Box Basics: Essentials

摘要

When I first got into car audio, big bass drove my passion. Like many teenagers, I was willing to sacrifice, so I yanked out the backseat of my '70 Chevy Nova and replaced it with a huge 8ft3 vented enclosure securing a pair of Cerwin Vega 15's. Powered by a couple Orion "Red" amps, my 70s rattle box was insanely LOUD! And, that is exactly what I wanted. Before I started that system, I determined that a vented enclosure was needed in order to achieve the biggest possible output, completely disregarding sound quality. This meant choosing a subwoofer best suited for this application. While driver choices were fewer back in the day, there were still several to choose between. After a little research, I landed a pair of CV's based on their reputation at the time, and the simple fact that they were one of the few speakers designed specifically for use in ported enclosures. However, in today's market the choices are getting increasingly complicated Not only are there a plethora of subwoofers to choose from, the line between driver enclosure requirements has blurred. Fortunately, more speakers are now designed to be neutral, working in several box styles, which means better options for the consumer. Yet, choosing the right enclosure is still a complicated matter. The following tutorial is designed to help guide you through the pros and cons of the most popular enclosure styles of today. There's no "magic box," but you might find some enclosures to better suit your requirements. Hopefully, this will help you make a better decision in your next audio system.