Bret Posted September 2, 2018 Report Share Posted September 2, 2018 Whenever I look at buying subs and enclosures I find that all the prefab stuff is much bigger than what the sub manufacturers recommend. Do the manufacturers recommend small enclosures because they want to make their products appealing to a wider range of customers? Right now I want to try an 18" sub. The ones I'm looking at call for ported enclosures from 4 to 6.5 cf. The only ported enclosure I can find is 7.4 cf and the cutout is 3/4 of an inch larger than all the manufacturer's call for. Should I roll the dice or build my own? Thanks and if you have personal experience with an 18" sub you like I would like to hear about it. I currently have 600 watts RMS to work with. Thanks for your feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothra Posted September 2, 2018 Report Share Posted September 2, 2018 sub manufacturers recommend enclosures based on their specs that are advertised and general sound. pre-made box manufacturers base their enclosures on being able to fit the most subs that are available at that size to give a really good general sound to all of them that'll fit. don't just build your own, get a design that based off of the sub and enclosure. if nothing changes, nothing changes You don't know what you don't know, till you don't know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bret Posted September 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2018 So what you are saying is that you think its a good idea to try and stick close to the manufacturer's specs. That's what I've always assumed and have always done in the past, and why I end up building my own boxes. It just seems odd that with my last 10" fosgate subs and with the 18's I'm looking at buying now, all the prefab stuff is huge compared to the recommended enclosure size. What subs are the prefab companies trying to accommodate? It seems they are way off. Thanks for your feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothra Posted September 2, 2018 Report Share Posted September 2, 2018 right now I'd never go with any recommended specs from any manufacturer unless you have no choice or you are willing to spend 4x the money you already spent. I'd recommend getting with someone who has enclosure design software and can attain T/S parameters to draw up an enclosure design for you. There are going to be plenty of people who will claim they can do it or that they are the best. Some will charge, some wont. do some leg work and research as much info as you can then go with who you feel will best be able to provide you with what you're looking for out of your enclosure. if nothing changes, nothing changes You don't know what you don't know, till you don't know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bret Posted September 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2018 Ok I see where you are coming from now. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Wallace Posted September 3, 2018 Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 Can I ask where all that you have been looking for prefab boxes? Most of the prefab boxes that I find have the opposite problem as in they are WAY too small and do not even meet the minimum recommended airspace. I have a couple 15's that I would love to throw in a prefab box for awhile as I'm not sure if I'm going to keep my current truck or upgrade to a newer truck and I don't want to cut the cab and bed right now like I had originally planned to do when I bought everything. I have the back seat out of the truck already in prep to start cutting so it would be nice to find a prefab with somewhat close to correct specs to use while I decide what I'm going to do. Specs 3.5-5.5 cubic feet per sub. Once you factor the space for the subs, bracing, and port, I figure the box would need to be a minimum of 10 cubic feet but something on the larger end of the specs would be nice lol. I've never seen a 13-14 cubic foot prefab with the correct port area ect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkarredSierra Posted September 3, 2018 Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 For the price of most decent prefabs not made from 1/2 or 5/8 "wood" you would pay more than the materials cost to just build a box. As long as you have the tools. Even then you can build a box with a few tools. Drill, jig saw, circular saw, sander, glue, and screws. Few people on here that id trust to design a box are joe x and triticum. Try making a thread asking for design help. List what subs and power you have. What vehicle you have. And max dimensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bret Posted September 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 Chase, I looked all over the place for boxes for my Punch 10" subs. Started with local car audio shops, fry's electronics, best buy, ebay, the 'shopping' tab on google, amazon, wallmart, jet, crutchfield, sonic electronix, woofers etc and various other web sites I don't remember. I was looking for a sealed enclosure back then and Fosgate calls for .59 cf per sub. Even the super-slim truck boxes are bigger than that. I ended up finding one somewhere but I could have built a box in the time it took me. I haven't bought an 18" sub yet because last night I blew all my cash on a mosconi DSP. For the 18's I'm having an even harder time. Ebay has some boxes made of 1" mdf that look nice but they are huge. I found one I would buy at Skar audio but they are sold out. I found a company that makes custom birch enclosures with curved port openings that are real nice but out of my price range at $500. I have plenty of room in my wagon so size isn't a limitation, just trying to make my sub sound the best I can. Before these subs I had a few different 15" Image Dynamics that I built my own boxes for. That was before the internet and all the local shops didn't stock boxes for 15" because everyone said they were 'sloppy.' I had not choice to build my own then. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bret Posted September 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 mathewyocham thanks for the references that's great info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe X Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 On 9/2/2018 at 9:13 AM, Bret said: Whenever I look at buying subs and enclosures I find that all the prefab stuff is much bigger than what the sub manufacturers recommend. Do the manufacturers recommend small enclosures because they want to make their products appealing to a wider range of customers? Right now I want to try an 18" sub. The ones I'm looking at call for ported enclosures from 4 to 6.5 cf. The only ported enclosure I can find is 7.4 cf and the cutout is 3/4 of an inch larger than all the manufacturer's call for. Should I roll the dice or build my own? Thanks and if you have personal experience with an 18" sub you like I would like to hear about it. I currently have 600 watts RMS to work with. Thanks for your feedback. What's your sub and vehicle? Never buy ported prefabs, people who mass produce those know they are going to be off and don't care. Bigger sealed boxes usually work but sealed is a very inefficient box type mainly for those who don't have space available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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