So, you’ve made the decision to get a sub woofer, but need to figure out what box aka enclosure you need for it. The box you put your new sub woofer in will greatly effect its performance. A quality, well built enclosure will be one whose type matches your goals/needs and built using the proper materials to exact manufacturer engineer specs. Literally, the right sub box can give you an increase as much as 10db (we perceive this as nearly TRIPLE the output).

Ultimately there are 3 types of enclosures (there are actual a few more, but all can be grouped into these 3 basic categories).

SEALED-

Sealed Sub woofer box with High Gloss Black Painted Face

Sealed enclosures are typically used for the most accurate sound reproduction. Sealed sub woofer boxes will give you very tight, punchy and clean sounding bass. They are especially good if you don’t like HEAVY or BASSY music such as Jazz, Classic Rock, Classical music and alot of POP/HIP HOP falls into this category, however we recommend a Vented sub woofer box if this is your choice of music (see below). This is the typical sub woofer box preferred by audiophiles because of their accuracy, but also commonly used when limited space is needed (under seats, in custom locations, foot wells, ETC).  The draw  back of sealed sub woofer box are that they do not have as low of a frequency excursion (low notes seem louder than higher frequencies). They also require twice the power of a comparable vented sub woofer box in order to get the same volume, or SPL, output.  Sealed boxes are most common for the majority of our customers that are buying a sub woofer just to give it a little bit of fill and a whole sounding system. Customers looking for louder sound or a more boomy response should check into one of the other sub woofer boxes we offer.

VENTED-

The advantages of a Vented sub woofer boxes are the they require less power to produce MORE SOUND. The cost of this advantage is tonal accuracy and some clarity. Also, vented enclosures tend to take up almost 2.5 times the space of their sealed counter parts. So, with that in mind a vented enclosure may not be possible while integrating it into a tight space. Plus, nearly all enclosures have specifications for sealed

Charcoal Carpetted Dual Vented Sub woofer Box

boxes, however not all will work/sound optimal in a vented sub woofer box. Vented sub woofer boxes are perfect if your choice of music is Rock, Metal, Hip Hop, Rap and even some more upbeat Country or Western musics. They will provide a more FULL BASS with a more dynamic sound range that will play the lower, louder notes in your music. And for those who are BASS NUTS, a vented sub woofer box is ideal. We are able to make vented sub woofer boxes tuned to specific frequencies allowing for lower excursion and in the end, higher SPL notes.  If loud boomy music is what you are looking for, then a Vented enclosure is definitely the one for you! And if you are a competitor, we have, can and will continue to build award winning sound systems and can refer you to local competitors for a reference.

BANDPASS-

A Bandpass sub woofer box is our 3rd and final primary type of speaker box. Bandpass sub woofer boxes take up the most room in a vehicle

Band Pass Sub woofer Box Ported out front with a plexiglass center for viewing

and their only real advantage of bandpass enclosures are found when listening to electronica, House music and some Rap/Hip Hop music. Bandpass boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes but are typically identified by the box having a dual chamber system where the face of the sub woofer is in a sealed chamber (often showing off the subwoofer with a clear front) and the rear has  a vent or a port similar to a vented sub woofer box. Band Pass sub woofer boxes get their name as they only play a narrow range (or band) of frequencies. So, when playing select types of music a band pass will sound better, however if you listen to a wide range of musics we recommend using a Sealed or Vented sub woofer box, instead.

There are other alternative methods for sub box design and there are literally books on the topic, but as we said the 99% of all sub boxes will fall into one of the above three categories.

Ideally though, let one of our knowledgeable staff members discuss with you: your musical tastes, budget, space limitations and goals and we’ll be able to recommend the best sub woofer box for your needs. And rest assured if its an Alarms, ETC sub woofer box we utilize only the best materials for its construction, which is also EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! A poorly built / designed sub woofer box will cost you far

more money than having one professionally designed. Not only will it likely rob of its clean/tidy appearance but it will hurt your sound and potentially cost you thousands of dollar in replacement equipment from poor installation.

Fiberglass Custom Sub Box in a Cadillac Escalade featuring JL Audio equipment

Allow us to custom design you an sub woofer box or choose from a wide variety that we keep in stock and on hand. We have a variety of sealed, vented and bandpass sub woofer boxes available and even some application specific custom boxes. From the most basic of carpetted sub woofer box to the  most  detailed custom made leather wrapped fiberglass enclosure, we’ve got you covered. Stop on by and let one of our car stereo pros show you your options and get you set up and ready to boom today!