is my sub box too big for my 12'' sub?

3423 Views 25 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Changs96Camry, Jan 30, 2007

umeshr85

Discussion Starter · Jan 28, 2007

i have one 12'' sub, no name. and its in a box about 20 inches high, 18'' long on the left and right and about 22 inches long. i'm guessing its too big, thats why it sounds shitty.
anyone agree with me? i'll end up having to buy a box.

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

abew330

· #2 · Jan 28, 2007

i've had plenty of boxes before.. and only the poorly built boxes sounds shity
i dont think its the box..
there are crappy subs out tthere but if the sub sounded good before... it must be the box..
only one sub?

abew330

· #3 · Jan 28, 2007

there can be a bunch of things causing the dhity sound..

ghettosled

· #4 · Jan 28, 2007

are you sure its not the sub? whats the crappy sound you are talking about? cracking on the lows, muffled sound, no deep bass...?

bigbird

· #5 · Jan 28, 2007

as far as i know, the bigger the box the better the sound resonance. i think its ur no names that are the problem. i had some no names that i got for about 50 bucks a piece. they SUCKED.

umeshr85

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 28, 2007

probably that then. cuz the box, although big is fine, i sealed every corner with silicone.

the bass is hardly noticeable. its not clean bass either.

abew330

· #7 · Jan 28, 2007

it may be your amp as well..
like i said it could be a bunch of stuff why it does sound good
settings on amp
the amp itself
rcas
deck
box
sub
on and on

abew330

· #8 · Jan 28, 2007

if the box is ported... if the port is TO BIG i think the sub will not perform as well..

94CoupeV6

· #9 · Jan 28, 2007

Sealed boxes are the only way to go. Buy a Type-R and be done with it.

abew330

· #10 · Jan 28, 2007

i like bandpass

Eye8Pussies

· #11 · Jan 29, 2007

it's not your box- it's your sub.

all the different style boxes have their own strengths and weaknesses....sealed is really only popular because it takes very little room- a well designed ported box can do everything better than a sealed box...but it will take a lot of room

that, a lot of subs are designed for a specific type of box in mind as well with specific specs. find out what yours was designed for (if anything, since it's a no name) and follow those specs

WestCoastff

· #12 · Jan 29, 2007

Listen to Mr pussies... If you dont have a decent sub to start off with in the first place, the best box in the world couldnt make it sound good. Plus, bad sub + good (powerful) amp = distorted sound or a blown sub. Sealed boxes are better for SUV's, Ported boxes are better for smaller areas like tunks... Did you ever consider the sub is blown?

umeshr85

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 29, 2007

blown already? in a month of hardly playing it? it is likely since it doesnt play like before. i dont care it shit, paid 28 with shipping for it on ebay. learned my lesson.
whats an affordable but good sub? 10'' 12'' or 15''
something like 50 to 70 bux?
thanks

umeshr85

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 29, 2007

i have rca wires and an inline fuseholder for sale.. private message me

WestCoastff

· #15 · Jan 29, 2007

They are kinda trendy but i have had Alpine Type R's in all my last 3 cars. I have one 10" in my cam right now with a custom built ported box, im pushing it with a 500 watt profile amp and it THUMPS

patrolman

· #16 · Jan 29, 2007

Haha $75 for a nice sub..no way. First off this is most likely cause by your sub or your amp, considering no matter how much air you have to displace as long as its reasonable, after time the box will pressurize. Your best bet is to go out and buy a Jl w1 13 1/2" its going to cost you like 150-200 bucks and it has great sound and clarity.Get yourself a nice amp, and if the problem is still there then downgrade the size of the box, your going to want to port it anyway if you using anything above a 12" and in a car. bandpass is a terrible idea for cars, the bandpass is meant to simulate the pressure produced by a trunk (that is why its also not a good idead to pound subs with the trunk open) and this will create and over abundance of pressure and crack your box (learned the hard way). Also, this is the wrong forum a moderator may want to move this to the car audio section.

WestCoastff

· #17 · Jan 29, 2007

Dont go to an audio shop. You get ripped off, look on Ebay, make sure its a power seller or someone with a good rating. You can pick up a type R or W4 for around a hundred plus shipping...

Jeeves

· #18 · Jan 29, 2007 (Edited)

bigbird said:
as far as i know, the bigger the box the better the sound resonance. i think its ur no names that are the problem. i had some no names that i got for about 50 bucks a piece. they SUCKED.

Um. No. No. No. No. If you look up the specifications for any respectable sub, they will list the size the box should be. They will usually give both sealed and ported sizes (as they is a big difference between the two styles). For instance, here's a website that lists the requirements for the sub I'm running:
http://www.cardomain.com/item/ROCRFR3110

Look at the bottom:

Subwoofer Specifications
Size: 10 inch
Sealed Box Dims: 0.63 - 0.63 cu. ft.
Ported Box Dims: 0.75 - 1.75 cu. ft.
Free Air Usage: not recommended
Sensitivity: 83 dB

Now, my box is ported, and is 22"x11.5"x11.5". So, using LxWxH=2909.5 cubic inches. Multiply that by 0.0005787, and we get 1.68 cubic feet. Right in the specifications for my sub.

Now, let's look at yours, We'll use the 12" numbers from the 12" version of my sub:

Sealed Box Volume 1.00 cubic ft.
Ported Box Volume 1.75 - 4.0 cubic ft.

20x18x22 = 7,920 Cubic inches, multiply that and we get, 4.58 cubic feet. Since you've got some generic 12" and not a 1000Watt RMS sub, we can safely assume your box is too large (especially if it's a SEALED box). However, there are multitudes of things that could make it sound worse.

1) Cheap Sub. Face it, it's cheap, it's a no name, it's probably not going to be fantastic.
2) Cheap Amp. Could also be underpowered, or just not suited to the task. Bridged? Mono? Class D? etc.
3) Resistance. What's the stable load the amp is built for? Is the sub correct? or is it 8ohm and your 4ohm steady amp is having issues?
4) Crossover. Are you feeding all the frequencies to the sub? or do you have it limited to a certain range? You don't want to feed 20khz to a sub.

You do not just want to build a box as big as possible. It just doesn't work that way. Then you throw in the location, size, and depth of the port and it becomes even more complex. Then comes in little things, like batting, and how well it's sealed.

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umeshr85

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jan 30, 2007

thanks jeeves.

umeshr85

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jan 30, 2007

i took the box out until i get a better amp to power my sub or get a better sub or both.
the amp was crap to, panasound was the brand. currently got all 4 aftermarket speakers hooked up to a 1000watt amp and its loud and sounds good. so i'm content for now.

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

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