Enclosure cracking
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Silver Member Username: Adelphia83Colorado Springs, CO USA Post Number: 119 Registered: May-05 | I have two Q-Logic 12" wedge boxes that both split in the same place, along the seam, where the sharpest angle is. One did it back when I had my old Audiobahn sub, and I had one just now split apart with my RE SX12. What causes the box to split at the seams? Poor design / construction? What can I do to prevent this? The boxes haven't been handled roughly. Any suggestions for replacements? |
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Gold Member Username: Surferdude9371Get loud or go home.... Post Number: 1321 Registered: Mar-07 | build your own box bud prefab boxes are poorly built |
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Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 8623 Registered: Jul-06 | They are cheap / low quality. All prefab ported boxes suck, and most of the sealed ones do...... there are some good sealed ones out there though. |
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Silver Member Username: Adelphia83Colorado Springs, CO USA Post Number: 120 Registered: May-05 | Any links or suggestions on box building? Wood type, etc? |
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Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 8637 Registered: Jul-06 | MDF wood Talk to canaan hes one of our master box builders on here |
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Gold Member Username: Surferdude9371Get loud or go home.... Post Number: 1325 Registered: Mar-07 | wood type would be either the classic MDF or Trupan light |
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Silver Member Username: CozceSt. Louis ILLsideU.S.A. Post Number: 324 Registered: Mar-08 | You could try searching. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=subwoofer+box+building&aq=4&oq=subwoofer+bo x+ |
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Gold Member Username: LoudonPost Number: 2776 Registered: Jun-04 | birch |
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Gold Member Username: Surferdude9371Get loud or go home.... Post Number: 1326 Registered: Mar-07 | birch is good too looks nice lil pricy |
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Silver Member Username: Adelphia83Colorado Springs, CO USA Post Number: 121 Registered: May-05 | Will a hardwood work? spruce, maple? Throw some out there, I can get just about any kind of wood except MDF and birch. |
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Gold Member Username: Surferdude9371Get loud or go home.... Post Number: 1329 Registered: Mar-07 | the three mentioned are which work best yes those will work but not optimally at all |
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Platinum Member Username: WingmanaliveA pic is worth 1000 posts!! Post Number: 18619 Registered: Jun-06 | Hardwoods are expensive! Much more so than MDF or Birch. Check the thickness of the wood used on your enclosure that cracked. 1/2" I'm guessing? Toy box wood if you're using it for sub boxes. 3/4" or better for stability and strength. Mass produced boxes are so general in size so they can accommodate many different subs. That's where the tuning problem comes in. Also the quality. If you're going to invest a decent amount of $ on a suit, you'd want it tailored right? Made to fit the man, perfectly. The same goes true with your box. It makes a world of difference. Not to mention, would anyone want their sub box made in the same facility where packing peanuts are made? The labor rate is a major contributor to the decline of quality goods anymore. If you want something done right............ |
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Silver Member Username: Adelphia83Colorado Springs, CO USA Post Number: 122 Registered: May-05 | The box was a wedge shape which appears to be a bad design because both cracked at the same place. /___ If you picture that to be one side and the base of the box, that corner is where it split. Even the carpet was split. I'm trying to use something I can get from work, which is mostly hardwoods (walnut, maple, spruce, cherry, etc) as we have lots of scrap I can cut pieces from. I don't know how well these woods work with box building however... |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 4625 Registered: Dec-06 | Hardwoods work fine from a strength standpoint but the main issue is their resonance. MDF is made of finely ground sawdust and alot of glue so it is basically acoustically inert, which means it has little or no resonance of it's own. A good analogy is the way pianos are made. They use sheets of hardwood that resonate with the notes and adds warmth and character to the sound. If they used MDF, the piano would sound like ass and would also not project at all. Having said that, if it is the best you can do, get some maple scraps which will most likely be 1/2" thick, stack two pieces together with a very generous layer of Titebond or any quality woodglue between the layers, and that will not only help cut down the resonance, but will also eliminate all or most of the air leakage you get from the pores and grains in the hardwood. That will make a pretty decent box. It will also give you the option of staining the box to take advantage of the natural wood grain. Transparent black stain + maple = sex. |
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Gold Member Username: Crayola0Portage, Wisconsin Post Number: 2518 Registered: Jun-06 | id have to say Rovin is the box building master. man his boxes are sexy |
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Platinum Member Username: WingmanaliveA pic is worth 1000 posts!! Post Number: 18621 Registered: Jun-06 | "Hardwoods work fine from a strength standpoint but the main issue is their resonance. MDF is made of finely ground sawdust and alot of glue so it is basically acoustically inert, which means it has little or no resonance of it's own. A good analogy is the way pianos are made. They use sheets of hardwood that resonate with the notes and adds warmth and character to the sound. If they used MDF, the piano would sound like ass and would also not project at all. Having said that, if it is the best you can do, get some maple scraps which will most likely be 1/2" thick, stack two pieces together with a very generous layer of Titebond or any quality woodglue between the layers, and that will not only help cut down the resonance, but will also eliminate all or most of the air leakage you get from the pores and grains in the hardwood. That will make a pretty decent box. It will also give you the option of staining the box to take advantage of the natural wood grain. Transparent black stain + maple = sex." ^^^post of the year right there!!!  |
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Silver Member Username: Adelphia83Colorado Springs, CO USA Post Number: 123 Registered: May-05 | I will probably go that route. I can use maple or whatever works best, two 1/2" pieces are no problem. Is there another forum where I can get tips on actual box size / port dimensions for my sub or is this the one? I have an RE SX12 in a crew cab pickup w/ ~1000w |
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Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 8641 Registered: Jul-06 | Why can't you use MDF? It's dirt cheap as far as wood goes. |
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Gold Member Username: Livin_loudPost Number: 2679 Registered: Jan-06 | "I'm trying to use something I can get from work, which is mostly hardwoods..." how much space do you have for the box? |
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Silver Member Username: Adelphia83Colorado Springs, CO USA Post Number: 124 Registered: May-05 | I have roughly 28w x 24h x 14d |
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Gold Member Username: Livin_loudCOD4 Addict Post Number: 2681 Registered: Jan-06 | thats plenty of room for a proper ported box. from here you could either have some willing member on here draw up some plans for you (i'm not that great at it, which is why i went with route "b"-->), contact a box builder to design you one, or do some research and have some good old fashion diy fun  if route "c" is more your choice, there are plenty tutorials/tips on here and other forums that can be found by using the search function that is quite often ignored lol. also the12volt.com, reaudio.com, and a few others i can't remember at the moment have the programs you will need to calculate box matters. great way to learn a lot about car audio. bcae1.com also contains a plethora of car audio related knowledge |
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