THE DIY SUBWOOFER NETWORK

This post is going to hit a nerve!  People get very sensitive about this subject. Plywood (left) and MDF (right) Subwoofer Enclosures There are two main materials that we build boxes with.  Plywood and MDF so here are the pros and cons of both. Five Pro's of MDF: MDF is heavy!  You want heavy and dense for your sub box!   MDF is "inert" -- meaning it will not resonate and color the sound.  It also does not expand and contract as humidity changes.   MDF is true to size!  3/4" MDF is 3/4"  While plywood is often NOT MDF is easy to Machine.  If you are dong complex router work use MDF, it will not tear out like Plywood. MDF is CHEAP!  That is not reason to use MDF, it is a great material for the above reasons.  So think of the lower price as a bonus. Carpeted MDF Enclosure Five Pro's of Plywood: Plywood is light, up to 50% lighter than MDF.   Plywood looks awesome!  If you know how to finish and stain wood then you can make some amazing works of art out of plyw

 Here is a short list of must-have woodworking tools you will need for your DIY subwoofer! Subwoofer Box for 2 12" Drivers Router: Bosch 1817 Kit I have been using this Bosh brand router for years.  Go ahead and get the kit with both the plunge and fixed base.   Circle Jig: Jasper Circle Jig. This is the legendary, and reliable Jasper Circle Jig.  It is a must-have, and the best tool for DIY speaker cut outs.  For those that don't like making Jeff Bezos even richer, consider purchasing one from Taylor Tool Works .  Spiral Router Bit: Spiral Cut Bit Go ahead and spend the money on a quality bit.  You will use this, along with the circle jig and plunge router, to plunge into wood and cut holes for speakers, ports, and terminal cups.  A straight bit will work, but these spiral bits plunge much better.  Again, check check out Taylor Tool Works as an alternative to Amazon.   Cord Reel: Cord Reel I regret not getting one of these sooner!  Hang this to your ceiling or high up on a w

All builds are budget builds, budgets are just different.  Here are four budgets and some gear that will get you the bass you crave.  Make sure you check out the end of the article for a few caveats*.   $300 Amazon Build For this build we are going with a single 12" instead of an 8" or 10".  Cone area is king.    Enclosure:  SKAR Audio SK1X12V      $94 Sub:  SKAR Audio SDR-12 D2             $90 Amp:  LEGIS Audio 500.1 D                  $66 Wire: Recoil OFC 8 Gauge Kit                $50 LEGIS Audio 500.1 D   That puts us right at $300 before taxes, most of it is on amazon, so shipping is free for prime members. I have personally reviewed the SKAR box and the LEGIS amp.  If you go this route pay close attention to the subwoofer and the amp.  Make sure you get the dual 2 ohm sub.  Wire the two connections in parallel to get the most power out of the amp.  When looking at the amp LEGIS also has a "1600 watt" version for the same price.  Look at the fuses.  The

An 8" Passive Radiator on the Back Side of a Small BoomBox   What exactly is a passive radiator, when and why would you use one? I remember my first encounter with a passive radiator.  I was in high school and I was browsing a catalog (way back in the stone age before we had the internet).  I was smitten with some very sexy tower speakers that had multiple 6.5" drivers.  Reading through the stats I noticed that 2 of the 3 drivers were passive radiators.  That same catalog had pre-loaded car audio subwoofer enclosures designed to fit under the front seat of a car, these designs used passive radiators, also called drone cones.  Several manufactures have made these over the years.  The modern version is the JBL Fuse , pictured below.  My initial gut reaction was that this was a rip-off.  A speaker with no magnet or voice coil that gave the illusion of multiple drivers.  I could not have been more wrong. JBL Fuse Subwoofer (Click on Image to View on Amazon) It turns out that t

Dayton Audio Max-X 10" Subwoofer in a 1.5 cuft Ported Enclosure   Josef Anton Hofmann was a physicist, audio expert and entrepreneur.   In addition to earning  Ph.D. in physics from Harvard and working on the Manhattan Project he was a co-founder or partner in no less then three groundbreaking audio companies; KLH (the H stood for Hofmann), Advent, and Acoustic Research.  These companies, which today are all shells of their former selves, were the giants in hi-fidelity home audio back in their heyday.  Acoustic Research, for example, was the first company to produce an acoustic suspension (i.e. sealed) loudspeaker.  Interestingly enough a simple sealed speaker enclosure was not invented until the 1950's by Edgar Villchur, the founder and president of Acoustic Research, while the vented enclosure was patented by a scientist Bell Labs in the 1930's.   Kicker Comp R 12 in a 2.5 cuft Ported Enclosure   We would not have the field of acoustics, much less the market for hi-e

 If you shop at Parts Express then you need a coupon!  Here are a few for you! Unfortunately the old Parts Express coupon codes have all expired, I am working with them to get some more set up and I will update this page ASAP!

We now offer custom enclosure design services!    The first stage of the box design is to  click right here and complete this google form .   If I have any questions I will send you an e-mail, if not then I will send you an invoice.  I require 50% up front before I start the design.  What do you get when you order a custom design? A box designed for your needs, and plans based on your tools and skills.    A Custom Designed Slot Port Complete computer modeling, based on your specific subwoofer . Before drawing up plans I model the box, including including the frequency response, the port airspeed velocity, and the cone excursion.  This will let us know if the box you want is the box you need.  Since there is no perfect box you will know the compromises that went into the design phase and the consequences of those compromises.  For those that want a no-compromises enclosure you need a dose of reality, or you need to find somebody else to design your enclosure.   Complete plans with di