Factory Sub Box Volume Revealed!

[Roady94]

- Titled and posted so the search engine would prioritize it.

While I was searching for this info to facilitate the install of my replacement sub, I found several posts on the topic with people guesstimating the volume of the factory JBL box to be anywhere between .31 and .55 cubic feet.

I decided to answer this question with finality. I removed the speaker and the poly-mesh filler, taped the wire-hole and put the box into the sink. You guessed it . . . I measured the amount of water it took to fill the box completely.

Exactly 410 ounces of water! This calculates to .43 cubic feet.

So there you have it.

NOTE: This is the factory single-driver JBL box in my 93SHO.

 

[SuperHO]

Good find. This could help a lot of people in the future.

 

[LJRuddy]

awesome stuff! Thanks a lot.

 

[hawkeye18]

sweet! Let me add some search words to help people find it:

Sub subwoofer box factory size volume JBL speaker capacity

any more y'all can think of?

 

[SHO NUT]

sweet! Let me add some search words to help people find it:

Sub subwoofer box factory size volume JBL speaker capacity

any more y'all can think of?

Now we just need key words like 'mates perfectly with the specs for (insert your fav aftermarket sub here)' followed by:

Here are my pics of an aftermarket direct-fit 6.5", or minor mod 8" (insert pics here).

 

[hawkeye18]

It mates very well with an MTX Thunder sub, the cheap one. People have reported great success with a JL 8W0, though those are discontinued. Honestly, it's such a small box that it really doesn't matter... it's a glorified front door speaker anyway! lol it will all sound better than stock.

 

[somedude_001]

I am still looking for a good sounding sub.

 

[SuperHO]

Have you tried the JL 6W0?

 

[somedude_001]

Have you tried the JL 6W0?

discontinued. have you come across one?

 

[Acidic]

Well if you are going to power it yourself here are a few suggestions:

These TB are well regarded, 4ohms. Plays down to 38Hz which isn't great but it'll do for most music. The .43cu ft box will be a bit big which may help it play lower and smoother but it'll also lower the power handling to say 40-50w? It may mix well with the stock amps..
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=264-832

Another one here is going to be the opposite from the Tang Band. A .43cu ft box is about half of what it wants but with 80-100 watts it'll get loud but be punchy...
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=296-414

If you want more power, say 200w you could go with the ED 6" sub. It takes alot more power but again .43cu ft isn't ideal... It wants a smaller box. I prefer bigger than ideal boxes myself though. It flattens the response but lowers power handling...
http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/product_info.php?t=2&products_id=33

The Mpyre 65X is supposed to be damn nice but the website they sell it from is apparently broken right now... keep an eye on it, it's supposed to be a beast. Acoustic Visions has knowledgeable staff so if you can get them on the phone let them know what size the box is and they could tell you if it'll work and how much the sub runs.
http://www.acoustic-visions.com/~acoustic/products/speakers/car_audio/

Finally there is the Mach 5 Audio MLI-65... It handles 100wRMS and is possibly the best suited for the box. It's also the cheapest! It however doesn't list the freq response so I'm not sure how low it'll hit.
http://www.mach5audio.com/index-2.html

If you can find one there is the JL Audio 6W0. It is discontinued but still highly regarded sub. However the 6W0 is in the same boat as some of the other ones in that the box is a bit large. The 6W0's "best" box is .283cu ft, and they are discontinued so you can't buy them retail anymore.

This gets asked often enough it might as well be stickied... If someone could dig up the 6W0 T/S params I'd see how it'd act in the box...

 

[SuperHO]

Here's what you need on the 6W0...

Reviews Technologies Recommended Power Chart Tutorials


6W0 DRIVER SPECIFICATIONS
6W0-4 6W0-8
Free Air Resonance (Fs): 36.7 Hz 38.8 Hz
Electrical “Q” (Qes): 0.503 0.50
Mechanical “Q” (Qms): 9.028 8.059
Total Speaker “Q” (Qts): 0.477 0.471
Equivalent Compliance (Vas): 0.342 cu. ft. / 9.68 liters 0.342 cu. ft. / 9.68 liters
One-Way, Linear Excursion (Xmax)*: 0.298 in. / 7.6 mm 0.280 in. / 7.1 mm
Reference Efficiency (no): 0.09% 0.11%
Efficiency (1W/1m)**: 81.6 dB SPL 82.3 dB SPL
Effective Piston Area (Sd): 20.9 sq. in. / 0.0135 sq. m. 20.9 sq. in. / 0.0135 sq. m.
DC Resistance (Re): 3.42 ohm 7.28 ohm
Nominal Impedance (Znom): 4 ohm 8 ohm
Thermal Power Handling (Pt): 75W 75W
Driver Displacement: 0.019 cu. ft. / 0.5 liters 0.019 cu. ft. / 0.5 liters
Net Weight: 4.55 lbs. / 2.06 kg 4.55 lbs. / 2.06 kg

 

[Acidic]

The 6W0 is in the same boat as some of the other ones in that the box is a bit large. The 6W0's "best" box is .283cu ft.

What I think I'd do in the situation is pick the sub that is closest to my desired power handling or what ever other preference I wanted then use fiberglass or liquid sound deadener to make the box smaller by pouring it in and letting it dry.. I could post recommended sizes for each sub if people are interested and it'll get stickied.

 

[naval-avi8or]

Kicker Comp VR 8" (requires slight mod to speaker opening), comes in verious dual VC OHM loads. Much better than the stock JBL. Min/max rec sealed volume .4/1.8 cubic feet.

Kicker SoloBaric 8" L5/L7 (require moderate mod to speacker opening), comes in verious dual CV loads. This is my next mod. Min/max rec sealed volume .33/.75 cubic feet.

 

[SuperHO]

I actually put a port in my stock sub enclosure....IIRC, the port's tuned at 45hz....but I could be wrong. Really woke the sub up in the stock box, though I'm considering either dropping the box volume or having a custom enclosure made that I can just kinda stuck back there in the corner of the trunk to get a lil more volume outta it.

 

[Acidic]

Kicker Comp VR 8" (requires slight mod to speaker opening), comes in verious dual VC OHM loads. Much better than the stock JBL. Min/max rec sealed volume .4/1.8 cubic feet.

Kicker SoloBaric 8" L5/L7 (require moderate mod to speacker opening), comes in verious dual CV loads. This is my next mod. Min/max rec sealed volume .33/.75 cubic feet.

Recommended box sizes are always screwy coming from the manufacturer. Your sub will act VERY differently between those two volumes on either sub. Get winISD and see what the T/S params say the box should be and tweak it from there...

 

[Acidic]

I actually put a port in my stock sub enclosure....IIRC, the port's tuned at 45hz....but I could be wrong. Really woke the sub up in the stock box, though I'm considering either dropping the box volume or having a custom enclosure made that I can just kinda stuck back there in the corner of the trunk to get a lil more volume outta it.

45Hz is quite high. That's competition SPL high. Most daily driving subs are tuned to the mid to low 30's... that said it would be a good way to get some more output from the sub.

As for a custom solution I have a truck box right now but when I get some cash and a place to work (apartments suck) I'm going infinite baffle. It'll leave 95% of my trunk space open and I LOVE the smooth, deep, accurate bass from an IB install. At that point I'll bump up to an IDQ 15" and give the 10" IDQ to the wife...

 

[naval-avi8or]

Recommended box sizes are always screwy coming from the manufacturer. Your sub will act VERY differently between those two volumes on either sub. Get winISD and see what the T/S params say the box should be and tweak it from there...

Min = Punchy tight bass for rock etc.
Max = Deep bass for RAP etc.

 

[Acidic]

Min = Punchy tight bass for rock etc.
Max = Deep bass for RAP etc.

That is along the right lines... however while a larger box will produce the ability to produce lower, smoother bass it's also more accurate and perfectly suited for rock, with the right driver. Also moving towards the max will lower the power handling of the sub and I imagine most of those who listen to rap are looking for output, and should probably go for a ported box...

Too small of a box will create a peak above a subs normal playing range (I wouldn't xover a sub higher than 80Hz and would prefer 50) which is inaccurate...

There is an "ideal" Q alignment of .7 where it's neutral. For most people trying to stay close to .7 is the best idea.... I like a Q alignment of .5 or less to get close to that infinite baffle smoothness since I'm not very concerned about overall output...

 

[naval-avi8or]

Yes a Ported Box is by far the best but unfortunatly they require a much larger volume box. So its really kinda trade off.

Its rather interesting to sit back and reflect how things have changed (evolved) over the last 10-15 years. That of course was before the perfection of a ported box **** I don't even remember a ported box back then. When I first got into it we where sticking 18" woofers into the spare donut whole in the trunk and sealing it off. It would litterally hit so hard you couldn't even drive because you coudn't see or read anything in or out of the car. Kinda makes me wonder when they stopped making 18" woofers (auto that is) I know they still make them for other apllications.

 

[Acidic]

There are still quite a few 18" woofers around... Fi makes them in all of their product lines
https://ssl.perfora.net/www.ficarau...01aa29e7/shopdata/product_overview.shopscript

Digital designs makes them as well
http://www.ddaudio.com/dd/default.asp

Incriminator Audio is releasing a new Death Penalty line that will include a 21" that's not a marketing gimmick (ala MTX's jackhammer). The link still shows the old line of DP's but the release should be soonish (they are 2-3 weeks behind schedule due to damaged parts in shipping)
http://www.incriminatoraudio.com/dp.htm

The big ones are still out there.. However I tend towards small, low powered sub installs myself though I did have a pair of 15" ID IDW's in an 8cu ft sealed box that hit VERY low and loud... you could FEEL it getting louder on low notes even as your ears where telling you that it was getting quieter...