GET THE SUBWOOFER SYSTEM TEST CD

Purchase electronic download or CD in USA
CD customers get immediate download as well
VIEW COMPLETE LIST OF CD TRACKS

If you want to go beyond the free subwoofer test tone wavs and mp3s available for download here, consider the value of having access to the test signals on this Audio CD:

Properly set Amp Gains and Equalization Profiles

• Use the test tones to find your system's resonant frequency.
• Then, select that tone from the "Increasing output" tracks on the CD.
• Set your source unit to 95% maximum volume.
• As output increases, listen for a change in tone - distortion or mechanical noise.
• Begin decreasing the amplifier's gain until fidelity is restored.

Precisely Optimize your Box Design

• Use the Sloping Bass tones to check frequency response throughout the subwoofer range
• Multi-frequency signals test reaction to complex bass signals
• Wind-Up Signals test for resonance issues in ported and sealed designs
• Extended tones on CD are 2 minutes, not 20 seconds

CD Contains Optimally Generated Bass "Kicks" As Well

"Optimally Generated" means the waveform is generated to optimally generate the bass waveform, not to simulate a musical instrument's response waveform. In other words, rather than synthetic drum sounds, these are electrical waveforms shaped to induce the desired reaction from the subwoofer cone... the result is a clean bass tone unlike any you've heard before.

• Just for fun, or to test amplifier headroom
• Rip them to your computer and mix explosive bass tracks to stress test your system
• See what your system can do given an optimal bass signal
• DOWNLOAD A FREE sample tone in WAV format - and see for yourself
  

Band-pass Subwoofer Enclosure Box Design

The Band-pass Subwoofer Enclosure is the most complicated design and will not work in some instances. Matching the subwoofer driver to the rest of the system is critical, as is strict adherence to the specified box dimensions and port lengths. Why bother? Let's see:


Advantages:

• Properly built, the sub box can be very efficient
  
• Low frequency response can be tuned and is boosted at the extreme low end
• Enclosure design mutes out frequencies above the tuning range
  

Disadvantages:

• This design is extremely sensitive to changes in any box parameters
• Construction can be difficult
• Some speakers are unsuitable for this design

If you have a design from the speaker manufacturer or the software available here, and are confident that the subwoofer drivers you've chosen will work, you must next consider the construction. Will you be able to build the box, with its complex porting, to the degree of accuracy required by this design?

It isn't complicated if the right tools are available, and the bass response with the correct driver is earth shaking. Professional car audio competitors often use this type of subwoofer enclosure in systems designed for low end sound pressure levels.

Be cautious however - these designs sound terrible and can even destroy subwoofers if even minor fluctuations in box volumes and port dimensions are introduced. Still, if it is within your ability to build a band-bass enclosure for your subwoofer, selecting a driver and enclosure combination of this type will give you the most low end output of any of the designs covered here.

The Sealed Box Subwoofer Enclosure is the easiest to design and build, and provides the most accurate bass and a linear response curve. Translation: High end sound quality. There's a price, though - sealed boxes are not as efficient as ported boxes. Let's consider:


Advantages:

• Sound quality is best because box helps amp control speaker cone accurately
• Predictable, smooth response curve lacking any "hot spots" that ruin listening experience
  
• Typically sealed sub enclosures require a smaller box size than a ported design
• Construction and design are simple and straightforward

Disadvantages:

• Response is diminished by 3db or more over a ported box design
• Cannot be tuned to optimize driver response as in a ported design

The sealed subwoofer enclosure design is best suited to classical, rock, country, and other types of music where extreme low end performance is not as important as snappy, tight pounding bass. It is also ideal in situations where the best sound quality is desired.

Because the sealed sub box design dampens speaker excursion, it allows you to use an amplifier output near the maximum rated power input of your subwoofer. Since it does not rely on moving a specific mass of air for optimal performance, a sealed subwoofer enclosure generally can be smaller than a ported enclosure. For a given subwoofer, the optimum box size for a sealed enclosure is typically 2/3rds the vlume of a ported box.

Use a sealed box subwoofer design in systems with ample amplifier power for the subwoofer, where space or sound quality are of primary concern, or when ease of construction is desired.



Typical Sealed Enclosure Volumes for Common Subwoofer Sizes

6.5-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .1 cu ft - .6 cu ft

8-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .2 cu ft - 1.0 cu ft

10-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .2 cu ft - 1.75 cu ft

12-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .5 cu ft - 3.0 cu ft

15-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from 1.5 cu ft - 6 cu ft

The Ported, or Vented Subwoofer Enclosure.

The Vented, or Ported Subwoofer Enclosure is the most common design in use today. High efficiency and low-end response that rattle your fillings make it so - but is it the best sub box for your system? Consider these facts:


Advantages:

• Efficient - Speaker cone movement is greatest for a given input signal
• Tuning port allows contouring of frequency response
• Bass response and boost from port tuning can be thunderous

Disadvantages:

• Speaker is not damped by box, so bass is not quite as accurate
• Improper port design can annihilate a speaker well under its RMS power rating
• Response curve is usually nonlinear at port tuning frequency

The vented or ported subwoofer enclosure is best suited to electronic music such as rap or electronica where punchy, responsive bass is not as important as deep-reaching, longer bass notes are. Vented enclosures are also best when you don't have as big an amp as you'd like. As the most efficient sub box design, a ported enclosure will give you a higher spl per watt than other designs.

One must be cautious selecting drivers, when buying a prefabricated vented subwoofer enclosure: If the resonant frequency of the box is not well matched for the subwoofer driver you select, uncontrolled resonance can ruin your sound quality or even destroy your subwoofer. If you are driving the sub with nearly its maximum recommended power, be cautious using a ported box and pushing the sub to its limits. The enhanced output the vented subwoofer enclosure design offers may well cause your speaker cone's excursion to go beyond its design - causing mechanical noise and eventually destroying the subwoofer.

The subwoofer cone can begin wildly oscillating, moving far more than it ever would based on amplifier power alone. While this makes for some impressive youtube video, it is not good for your speaker or sound quality. Some speakers simply won't work in some ported boxes.

It is best to consider the size box you are willing to accomodate, then select a driver that works well in a vented enclosure of that size. All decent websites list this information for the drivers they sell - or, visit the manufacturer's website and look for the specifications for your subwoofer there. Finally, after deciding on a driver, use either the manufacturer's specifications for a ported enclosure, or download the software from the links on this site to design your own. When using the freeware sub enclosure tools, graph the frequency response of the sub and enclosure combination, and make any necessary alterations to keep the resonant response from sending your cone into orbit.



Typical Ported (Vented) Enclosure Volumes for Common Subwoofer Sizes 6.5-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .2 cu ft - 1.0 cu ft

8-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .4 cu ft - 1.5 cu ft

10-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from .6 cu ft - 3.5 cu ft

12-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from 1 cu ft - 6 cu ft

15-inch Subwoofer Driver
ranges from 1.5 cu ft - 8 cu ft

Deciding which type of subwoofer enclosure to build

The type of enclosure you use will have a dramatic impact on the performance of your car or home subwoofer. It's important to understand the three major types of subwoofer enclosures, and how they affect subwoofer driver performance.


The two first factors to consider when deciding on what type of sub box to buy or build are:

• Do I want the best possible sound or the loudest, lowest bass notes, and
• How much amplifier power do I have, and how close to the speaker's max is it?

Sound Pressure Level vs. Sound Quality Designs

SPL designs typically use a vented, or ported, enclosure. By tuning the port to the resonant frequencies of the speaker cabinet and subwoofer driver, low frequency response is boosted and optimized at what is known as the "port tuning frequency".

SQ Designs typically use a sealed subwoofer box enclosure type. This is because the sealed sub box provides damping - meaning, the sealed design helps control the motion of the speaker cone, causing its movement to follow the input signal more closely. The result is more accurate bass - the tradeoff is less efficiency.

The bandpass subwoofer enclosure attempts to enhance bass response and cancel out higher frequencies using a combination of port tuning and a driver that fires into another chamber rather than into the listener's airspace. They are more complicated, but offer distinct advantages in certain situations if well designed. These sub boxes offer the lowest bass response - and the most nonlinear. Amazing if done right - but horrible if they aren't built to tight specifications.

Freeware Subwoofer Enclosure Design Software Tools

Designing the optimum stereo system for your car stereo or home theater system requires an optimally designed subwoofer enclosure.

While this can become complicated, fear not - several freeware applications are available to help you design the right enclosure for your application.


Whether you've already decided on which subwoofer speaker drivers to buy or not, these tools will help you make the most of your subwoofer purchase. If you've become overwhelmed with trying to decide what speaker will work best for your application, try this: Download the application that applies to the type of enclosure you've settled upon (not sure? See articles at right).

Try plugging in the specs for Qts, Vas, Fs, and Pmax for several of the subwoofer drivers you're considering. See how the different drivers perform in the type of enclosure that fits your type of music and space requirements. This should help narrow the field to the two or three subwoofers that will fit your unique combination of factors.

Ported (Vented) Enclosure Design Program - this handy freeware application allows you to input speaker parameters such as VAS and QTS, available from any reputable subwoofer manufacturer's website and many subwoofer dealers' websites, and calculates the frequency response and output curves for your amplifier power. It also calculates the ideal box volume and port length. Then, using the box design tool, you can calculate the dimensions of the box using that data to design the right ported sub box for your application. Extremely useful, and completely free!

• Download freeware ported sub box designer

Sealed Enclosure Sub Design Tool - As with the ported box designer above, this tool accepts data about your subwoofer, and outputs specifications for the ideal sub enclosure. This program is used to design sealed subwoofer boxes.

• Download freeware sealed sub box designer

Bandpass Subwoofer Enclosure Design Software - Again, this freeware subwoofer enclosure design program takes data about your sub as with the tools above - but this program allows you to design more complicated band-pass subwoofer boxes.

• Download freeware band-pass sub box designer