It is a common concern that if the box size of the subwoofer will affect the sound or not. Before purchasing a subwoofer, you need to know how box size affects subwoofer sound and which one you need to go for.
In brief, depending on your box size affects the sound quality, air volume inside the box, handling the bass tones, Q-system, and resonance. Besides, it also affects the overall sound, control, and compatibility with different frequencies.
That was just the tip of the iceberg. I’ll discuss the query at hand in detail in the following sections. Read along to learn more!
Different Subwoofer Box Sizes or Enclosures
You probably know this, but for the sake of overall understanding, I’m going to briefly go through the different sizes of the Subwoofer box.
As the box size depends on the subwoofer size and based on that, the box can be categorized into four categories.
Small Boxes: Small boxes are usually two types: eight inches and ten inches. You will find these in the smaller cars on the stock systems.
The eight inches can offer overall quality without giving up a lot of space in your vehicle. Even though ten inches might seem a bit bigger, they are almost the same as eight inches.
Medium Boxes: The boxes around 12 inches are medium-sized subwoofers. It’s very common and perfectly balances the audio and the space.
Large and Extra Large Boxes: The large boxes are around 15 inches and more than that. These boxes are known for their ability to tackle long bass notes. But, it can be difficult sometimes to handle the cone.
Can A Subwoofer Box Be Too Big?
Yes, a subwoofer box can be too big if the subwoofer box’s size is 20, 18 inches, or more than that.
The audio output decreases when the box is much bigger than the subwoofer, but these bix boxes have a low-frequency extension. As a result, setting the audio to low frequencies will give you more and better output.
But, if the box gets even more significant than usual, you will lose the output along with the low-frequency settings and frequencies.
I made a list for you to go through the advantages and disadvantages of a big subwoofer box.
- As for the benefits, when the box size is bigger, you will have better access to the components of the woofers.
- Besides, if you’re dealing with a big box, there is no need to add extra power to the system, as it is needed for the smaller ones.
- You won’t need to worry about the coil temperature. As the driver has enough space to move through, the motion will be intact and easier to handle.
- Sometimes it might be challenging to tune lower and overall port area management. In that case, more space might help and won’t result in port noise.
- The shift curve might be a problem sometimes; in that case, you need to lower the response curve.
How Does Box Size Affect Subwoofer Sound?
The box size after the subwoofer sounds in various ways, such as sound quality, air volume, bass tones, and lower frequency notes.
Sound Quality: When using a small box, the sound won’t amplify as in big boxes. As a result, the sound quality will vary depending on your box size.
Air volume: It’s common knowledge that the bigger the size of the box, the higher the air volume is. And the air volume directly affects the bass tones and compatibility with the frequency notes.
Bass Tones: The more air volume in the box, the more deep the bass tone will be. You usually won’t notice the bass tones because you’re using a small box. Besides, too small boxes won’t be able to handle more bass frequency.
As a result, some frequencies will be too loud, and others will be too quiet. But that won’t be a problem in medium-sized or big boxes.
Q-System & Resonance: You will notice an increase in the q-system while using a smaller box. On the other hand, it decreases on the bigger boxes.
When the q-system increase, the peak also increase in the resonance, and vice-versa. As a result, the more the peak is, the more sound will be boomier.
Control: A small box will be suitable if you want to control the sound and work with various frequencies. Thus, a small box makes it easy to power handle and decreases the cone excursion.
Compatibility with the Notes: The bigger the box size, the more compatible it is with handling powerful notes. Besides, the big boxes can catch the low frequency with clear quality; as a bonus, it will keep it free of distortion.
Volume: As you might guess, the bigger the box, the higher the volume. But the size of the environment or the room also matters. The bigger box will be a better option if you want more sound, mainly for the outside.
Tips for Picking the Right Box Size
With proper guidelines, finding the right box size for you won’t be difficult. You will find a speaker parameter in the market to help you with that.
That goes for every type, whether a sealed enclosure or ported enclosure. You can find the following to give you a fair idea.
- Loudness.
- Frequency response.
- And lowest frequencies handling.
That way, you will find the perfect balance between all essential aspects. As for the building aspect, you need to measure the height, width, and depth. After that, if your enclosures have angeled panels, don’t forget to measure the smaller and larger depths separately.
It’s not highly complex, but asking a professional for help won’t hurt.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does Box Size Affect Bass?
Yes, box size affects bass. The bigger the box size is, the more sound and bass it can produce. In comparison, you might notice less depth bass with the smaller boxes. Besides, the air volume is also balanced in the big boxes.
How Do I Make My Sub Sound Deeper?
The first step is to turn on the amplifier’s switch to the lowest point. After that, turn on the filter in the common pass area, and set it to the max point. And, when you hear the bass boost, turning it off will make the sub sound deeper.
Do Subs Hit Harder In A Ported Box?
Yes, subs hit harder in a ported box. It will produce more sound and bass. Besides, the frequency needs to be correctly calculated. Otherwise, the boominess might irritate the environment.
Final Words
That was everything from me regarding box size affecting subwoofer sound. I tried to answer the question with all the possible and essential aspects.
I hope you have a decent idea about the subwoofer box size and how they matter. Let me know if you got any questions regarding the subwoofer. And I will get back to you with the answer.
