Subwoofer And Its Materials

By Author: Sam Downs
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By using a subwoofer, you are able to scrimp on the main speakers as the subwoofer will do most of the support for these smaller speakers. Subwoofers are strategically placed, as with the main or satellite speaker so they complement each other as to the reproduction of sound. Subwoofers are effectively appreciated if they are place in the room's corners and closer to the listener. This is because bass frequencies have longer wavelengths and cannot be easily localized.

There are many uses for a subwoofer and this includes home use, car use, cinema use, and concert use. Of course, the subwoofers used in each of the many uses differ in design as to the amount of bass frequency needed in the particular area. For most home uses, some low cost systems have a subwoofer that comes with it. However, these subwoofers are poorly made that causes an undesirable localization effect.

More popular nowadays is the addition of complete sound systems in the car, and this includes a car subwoofer. Typically, these subwoofers are placed in the trunk or in place of the back seat since they will not fit in the doors or dashboards. ...
... The advent of installing excellent sound system in cars has reached to a point that they are done just for competition purposes. Oftentimes, these sound systems with the car subwoofers are capable of generating high level of sounds in such a cramped space that there is danger of hearing damage, especially if one is exposed to it for a long time.

Building an enclosure for a subwoofer will make its performance even better as it contains the sound it produces, thereby giving the listener the rich, full bass that a subwoofer promises to give. Making an enclosure for the subwoofer is not an easy task to do, yet with the proper guidance, it is not far from possible from making it at home.

One thing to remember about building the subwoofer enclosure is that the box's volume must be calculated correctly to ensure good quality sound. If the box is larger or smaller that what it is supposed to be, the sound could end up being distorted and in the worst case will result to the destruction of the box.

There are several materials that can be used to make a subwoofer enclosure. In choosing materials, it has to be kept in mind that the enclosure must be made of sturdy material to be able to withstand the pressure that the sound generates. Commonly, building materials are 5/8 thick, which is the minimum thickness for a quality box made out of particle board or medium density fiberboard. When using Plexiglas, the thickness of the material should be ½ thick minimum. Another material used to make custom shaped subwoofer boxes is fiberglass but it is less workable as compared to the other materials mentioned.