Subwoofer Builder's Manual

"How To" Resource for DIYs

Presented by:

Subwoofers.com

Mike Dzurko 2001

Subwoofer Builders Manual

How To Resource for DIYs
Mike Dzurko, Revised 2001

Table of Contents I. Introduction: Guarantee Yourself a Successful Project

II.

How low must you go?

III.

Woofer terminology

IV.

The Basics of Subwoofer Design

V.

Subwoofer Design Resources

VI.

Cabinet Construction Techniques and Tips

VII.

Builders FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

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www.subwoofers.com (608) 784-4565

1 ) Introduction: Guarantee Yourself a Successful Project

I tried to organize this manual to flow from beginner to advanced information. In 25+ years of working with Do-It-Yourselfers, Ive seen many successfully built wonderful and satisfying speaker systems. Ive also seen countless DIYs whove wasted a lot of time and money on projects that ultimately disappointed them. The successful ones take organized steps and do their homework. Please take the time to look through each section in order. Doing so will save you a lot of time, (and possibly moneyJ). 1) The quality of the finished product is in proportion to what is put into it. The caliber of the design is more important than the quality/cost of the raw parts. Expensive parts will not make up for poor design. Gaining the knowledge and experience required to design a well optimized passive subwoofer takes a least one to three years of full-time work. This assumes the builder has the tools, (instrumentation and software), required for the job. 2) If you do your own design start simple. The best speaker designers work on simple designs before attacking more complicated projects. There is less to go wrong with a simple design and you have less financial risk. 3) Your speaker design should compliment the rest of your system and your listening tastes. For example, if you only have 50 watts to power your sub and like to play your music fairly loud, your design should be of relatively high efficiency and limited bass response. 4) Take the time for quality construction. Air leaks, rattles, resonances, etc. can ruin the performance of an otherwise fine subwoofer. 5) Consider the appearance of the system before building. Consider the aesthetic tastes of other family members before building a refrigerator-sized MDF box or cardboard tube. 6) STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!! Take the time to read, research and plan. Professional speaker designers using powerful CAD, (Computer Aided Design), programs usually spend hundreds or even thousands of hours on a design before the first piece of wood is cut. The more thoroughly you plan, the less chance of costly mistakes or a poor finished product. Use the Internet! The scope of information available is incredible. If Id had the Internet 25 years ago, I could have developed my design capabilities SO much faster! Anytime you get stuck doing your design or the actual construction you can probably find answers on the Internet in minutes. Use our links to get started. 7) Make sure the project is FUN! If you aren't going to enjoy the process involved in designing a system we strongly encourage you to start with a Subwoofers.com Parts Kit. Our designers have put in thousands of hours of design/prototyping/evaluation since 1977 to bring you proven designs that perform extremely well, at value pricing.

2) How Low Must You Go!

Sure wed all like to have a subwoofer that is flat to 16Hz, has no distortion, plays really loud, and is shoebox sized. The laws of physics put the cabosh on that, so you need to intelligently decide what you want from your sub(s) before you build or buy. Ask yourself a lot of questions. You should have some ideas of what you want to help narrow down your decision. Do you want to really extend your bass response or just add some extra muscle, perhaps for videos? What is your budget? How large of box can you fit in your room? Is the appearance of the subwoofer important? (Personally I'm not thrilled with big black boxes and tubes. I'd rather that the sub also be useful as furniture.)
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The six factors you need to first consider are:

How low in frequency do you really need to reach How loudly you will need to play, everyone doesn't play at THX Reference levels How much amplifier power do you have available How large can you make the enclosure How large is the room you will be using this sub in How much can you spend on this project

These six factors are directly related. If you want to attain 115db below 20Hz in a large room, plan on a really big box, multiple and or expensive and large drivers, and a lot of amplifier power. The more modest your requirements for output and low bass extension, the more modestly sized you enclosure can be, and or you can use less amplifier power. Generalizations: The bass that knocks your socks off when enjoying your favorite blockbuster might well seem bloated and muddy when listening to a jazz quartet. Accurate bass does not always sound spectacular, it sounds real. Listen to bass guitar or plucked string bass. The notes should be clearly defined and no particular note(s)should keep jumping out at you (lumpy bass can often be the fault of room placement or poor setup) For video based applications, quantity of bass may well be as important as quality. If you have the money, space (and time to fine tune) you can have quality and quantity but quantity is easier to get. Consider your evolving tastes. Initially, you might get a real kick out of excessive bass. After awhile you might get a headache. People often start off with the sub(s) cranked and watch Jurassic Park over and over. Then they start enjoying a wider range of films and music and begin to notice that there is too much bass and not much definition. People often find that the sub(s) degrades their enjoyment of music because it calls too much attention to itself. Unless you plan on upgrading, make sure the sub(s) you build have enough quality to keep you happy for years. . . not months.

3) Woofer Terminology
This section contains only the basic terms. A more complete glossary may be found at: http://audioc.com/audio_glossary/audio_glosssary.htm Active Crossover: A frequency divider at line level. Can be based on integrated circuits (ICs), discreet transistors or tubes. An active crossover is impedance buffered and gives a consistent and accurate transition regardless of load (see impedance below). BL: The product of the length of wire in the magnetic field multiplied by the magnetic field density. Crossover Slope: High and low pass filters used for speakers do not cut-off frequencies like brick walls. The rolloff occurs over a number of octaves. Common filter slopes for speakers are 1st through 4th order corresponding to 6db/oct to 24db/oct. For example, a 1st. order, 6db/oct high pass filter at 100hz will pass 6db less energy at 50Hz and 12db less energy at 25Hz. Within the common 1st through 4th order filters there is an endless variety of types including Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley, Bessel, Chebychev, etc. Salesmen and product literature will sometimes make claims of clear superiority for the filter they have chosen. Since the subject fills books, suffice it to say there is no one best filter, it depends on application and intended outcome. DCR: The Dc resistance of the driver voice coil at rest. Fs: The resonant frequency of the driver mounted in free air. F3: The point at which the system response will be reduced by 3db from the upper reference level. Common phrase might be flat to 20Hz.
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F10: The point at which the system response will be reduced by 10db from the upper reference level. Generally regarded as the lowest clearly audible frequency of the system. Frequency: The range of human hearing is commonly given as 20-20,000Hz (20Hz-20kHz). One hertz (Hz) represents one cycle per second, 20Hz represents 20 cycles per second and so on. Lower numbers are lower frequencies. Subwoofers typically reproduce frequencies from 50-150Hz on down. Music has a lot of energy in the 40-80Hz octave but little fundamental energy below 40Hz. Large pipe organs and synthesizers, however, reach below 20Hz and "hall sound" contains energy below 40Hz. Special effects in the movies; crashes, explosions, etc., have a lot of energy in the 30s but rarely much below 30Hz. Inductance: The voice coil inductance at rest, measured in mh. Hearing Sensitivity: The human ear is less sensitive at low frequencies than in the midrange. Turn your volume knob down and notice how the bass seems to"disappear". To hear low bass requires an adequate SPL level. To hear 25Hz requires a much higher SPL level than to hear 250Hz. In the REAL world, low frequency sounds are reproduced by large objects; bass drums, string bass, concert grand pianos, etc. Listen to the exhaust rumble of a 454 cubic inch V8 engine vs. the whine of the little four banger. The growl of a lion vs. the meow of your favorite kitty. As frequency decreases we perceive more by feel than actual hearing and we lose our ability to hear exact pitch. High-Pass Filter: A circuit that allows high frequencies to pass but rolls off the low frequencies. When adding a subwoofer it is often desirable to roll-off the low frequencies to the main amplifiers and speakers. This will allow the main speakers to play louder with less distortion. High-pass filters used at speaker level are usually not very effective unless properly designed for a specific main speaker (see impedance below). Impedance: Impedance is a measure of electrical resistance specified in ohms. Speakers are commonly listed as 4 or 8 ohms but speakers are reactive devices and a nominal 8 ohm speaker might measure from below 4 ohms to 60 or more ohms over its frequency range. This varying impedance curve is different for each speaker model and makes it impossible to design a really effective "generic" speaker level high-pass filter. Active devices like amplifiers typically have an input impedance between about 10,000-100,000 ohms and the impedance is the same regardless of frequency. Line Level: CD players, VCRs, Laserdisc Players, DVDs, etc., are connected in a system at line level, usually with shielded RCA type interconnects. Line level is before power amplification. In a system with separate pre-amp and power-amp the pre-amp output is line level. Many surround sound decoders and receivers have line level outputs as well. Low Frequency Extension: Manufacturers, writers and salespeople toss around all kinds of numbers and terminology that can be very confusing and misleading. "This $300 shoebox sized sub is flat to 25Hz". Right, in your dreams... How is that tiny box and driver going to reproduce a 56-foot wavelength with enough power to be heard? It will not do it. Good bass reproduction requires moving a lot of air and playback at realistic volumes. Remember the rule of needing to move four times the air to go down one octave. Example: You have a pair of good quality tower speakers with 10" woofers that produce good bass down to around 40Hz. The salesman is telling you that his little subwoofer with a single 10" woofer will extend your system down to 20Hz. If you've been paying attention you know that his woofer will have to move eight times as much air as each of your 10" woofers, not likely. Adding that subwoofer to your system might give you more apparent bass energy, and in fact may help a little with movie special effects, but it is unlikely to extend bass response significantly. Low-Pass Filter: A circuit that allows low frequencies to pass but rolls off the high frequencies. Most subwoofers have low-pass filters built in and many surround sound decoders have subwoofer outputs that have been low-pass filtered.

MDF: Medium Density Fiberboard. An excellent material for building enclosures. MDF has much smaller particles, more density than common particleboard. Density is specified in pounds per cubic foot. The higher the density the better. Look for MDF with a density of 45 lb. per cu.ft. or higher. Mmd: The moving mass of the driver. Octave: An octave is a doubling or halving of frequency. 20Hz-40Hz is often considered the bottom octave. Each octave you add on the bottom requires that your speakers move four times as much air! Passive Crossover: A frequency divider that relies on capacitors, coils and resistors. Usually used at speaker level, (but our ACI high-pass line level filters are at line-level). Unlike an active crossover, a passive crossover is load dependent (the transition may not be very smooth or accurate if a different speaker is substituted for the one the crossover was designed for). Phase: For this discussion we'll consider only absolute phase; also referred to as polarity. With a pair of stereo speakers it is very important that the + and - be connected correctly on both speakers. Correct phase means both speakers will move out when fed a positive signal. With subwoofers the situation gets more complicated because we are adding the variables of crossover slopes and distance both of which can change phase. Example; with the sub the same distance from your listening position as your main speakers, the two may be correctly phased. Move the subwoofer a few feet back and it may now be out of phase with your main speakers. The result will be a hole or dip in the response around the transition between the two. Sd: The effective cone area of the driver, measured in meters or inches. Sensitivity: The output level of the driver in decibels measured at one meter with one watt of input. Sound Waves: Sound waves can be thought of like the waves in water. Frequency determines the length of the waves; amplitude or volume determines the height of the waves. At 20Hz, the wavelength is 56 feet long! These long waves give bass its penetrating ability, (why you can hear car boomers blocks away). Sound Pressure Level (SPL): Given in decibels (DB) is an expression of loudness or volume. A 10db increase in SPL represents a doubling in volume. Live orchestral music reaches brief peaks in the 105db range and live rock easily goes over 120db. Speaker Level: Taken from the speaker terminals. This signal has already been amplified Qes: The electrical Q, or damping of the driver. Qms: The mechanical Q, or damping of the driver. Qts: The total damping of the driver. Vas: The equivalent acoustical volume of the driver measured in liters or square feet. Xmax: The linear peak excursion of the driver. Determined by the length of the voice coil and the length of the magnetic gap. Caution: some manufacturers specify with double the linear excursion! ACI specifies one-way linear excursion.

4) The Basics of Subwoofer Design

We could easily have a thousand pages just describing the basic types of woofer enclosures. However, were going to keep it relatively simple. For more details, check the references found in Section Four. Have you ever been in a car that had a pair of 6x9 woofers sitting out on the back deck, uninstalled? Did you notice that there was virtually no bass? The 6x9 woofer cone radiates sound equally to the front and rear. The longer wavelengths, (bass sounds), wrap around the woofer and cancel each other out. Hence, no bass. The task of any enclosure type is to eliminate or deal with the rear wave of the speaker so that cancellation does not take place or is accounted for.

Dipoles
The simplest form of speaker enclosure is the dipole. The Dipole can be nothing more than a panel that is large enough to prevent cancellation of the lowest wavelengths you want to reproduce. Since a 100Hz soundwave is approx. 11 feet long, you can see that dipolar baffles have to be quite large if you want good bass, (many dipolar designs also feature active or passive equalization to boost the level of bass).

Advantages: Lack of enclosure resonance Relatively easy to build Disadvantages: LARGE Usually require active or passive filters for good bass extension, Low output since so much sound is wasted by dipolar cancellation Room placement is extremely critical

Infinite Baffle
To eliminate dipolar cancellation we can enclose the driver so that the rear wave is isolated from the front wave. The Infinite Baffle is the simplest means of doing this. A true infinite baffle is large enough so that there is no compression of the air mass behind the driver. Every woofer has a VAS figure, which is the equivalent closed air volume of the driver compliance. For the system to operate as an infinite baffle, a woofer with a VAS of 300 liters would require a 300 liter or larger enclosure, (approx. 28 liters per cu.ft.). In this example, youd need a box about 11 cu.ft. or the size of a small refrigerator! When operated in an infinite baffle, the woofer parameters dont change. For example, a woofer that has a Qts of .5 with an Fs of 30Hz will have those same numbers if used in an infinite baffle design. You can see that true infinite baffles are usually not very practical. However, infinite baffle systems can be built into attics, basements, closets, etc. In this manner it is possible to create infinite baffle systems with extremely high-output capabilities that take up virtually no living space. (See Builders FAQs for tips on building Infinite Baffles). Advantages: Can produce very accurate low-bass Simple design Can use waste space such as attic or closet Disadvantages: Must be very solid Can leak too much bass to other areas of the house or outside Cant be moved Requires a lot of driver cone area and or very long-Xmax drivers for high output

Sealed Box
The true sealed box is also known as an Acoustic Suspension system. The air mass in the enclosure acts as a spring or restoring force for the driver. The smaller the enclosure, the more the Q of the system will be raised. The common question is: What is the optimum sealed box for this woofer? However, this question is not possible to answer without knowing what the desired system Q is. The lower the Q, the tighter the bass with better transient response. However, low Q boxes are larger and less efficient. The choice of system Q becomes a matter of trading off low bass response / box size / and efficiency.

Specified System Q .5

.7 .85 1

Characteristics Critically damped, no overhang, largest enclosure, most powerful low bass, somewhat lower powerhandling, reduced mid-bass output, also known as a Bessel alignment Good compromise system; good transient response, no response peaking, reasonably sized enclosure Slight response peak (.7db), reasonable transient response, smaller enclosure size Good power-handling, some degradation of transient response, response peak of 1.25db, smaller enclosure, also know as a Butterworth alignment Maximum power-handling, boomy sounding, response peak of 1.85db, small enclosure size Maximum power-handling, very boomy sounding, response peak of 3db, very small enclosure size

1.1 1.3

 Lower Q systems have somewhat reduced power handling because the air spring in the box is much looser. High input levels at very low frequencies can more easily push the driver beyond its linear range. Lower Q systems require larger enclosures, sometimes a compromise must be made for the enclosure to fit the space available. Lower Q systems sound more accurate but may not sound as impressive or exciting as higher Q systems. Lower Q systems produce the best extension and low-bass but give up some mid-bass punch. Over the years, most audiophiles come to prefer systems with lower Q and better transient response. Personally, I most enjoy systems with a Q around .5. However, because we hear less bass at lower volume levels, I can easily tolerate Qs up to around 1.0 if the system is played at lower volume levels. Advantages: Easy to design and build Potential for very accurate sound System Q can be chosen to suit purpose Exact dimensions not as critical as a ported-box, having an enclosure that is a little over or under sized will not ruin the sound like a poorly tuned vented system. Disadvantages: Output levels not as high as ported boxes F3 not as low as ported boxes Can be difficult to find good sealed box drivers, (sealed boxes require drivers with long Xmax.)

Transmission Line
The most common type of transmission line utilizes a long, folded line behind the driver, (usually five to nine feet long). The line is usually stuffed or lined with longhaired wool. The line is designed to be of the wavelength of the resonant frequency of the system. The line basically inverted the phase of the backwave and provides output at very low frequencies. If the line is designed and constructed properly it will provide excellent transient response and good low-frequency power. A variation of this approach is to overstuff the line to absorb virtually all of the backwave. This approach is sometimes used for mid-bass and midrange systems as the clarity and transient response are superb. This approach is not recommended for subwoofers.

Advantages: Potential for very accurate bass reproduction Excellent transient performance Disadvantages: Large physical size Difficult to design and build Output levels not as high as comparable vented system

Vented Box
Vented enclosures use a tuned port or duct to invert the phase of the backwave so that it adds to the front wave at low frequencies instead of canceling. In essence, the system is tuned so that below a certain frequency, most of the energy will be coming from the vent. Vented enclosures have advantages and disadvantages compared to sealed boxes. Advantages: The vent can be used to extend the F3 lower than the same driver in a sealed box. A vented box of a given size can offer higher efficiency than a sealed box. A vented box can be designed to offer lower-distortion down to F3 than the sealed box. Higher sound pressure levels are possible than with a sealed box Disadvantages: Vented boxes are sensitive to subsonic noise such as recording rumble, turntable rumble, record warps etc. The result can be excessive cone flutter that causes modulation distortion as well as potential woofer damage. Below resonance the response of a vented box rolls off at twice the rate of a sealed box. This rapid rolloff results in a high group delay, and is the reason vented boxes cannot have the transient accuracy of a sealed box. This also means that the vented box will have much poorer response below resonance than a sealed box. Vented boxes require far more design computation than do sealed boxes. Computer software is highly recommended. Vented boxes are far more critical of tuning than are sealed boxes. A poorly tuned vented box can be completely unlistenable.

Bandpass Box
Bandpass boxes use multiple chambers and ports to increase output, reduce box size, or lower the cutoff frequency. Because a port is radiating all the sound, not only the lower frequencies have a cutoff, but the upper frequencies have a cutoff as well. Bandpass boxes have a narrow range of operation, which makes them suitable only for subwoofer use. Advantages: Can be quite small for the performance attained Efficiency, low frequency and high frequency cutoffs can be varied The upper frequencies are rolled-off, resulting in different crossover requirements Disadvantages: Additional filtering is sometimes required to eliminate the port honk A certain company whose name rhymes with nose may say youre infringing on their patents. Extremely complex design and tuning. Computer software is highly recommended.

Variations on the Basic Types of Systems:

Adding Equalization
Equalization may be used with virtually any speaker system. It is possible to make equalization an integral part of the design process. Careful use of equalization can be used to decrease box size, increase power handling, flatten system impedance, time-align different components of a system or lower the cutoff frequency of the system. Simple but effective equalization can be done at a passive level using inductors, capacitors and resistors. More complexity and perhaps greater precision can be attained with the use of active equalization. A very common application of active equalization is found in powered subwoofers.
Passive EQ

Passive equalization is done using capacitors, coils and resistors. Because this equalization is down at speaker level, these component parts must usually be large and relatively expensive to handle adequate power and bring passive level losses to an acceptable level. Designing effective passive filters requires good knowledge of filter theory and can be best assisted using good quality design software. Some of the types of passive EQ are: Zobel filters, used to flatten the impedance rise of a driver Notch filters, used to reduce the amplitude or eliminate a peak in the response Shelving filters used to reduce the level of part of the frequency range Crossover filters to provide high-pass or low-pass characteristics There are many ways to use passive filters. For example, it is possible to use a large capacitor in series with a woofer to make the system become a third-order system. Consult your resources for other ideas and implementations of passive filters.
Active EQ

Active equalization is done at line-level using active circuitry such as OP amps, transistors or vacuum tubes. Because the level is lower and the impedance load is constant, these filters can be designed with greater precision and complexity than passive filters. The huge inductors and capacitors required for passive circuits are not required. Virtually any type of equalization including complex time-alignment and high-Q tunable notch filters can be done with active equalization. The only real disadvantage is that designing and building active circuits is an art/science beyond most casual speaker builders.

Compound Systems
Compound systems use two identical drivers mounted in tandem with each other, but only one of the drivers is firing into the room. The second driver is mounted behind the first driver. Usually there is as little air space as possible between the two drivers, and this space must be completely sealed. The rear driver is mounted into the actual enclosure that can be sealed, vented, transmission line, or bandpass. The two compound drivers actually behave as one single driver with double the mass, half the Vas, and other parameters essentially unchanged. The potential advantage is to be able to build an enclosure of the size. Of course the compound system will require the complexity and expense of the second driver. The compound system is also relatively inefficient because of the high mass of the driver and the small enclosure size.

Aperiodic
The aperiodic enclosure is a sealed box that attempts to relieve the pressure that is generated inside the enclosure. In a sense, it is a leaky box. When an electrical impulse makes the woofer move, it pushes out and into the box. This generates turbulence and pressure inside the cabinet. After the electrical impulse stops, this turbulence and pressure will still press on the rear of the cone. This can have the effect of blurring
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transients. This is not generally a problem if the box is large, but can be a problem in smaller boxes with higher Qs. Aperiodic enclosures will usually use holes in the cabinet rear that are stuffed with damping material. This allows for the release of some of the backpressure. Use of aperiodic pressure-release may be a good way to make an otherwise too small box workable.

Push-Pull Mounting
Push-pull refers to the electrical hookup of two woofers. A push-pull mounting utilizes a pair of identical woofers with one mounted backwards in the cabinet. (The picture of the compound system uses push-pull mounted drivers). This backwards woofer will be wired with the opposite polarity of the normal woofer. Both cones will move in the same direction with the same electrical signal. By doing this, the resistance and inductance of the system is more stable. This results in a slightly easier load for an amp to drive, and 2nd order harmonic distortion is somewhat reduced. Keep in mind that you shouldnt use a push-pull configuration much above 200Hz because the magnet and chassis of the backwards driver will cause response colorations in the midrange.

5) Subwoofer Design Resources

1. Your local library has a wealth of information on cabinet building/finishing techniques. 2. An excellent source for audio related books and magazines is: Old Colony Sound Lab, P.O. Box 243, Peterborough, NH 03458 Phone: (603) 924-6371 Fax: (603) 924-9467 3. I have found three publications to be must have: High Performance Loudspeakers by Martin Colloms, The Loudspeaker Cookbook by Vance Dickason, and Handbook for Sound Engineers the New Audio Cyclopedia, Glen Ballou, Editor All three are available from Old Colony Sound 4. The Internet has countless sites dedicated to building your own speakers. At these sites you will find: Classified ads Glossaries of audio and engineering terms Driver specifications Recommendations from experienced hobbyists Freeware and shareware software to design enclosures and crossovers Professional and amateur designs using a variety of drivers Professional and amateur reviews of speaker building products and designs Woodworking and cabinet building information Catalogs of products for building speakers Discussion groups of hobbyists who may be willing to help A caveat: Anyone can publish on the web, for the most part there is no editing. By sure to use your critical thinking skills when evaluating information you find on the web, (or anywhere else)! Were only going to list a handful of websites. New sites appear and old sites vanish daily on the web. Weve chosen the following sites because: These sites have been around for awhile. These sites appear to have useful content. (We cannot guarantee their accuracy). These sites have links that will lead you to all the other useful areas on the WWW. Audioreview: http://audioreview.com Subwoofers.org: http://subwoofers.org The Speaker Building Page: http://speakerbuilding.com/ Soundstage: http://soundstage.com/ The Audio Glossary: http://audioc.com/audio_glossary/audio_glosssary.htm
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 SMR Home Theatre: http://smr-home-theatre.org/ The DIY Audio Corner: http://members.tripod.com/nightstormer/audio.html DIY Loudspeakers Page: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~speakers/ The Audio Web: http://audioweb.com/ Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity: http://www.sdinfo.com/diy.html

6) Cabinet Construction Techniques and Tips Minimize Resonance

Make it as close to solid concrete as possible! Once the basic design is worked out, there is nothing more important to the sound of your bass system than a very solid, non-resonant enclosure. Designers of commercial systems have to worry about the cost of materials and shipping weights. As a DIY, the cost of MDF is relatively cheap, and it makes sense to make your enclosure as solidly as possible. Designers of commercial systems make use of accelerometer / FFT testing etc. to accurately determine the most effective use of materials and internal bracing structures. As a DIY you can substitute pure overkill. If you want a good, non-resonant enclosure without testing various bracing schemes etc., Id recommend the following wall thickness: Enclosure Volume .5 to 1.0 cu.ft. 1.0 to 2.0 cu.ft. 2.0 to 3.0 cu.ft. 3.0 to 5.0 cu.ft. 5.0 or larger Recommended wall thickness, MDF thickness minimum 1 thickness minimum 1.5 thickness minimum 2 thickness minimum 2.5-3 thickness

Maximize Aesthetics

One of the advantages of DIY is that the cosmetics of your enclosure are completely up to you! You can build your subwoofer to accurately match your room dcor. Wood veneers, laminates and painting are the most common approaches, but other alternatives include; cloth, hardwood, sprayed textures, rock, synthetic rock, etc. Remember to make your enclosure solid, resonant free, dimensionally stable, and leakproof. It is usually easiest to build an internal box, preferably with MDF, and then do your cosmetic work to the outside of the box. For example, if you are using 1/2" hardwood, you could build an internal MDF box that was 1/4" to 1/2" thinner than if not using hardwood on the outside. Check out your local building supply stores for finishing ideas. Prototype If you are trying a relatively complicated design, or are unsure of how well your design will work acoustically, we'd suggest building a cheap unfinished box for testing purposes. It is a lot better to throw out a pile of MDF than it is to throw out that gorgeous box that cost you $$$s and 100s of hours to build. See the next Chapter (7) for more cabinet building tips!

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7) Builders FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What material should I build my cabinets with?
The material of choice is MDF with a 49 pounds per cubic foot density or greater. As a second choice, use a grade of dense particleboard made of many small particles rather than large particles. Plywood is not recommended. Solid hardwoods may be used but because hardwoods lack dimensional stability and tend to be less damped than MDF it is usually best to build an MDF box and cover it with your hardwood. Be sure that the hardwoods are firmly bonded to the inner box with the appropriate adhesives and fasteners or you'll have buzzes and rattles you can't get rid of.

Id like to build an Infinite Baffle into my attic, (basement, closet, etc.), what should I keep in mind?
The air volume of the room you use must be equal or greater to the VAS of the driver(s) you use. If the air volume is smaller, the effect will be the same as a sealed box system. Keep in mind that long wavelength bass notes easily penetrate common house-building construction. You must consider where the rear wave of the driver will go. For example; if you mount your drivers in a closet, the sound will easily go through the sheetrock rear of the closet into your bedroom. If you mount into a ceiling with an attic above, that sound is likely to be easily heard outside the attic as well. Mounting the drivers in a sheetrock wall will result in excessive rattles, vibrations and cancellation through the rather transparent sheet-rock. Construct a solid mounting baffle into the wall instead using MDF (multiple layers if possible) or even concrete! The single most important thing you can do to make an infinite baffle sound good is to make the baffle solid! Seal all joints to insure that the unit is air tight and solid. Build your cabinet to be as resonance free as possible. If youre building from published plans, follow them carefully. You may use any type of joint to assemble your cabinets. Locking types of joints such as grooved joints will increase cabinet strength. Our cabinet shop uses locking joints with glue. They are then machine nailed to make them as solid as a vault. Glue and screw construction also works well. Cut all panels with a table or radial arm saw. Solid joints require accurate and straight cuts. Driver holes and crossover cutouts may be made with a router or a power saber saw. Take your time. If you are new to woodworking, this is the most difficult part. The driver rebates will need to be cut with a router. If specified in the drawings, mount drivers flush with the cabinet front to reduce diffraction, resulting in smoother response and improved imaging. Flush mounting requires the use of a router to cut the rebate. Flush mounting often looks better as well. Use a good quality wood glue for building your cabinets. Allow ample time for the glue to set. Grills are very time consuming to build but they do keep dust off the speakers and offer some protection from prying fingers. Make sure your grills are removable for serious listening. Bevel or round the grills inside to reduce diffraction. Spray-on adhesive is recommended for attaching the cloth as it is stretched. Stretch it evenly in both directions so you don't see an uneven grain when the light hits just right. Some cloths have a sort of "grain" or "nap" to them, align both sides of the stereo pair the same way so it looks right. Grill cloth is not supplied in parts kit. Fastex fasteners can be used to attach the grill to the cabinet. These are available from a variety of suppliers. Velcro may also be used. Open celled foam is available from some suppliers for use as a "frame-less" speaker grill.
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How do I build the cabinets so the speaker sounds good?

How do I make grills for my speakers?

How do I make the cabinets look good?

Building your own cabinets means that the outward appearance is entirely up to you. Often cabinets are covered with A grade real wood veneer. Other options include; multi-coat lacquer finishes, clothe wrapping of the entire enclosure, laminate, slate and marble. If you are going to use a wood veneer such as oak or walnut, you will have to choose a finish. We recommend checking out local paint or woodworking shops in your area. We leave driver mounting up to you. Home speaker builders all have their own favorite methods. Self-tapping wood screws are recommended for mounting all drivers as well as foam tape to seal between the driver frame and the cabinet. Some builders like to use T-nuts for installing drivers. Our experience is that it is relatively easy to strip out a T-nut, resulting in time consuming repair. Start with a diagram or layout drawing. Glue the components to the board(s) using an adequate amount of silicone adhesive to insure a good bond. Allow the adhesive to fully set. Twist component leads together tightly. The mechanical connection between the components should be very secure. Twist your hookup wires as the diagram connections show. Solder all connections using a good grade of rosin core electrical solder. Do NOT use acid core solder.

How do I mount the drivers in the cabinets?

How do I assemble crossovers?

How do I attach the hookup wires from the crossover to the speaker drivers?
Option one is to use the supplied push-on terminals. Crimp these terminals on the ends of your hookup wires using a lot of pressure. Very carefully push them straight on the matching male terminals on the speakers themselves. The speakers negative and positive (- and +) will either be marked with the appropriate sign or a red dot may be used for the positive mark. Option two is to solder the hookup wires to the drivers. Only if you are experienced in proper soldering technique should you consider this option. Making a solid, well-damped cabinet is most important. Using good solder and technique in assembling the crossover is also important.

Are there other ways to tweak" the performance of my speakers?

I'm building from a kit; can I replace the caps, coils etc. with the latest "magic hi-buck supers?
It's your money, but chances are the changes will be minimal, if any at all. We've already supplied you with high-grade components selected to tight tolerances conforming to the design specifications. of the speakers. Notice that we said "changes", not improvements. Parts substitutions sometimes will cause a change in sound but it may be a step backwards. For instance, if an 18-gauge coil is used in a crossover, it has a certain resistance, which has been taken into account by a good designer. Replace that 18-gauge coil with a more expensive 14gauge coil and the resistance will be less, changing the Q of the circuit and possibly resulting in a less accurate response. But ... if you like playing around there's nothing wrong with experimenting, just remember, you're on your own, we simply cant answer questions like What will happen to my imaging if I change out all my capacitors? Note: for many manufacturers; changing the crossover will void the driver warranty.

Please don't call us to prophesy the outcome of your projects. We've presented as much information and resources to allow you to make your own informed decisions. If you are uncomfortable about doing your own design we'd highly recommend a Subwoofers.com Parts Kit. All the design work has been professionally done; you just build the cabinet!

Subwoofers.com 901 South 4th Street, La Crosse, WI 54601 (608) 784-4565 www.subwoofers.com

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