How to Select an Enclosure

[BAM]

Here is an article that I wrote, on the subject of selecting the right enclosure for your subwoofer design goals. It should be required reading for anyone new to DIY subwoofers, as it may answer many of the questions you face in making this important decisions.

Selecting an Enclosure

[mike.e]

Didnt see any major errors from a skim read.Its not complete but is probably ok for a newbie.

also

www.jlaudio.com 'tutorials'
www.diysubwoofers.org
ldsg
etc

[BAM]

Well, it doesn't really deal so much with the design aspects of it (i.e. you won't see any big scary formulas for different things. It really is a read for the newbies who might not understand the differences and some of the considerations associated with each type of enclosure. There are some design targets for specific sounds of the sealed box and a description of some of the vented box alignments.

Also, I'm plugging the AE Speakers line of woofers, including the "Lambda" series woofers, which are built from original Lambda Acoustics parts and consistent with original Lambda Acoustics specifications. Photos of the various models can be found on the AE Speakers forum gallery, and ordering can be accomplished over the phone or via email. For those of you who remember the quality and refinement of the Lambda Acoustics woofers, here is another chance to get those drivers.

[simon5]

I think there's a small mistake here :

EBS - Extended Bass Shelf: This alignment has a large box, about equal or slightly less than the woofer's F3, and tuned very low. The response has a "shelf" below Fs where the woofers transition to the ports, and the ports then become responsible for the output below Fs but above the enclosure's F3. Bass can be boomy and indistinct.

The first sentence seems to be incomplete.

I also want to disagree with the boomy bass part since usually EBS is flat in room versus other designs...

Nice article, good work!

[BAM]

Okay, I updated the essay with some extra information and corrections if anyone wants t take a look at it.

[Ron E]

Originally posted by BAM
Okay, I updated the essay with some extra information and corrections if anyone wants t take a look at it.

Well, to be brutally honest, almost nothing you say about the specific vented alignments is correct. I would recommend removing this section - other than a statement that an alignment is merely a choice of box volume and tuning frequency....and nothing to get stuck on. As long as the frequency response has no peaks, you are going to get fairly decent sound.....

[BAM]

Well, would you like to make a contribution to my article? I feel that it's useful to at least touch on what each of the alignments is and does because some driver makers (Adire Audio) give information about their recommended enclosures in terms of what classic alignment they are closest to.

[Ron E]

Originally posted by BAM
Well, would you like to make a contribution to my article?

Not really, other than identifying an area where you might want to do a little more research. This is your baby, not mine. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine piece of writing, with an informative style. It should be relatively easy for a newbie to read - which is your intent.

You can find out how to calculate all but the SBB4 in Small's series of articles in JAES from the early '70's. Plotting some graphs and pondering them should prove enlightening. Then you might want to check out impulse response.

Have fun.
.

[BAM]

Yeah, it's a good thing the engineering library here on campus has JAES going all the way back to the early 60's.