TYPES OF SUBWOOFER BOXES

It has also been around for a long time, and it's used to build everything from boats to Corvettes to the seats on the rides at Magic
AS you can imagine, there is more than one type of material that you can use to make your subwoofer box. There are many things to consider when building your box, so let's look at the pros and cons of the different types of construction materials that you can use.

First of all, let me say that no matter which box construction material you choose, there are two golden rules that apply to all of them;

(1) It has to be sealed and solidly built if you want it to sound good. A leaky box will not only let some of these backwaves out, but even your volume will be bad because the leak will be releasing some of the internal pressure created when the woofer compresses.

(2) The solid part is also very important when you are creating your box, because if the box can flex around and vibrate, these vibrations will really screw up the overall sound quality and sound pressure level. If you remember these two rules when you are building your enclosure, and you'll be much happier with it in the long run.
WOOD

The first and most commonly used enclosure material for your box is wood. There's a reason why it's so popular. Wood is heavy, solid, and it is very easy to attach together (even for the newbie), making it pretty easy to create a good-sounding enclosure for it.

There are many different types of wooden materials that you can use also, including plywood, particle board and MDF, which is readily available in 4-foot by 8-foot sheet form. Of all of these, I think MDF is the best, mainly because it is very solid, and it is consistent with no air pockets or soft spots in it, and very easy to cut and work with. This is a major selling point if you are a newbie.

Wood glue and some screws or a nail gun is all it takes to hold this stuff together, so if you are looking to build a basic enclosure, this is the best material for it. Wood also has natural qualities that make it great for absorbing reflective sound waves inside your box, so if youre thinking of sound quality, this is a great choice.

There's no perfect material for building your box, and wood is no exception. Since it comes in sheet form, it's pretty easy to build a square or rectangular box for your car, but it is very hard to make it curvy enough to fit the shape of your interior; particularly if you have a hatchback.

MDF is also really heavy to carry around, for example, if you want to make an enclosure with two 12" subs it is going to weigh around 40-50 pounds before you even put the subs in there! This will certainly make your task more difficult, and it will affect the overall performance of your car because of the added weight, so it's something to keep in mind when designing your sub system.

You should also remember that you cant get it wet, so if you're designing a system for your boat, you'd better find something else instead. Another good material to use for your enclosures is fiberglass.



FIBERGLASS VS WOOD

Fiberglass has also been around in the subwoofer world for a long time, and it's used to build everything from boats to Cars, and all the way down to the seats on the rides at Magic Mountain. Fiberglass is basically just a glass fiber mat or cloth that is reinforced with a resin that hardens to create a single solid piece.

Since it is built up in many layers, you can basically get just about any desired shape or thickness from it, making it extremely versatile like plastic. In general, 1/4" of fiberglass is roughly the equivalent to 3/4" of MDF when you view it from a structural standpoint, so a box for two 12' subwoofers might only weigh 15-20 pounds if it's built from fiberglass instead of MDFs 50 pounds.

Fiberglass can be shaped to fit any contour or curve as well, so it works great when it comes to putting it onto your car. The rear corners and spare tire well of most cars are a good place to put your subs, and fiberglass can be molded to fit the contours of these areas. Molding the enclosure to allow for this space maximizes available space, making the box less of a problem in putting it into the car. Also, it is completely waterproof, so it can be used anywhere.

If you opt for fiberglass, you should be prepared to learn. There are many pitfalls to mixing, laying, and shaping this material, so you should be prepared for it. It also takes a lot longer to build a fiberglass enclosure than to build the same size wooden box, since there are many more steps involved.

Even though fiberglass and MDF can be made to be alike when it comes to the structure, the fiberglass box will be more reflective internally because of the natural properties of the material. You usually have to line the enclosure with dense flexible foam or fiberglass insulation which will allow you to achieve the level of damping that is necessary for a good-sounding box. Finally, fiberglass is a much more expensive, so it costs quite a bit more than wood.

There are other choices for your sub material too. MDF and fiberglass are compatible materials, so it's often easier to build a sub from a combination of both materials if you really want to achieve the desired enclosure. The MDF can be used to form a curved floor shape, while the fiberglass can be attached to the sides and the top to finish the box.

If you have a square-shaped area in the vehicle that you can start with such as in the case of an SUV, then it makes sense to build the floor and sides out of MDF, and then use the fiberglass on the top to give it some curve and style.

If you want to be creative, you can go out and find a different material all together to build your enclosure. I've seen acrylic tubes, cardboard, steel, and even honeycomb aluminum used. Back in the day people even built his enclosure out of concrete. It weighed hundreds of pounds but it was creative.