I bought 2 10" diamond cm3 off this guy and he was telling me that he can give me a prefab box for free or he can custom build a box for me to match the specs of my amplifier or subwoofers so that the subs will play 10x better than just any ordinary box. Is this true or should i just go with the prefab (ordinary box)? By the way the guy said he would be using a program called Leep or Leap to customize the box, is it worth it?
Replies (5)
compvr15s on 05/12/2006 16:56:44
a box built to the specs of that specific sub will definitly improve the performace of the sub.... but it really depends on the quality of the prefab i guess. what wood type is used, mdf is the standards. many use plywood or particle board to cut cost and this is just a no go... not stiff enough... also take into consideration the internal volume of the box, dont matter if its custom made or prefab. 1cubic foot is 1cubic foot... also look for sealent inside the box. along all edges, this ensures airtight performance... aslo wiring terminals are wanted here not just a whole with the wires running through...
then on the other hand if the box your looking at is ported this is where a custom box will really excell. if you have wrong tuning for specific sub then it will not sound good, not sure if damage will occur but poor performance will... so just look for these few things then you can tell yourself if its worth the custom box
1. wood material?
2. proper internal airspace?
3. will the box be air tight, proper sealant on the inside?
4. if ported is the port tuning freq. proper?
5. and price? is the custom box worth the money he will be charging?
swez on 05/12/2006 18:58:15
Here's the Specs from Diamond on your subs:
http://www.diamondaudio.com/products/pdfs/cM3submanuaL_rev1.pdf
If sealed, shoot for 0.75 cf/chamber sealed, for good low bass response and some punch. Diamond says 0.5 - 1.0 cf/sub sealed. If you go to the smaller side, less low bass but better power handling. If you go to the larger end of the specs, lots of deep bass, but would be muddy and poorly defined and lack punch and less power handling too.
Swez
MrBrownstone on 05/15/2006 02:09:06
as far as whether a 'custom' box will sound better, I challenge him to find 2 boxes the same internal volume where one is 10x 'better' sounding? Unless you are using monstrous subs where bracing is necessary, you'll find that internal volume (cf) is all that really matters.
When a custom box would be better is when you have a vehicle where the the trunk is a very difficult fit and the prefab box wouldn't fit as well. Small subs like that, the box is pretty much dime a dozen. The longer the spans, the more concern you have with flexing and, thus, the need for bracing. 200W/sub in a 0.75cuft enclosure...you're not going to see a whole lot of flexing. The woofer surround will likely flex more than the box.
The main things to consider are what you want from the subs, and then selecting the proper box size for the application. There are 2 options, Sound Quality, and SPL. You can have 100% of one or the other, but only 75% of one when trying to compromise.
In the above case, 0.5 cuft will sound very 'tight', but frequency response will be restricted. 1.0cuf box will have wider frequency response, more likely be more efficient, but the quality of sound will be somewhat compromised.
With a box there is always 3 tradeoffs, efficiency, size, frequency response--you get 2 of the 3 and that's it.
ex:
Larger box: Higher efficiency
Smaller box: Lower efficiency
Larger box: More sub bass Response
Smaller box: Less sub bass Response
Victor on 05/15/2006 05:36:24
You will get all the 3, but in different proportions and ratios....
MrBrownstone on 05/15/2006 18:17:39
You get desired results in 2 of the three categories. A small box means you'll need more power to equal the same SPL and frequency response as a larger box...if it's possible at all.
This is why home speaker cabinets are so friggin huge--because you have he luxury of space. That, and the magnets can be 1/4 the size as a car audio woofer.
Replies (5)
compvr15s on 05/12/2006 16:56:44
a box built to the specs of that specific sub will definitly improve the performace of the sub.... but it really depends on the quality of the prefab i guess. what wood type is used, mdf is the standards. many use plywood or particle board to cut cost and this is just a no go... not stiff enough... also take into consideration the internal volume of the box, dont matter if its custom made or prefab. 1cubic foot is 1cubic foot... also look for sealent inside the box. along all edges, this ensures airtight performance... aslo wiring terminals are wanted here not just a whole with the wires running through...
then on the other hand if the box your looking at is ported this is where a custom box will really excell. if you have wrong tuning for specific sub then it will not sound good, not sure if damage will occur but poor performance will... so just look for these few things then you can tell yourself if its worth the custom box
1. wood material?
2. proper internal airspace?
3. will the box be air tight, proper sealant on the inside?
4. if ported is the port tuning freq. proper?
5. and price? is the custom box worth the money he will be charging?
swez on 05/12/2006 18:58:15
Here's the Specs from Diamond on your subs:
http://www.diamondaudio.com/products/pdfs/cM3submanuaL_rev1.pdf
If sealed, shoot for 0.75 cf/chamber sealed, for good low bass response and some punch. Diamond says 0.5 - 1.0 cf/sub sealed. If you go to the smaller side, less low bass but better power handling. If you go to the larger end of the specs, lots of deep bass, but would be muddy and poorly defined and lack punch and less power handling too.
Swez
MrBrownstone on 05/15/2006 02:09:06
as far as whether a 'custom' box will sound better, I challenge him to find 2 boxes the same internal volume where one is 10x 'better' sounding? Unless you are using monstrous subs where bracing is necessary, you'll find that internal volume (cf) is all that really matters.
When a custom box would be better is when you have a vehicle where the the trunk is a very difficult fit and the prefab box wouldn't fit as well. Small subs like that, the box is pretty much dime a dozen. The longer the spans, the more concern you have with flexing and, thus, the need for bracing. 200W/sub in a 0.75cuft enclosure...you're not going to see a whole lot of flexing. The woofer surround will likely flex more than the box.
The main things to consider are what you want from the subs, and then selecting the proper box size for the application. There are 2 options, Sound Quality, and SPL. You can have 100% of one or the other, but only 75% of one when trying to compromise.
In the above case, 0.5 cuft will sound very 'tight', but frequency response will be restricted. 1.0cuf box will have wider frequency response, more likely be more efficient, but the quality of sound will be somewhat compromised.
With a box there is always 3 tradeoffs, efficiency, size, frequency response--you get 2 of the 3 and that's it.
ex:
Larger box: Higher efficiency
Smaller box: Lower efficiency
Larger box: More sub bass Response
Smaller box: Less sub bass Response
Victor on 05/15/2006 05:36:24
You will get all the 3, but in different proportions and ratios....
MrBrownstone on 05/15/2006 18:17:39
You get desired results in 2 of the three categories. A small box means you'll need more power to equal the same SPL and frequency response as a larger box...if it's possible at all.
This is why home speaker cabinets are so friggin huge--because you have he luxury of space. That, and the magnets can be 1/4 the size as a car audio woofer.
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