friends car and the electrical part I've done already but after watching this video the only problem I will always have I'd the box calculations and porting etc. I have a general idea on volume calculating but I'm asking you for some advise.. after I take my measurements of the trunk and I got my numbers and sub displacement, I have to calculate the port volume separate and add it? and also how to I calculate how low of hertz I want the sub to play ?

[@scrapenbass493]

I have 2 alpine type r's swr1242d's in a sealed box with separate chambers with each chamber being 1 cubic foot..the manual for the subwoofer says that the optimal gross internal volume for a sealed box should be 0.85 ft3 (to the 3rd power) and a net internal volume of 0.78 ft3 (to the 3rd power)....so is my box sufficient for these subs? My initial thought was that the box is pretty close to those numbers once the subs are mounted inside the box...would appreciate your thoughts TIA

[@xMcStarley]

Oh god! It feels like i'm at school again LOL

[@garrison2759]

If I put a box of 2 12s in the back floor of my f150 facing the cab will it slam

[@Tattoosbyjosh1]

If I have a custom box made do I need to match up the cubic volume of the subwoofer to the box, I have a Chevy avalanche midgate 2 12’s box, my box has air volume 1.32 cubic feet per side total and port volume .268 cubic feet per side total, so I didn’t know if I need to match subwoofer air volume to the box

[@deizla]

wow... im having headache right now hahaha... kiding... :)

[@VinnyXL420]

Come on mark! thats kindergarten calculations man! :D Awesome vid as usual! For the next episode, why dont you try to talk about what tools you have, which of them you like the best, which you use more often than others etc. Im very interested to know what youre using over there man.

[@OkGreat-]

Is there a guideline to how much space cushion you need behind, above and below the woofer at minimum?

[@MrWorldWide806]

Hey guys, I have a question about subwoofer space. I bought a JL Audio 8W1v3-4 subwoofer. This subwoofer will be going in a sealed box. The subwoofer calls for a .35 cubic feet size box. The box that I already have is .77 cubic feet. Will my JL subwoofer be okay in this box or what can I do to the box to make being the space down close to .35 cubic feet?

[@visionentertainment]

How do you calculate volume for a box with a kerf port?

[@milesprower6641]

Pro tip: lock camera exposure so it doesn't brighten and darken every time your hand enters and exits frame

[@subaruforester6198]

Awesome bro! Always wanted to know how to design a wedge box & calculate the internal volume. What if the manufacturer recommends an enclosure of 48ltrs with a port tuned to 32hz... but I want a larger box, if I increased the box volume to 62ltrs and ported it tuned to 32hz, would this still sound good... maybe slightly more boomy sounding? Let us know what you think. Che bro.

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Theres actually a program out there that allows you to input specs like this, play with box size and determine what the differences in output will be. Its free and I show it in the video below:: How to Design a Subwoofer Box - Design Software and the Math! Car Audio Fabrication CAF

[@RAW_Reality]

@@CarAudioFabrication Video is now "Private"?

[@keronali8264]

hey CAF I i want to build my own sub box but i was hoping to build a T- line box for 2 8'' JBL woofers any advice on how to get started?? i measures the trunk of the car and got these dimensions w= 38 h=15 d= 20 can i get a t line box out of this

[@jeremiahsmith6689]

does that brace in the end equation even connect with the regular volume of the box

[@DamienNicholas]

can you explain rca's and why its not such a good idea to make your own?

[@tarnishedandhollow]

Basic car audio question: how could anyone not like that tutorial?

[@travisgulley2652]

Box volume effects the tuning frequency and if you make your subwoofer bigger you will bring the tuning frequency down and if you make your subwoofer box too big then you will bring the tuning frequency back up and that can make your subwoofers less louder also if you make your subwoofer box smaller you will bring the tuning frequency up and your subwoofers will not be as loud and if you make your subwoofer box too small you can suffocate the subwoofer and blow your subwoofers

[@jimjones3287]

What if you have the recommended volume (0.75 cubes for a sealed enclosure) but the width makes the back of the subwoofer almost touch the box (ie a slim enclosure), does that affect the subwoofer output (even if with woofer displacement in the box the box is still 0.75 cubes)?

[@Chromedome-ss6mg]

When you calculated for a wedge you did triangle calculations. Why don't you just add the lengths of both and divide it by two. That's what I did it's much simpler. Also my jl10w3 displacement is only .05. Isnt that really small? Seems like it would be more because yours was like .2 or something.

[@austinej2785]

Hi, nice video. Please how do i calculate the internal size of the sealed box? Of this External Dimensions (LxWxH) 444mm x 384mm x 309mm

[@nicksonsbikeski440]

subtract the wall thickness from each of the length/height/width.

[@rody3409]

just keep this thing in mind.space=volume

[@l34052]

Assuming a sealed box, does the shape of the enclosure affect the sound quality at all? I ask because I was using a square prefab box that wasn't quite big enough but now I've built my own box to the right size for the sub but it's a much more rectangular shape 26.5x13x11 (WxHxD) to try and maintain some space in the back.

[@AB-80X]

It depends. If your driver has some harmonic noises, it can. That being said, the notion of standing low frequency waves inside a subwoofer box is as asinine as can be. Those waves are much, much longer than any inside dimension of the box. The biggest issues with completely square boxes are that they are the most prone to resonance and harmonic distortion - so avoid that. For the reasons explained above, a trapezoidal or wedge shaped box tends to be more "dead". If you design a box that sounds good in terms of response, but you find find that is has some harmonics, do the following. Just get a roll of Gladen Aero-Multi and line your box with it. It will remove a lot of vibrations and it will take care of the harmonics, but it will not change the volume and tuning of the box like Poly-fill does.

[@CarAudioFabrication]

I will show you in a future video, thanks for watching!

[@Eddy9lives]

Is there another way to measure without packing peanuts? Other object more commonly found?

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Sand, water. Obviously more messy.

[@JesseOsby]

Should you also add the volume of the speaker hole cutout (assuming a top-mounted woofer)? i.e. the hole makes the box volume slightly larger before the woofer drops into it and makes the volume smaller.

[@qjuanwhite8285]

no

[@JesseOsby]

+qjuan white Why wouldn't you? Taking out part of one of the walls makes the box bigger.

[@qjuanwhite8285]

I don't think the woofer hole matters just account for anything taking up space in your box

[@jeremybaxley5848]

Good question and I fully understand. If you don't subtract that piece then why do you have to add baffles and braces when figuring volume?

[@RGVShooters]

For those of us with Dyscalculia you should just retitle this video "Why you should have a reputable shop build your box" =D