# Custom sub boxes: How much would you pay?



## Vaglover

So I was talking to an installer at my local shop about a ported box set-up. He quoted me around $400 give or take. 
Obviously depending on how complex/custom a box is and the type it is will affect the price a bit.
But to those that did pay to have one built; how much did you pay? What did you get for your money?


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## SaturnSL1

$400 for just a bare box, or will it be carpeted as well?


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## Vaglover

Oh yes thanks forgot to add that. Itll be a complete box. Carpet with my sub dropped in for me.


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## SaturnSL1

That's still a bit expensive in my opinion.


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## Vaglover

That's what I was thinking. 
Although this installer has built some very nice cars that have won many competitions. And he has a very solid reputation. I don't think he would build me anything that wouldn't work or sound good. But $400 still seems steep.


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## SaturnSL1

Yeah man, it's a bit steep. I can understand the price considering materials and time, but it's a lot for most people to spend on just a box.


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## Vaglover

Any other thoughts? Really just trying to get around a fair price from people


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## Jrvtecaccord

If it's just a standard "box" made to fit your application I think its too much. You have any details on the box you are inquiring about?

Jr - via S3 on Tapatalk


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## Vaglover

I was looking at having a 3.8cuft box built tuned to about 32hz. For a jblw15gti mkii


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## King Nothing

steep..... unless it is contoured to your application. 400 would be reasonable if it included the sub


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## Richv72

If its a high quality painted box then yeah, i can understand the price. But a box with carpet, is just cheezy.


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## Coppertone

Around here with what you've stated, you will pay $400.00 for the box. They are charging you not only for their time, but also experience. Now if you are buying the subwoofer also from them, they will give you a better deal. Yes they kinda subscribe to if you don't like the price, go somewhere else theory. That's why sometimes it's better to look for an independent via DIYMA for your box needs. Just as advertise when we are buying/selling, you can also do that for your box needs.


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## Richv72

If i was going to pay for a box, I would call this guy. Dave the box guy is one of the best.
Home Page


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## thomasluke

Well, If i were ging to do it for it you it would go like this.
1) $35 for the sheet of mdf
2) $20 for the carpet
3) $5 for the wood glue
4) $10 for the carpet glue
5) $100 for my time and effort of building and designing the box.

So for an amateur like my self your looking at 170 bucks. Add another 50 if you want a kerfed port. $400 is waaaay steep IMO. I wouldnt even think about. 
For a custom contoured fiber glassed enclosure then sure. Alot more time and effort have to go into those.
But for just a simple run of the mill ported box........ Thats to much.


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## Spyke

You guys are forgetting a couple things.
1. The labor rate is likely to be around $80-$100/hour
2. Like someone mentioned, you are paying for his expertise and reputation.

Considering that I have seen dual sub prefab ported boxes for $500 loaded with nothing more than base line kicker subs. I would say that $400 is not the worst deal. Be careful though. Ask to see examples of his work. I'll tell you this, if he didn't build the enclosure that's in his car, look elsewhere. If you are not going to build it yourself then you don't have much choice. Your gonna have to trust someone. So, you can pay more for someone who has a rep to uphold or $100 to someone who may or may not know what they're doing.


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## 98Civic

Why don't you build your own enclosure? It's really not too hard to do and I'm sure people on the forums would be glad to help you with a design. Unless you don't have any tools at all that is. But for $400 you could probably get a lot of what you need as far as tools go.


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## SaturnSL1

Richv72 said:


> If its a high quality painted box then yeah, i can understand the price. But a box with carpet, is just cheezy.


Whats cheesy about carpet?


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## Vaglover

A lot of input here guys thanks!
As far as building it myself goes.. Well I wouldn't be in the market to buy a custom built box if I could. 
As far as the labor rate goes I believe it's about 90/hr. so a little steep. But for that money I would be paying for a known local good reputation for building a box. A few guys I know around where I live have dealt with him for other installations and have always turned out happy. I've even seen some of his enclosures he's built. Very nice work. But those were highly custom. Pretty much made a false floor as a baffle board and mounted the subs in that with a port built much like the JL high output boxes except two 15" took up the entire trunk and it was upward firing. 

With some of your guys input on this I may be able to pull an arm to lower the price a bit or have a little more custom type or work done. As in making the box built into my trunk. A more permanent option for sure. But I wouldn't loose sleep over that. 

Rich! Thank you for that link to Dave's website. Ill be sure to get in touch with him and see what kind of stuff we can come up with too!


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## cleansoundz

I would say between $150-$200 would be more reasonable.


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## Sleeves

Unless you're in some crazy high-end/high cost of living area $250-ish is the highest I could see actually paying for a carpet-finished single subwoofer enclosure. I've been building enclosures for 15 years and don't feel comfortable charging over $150 (usually less) for a custom tuned, ported, carpeted, single-sub enclosure. I guess I should go up.


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## Richv72

SaturnSL1 said:


> Whats cheesy about carpet?


They just look cheezy, like a flea market box. Plus they get really dusty, and because they are so nappy its hard to clean them. Painted boxes, and i mean real paint that you use a sprayer to apply, looks great, is durable, and easy to clean with a damp rag.


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## SaturnSL1

Richv72 said:


> They just look cheezy, like a flea market box. Plus they get really dusty, and because they are so nappy its hard to clean them. Painted boxes, and i mean real paint that you use a sprayer to apply, looks great, is durable, and easy to clean with a damp rag.


A flea market box? What makes a wooden cube with a hole cut into flea market quality? 

I've never heard anything so silly. Either way, different strokes...


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## Spyke

Richv72 said:


> They just look cheezy, like a flea market box. Plus they get really dusty, and because they are so nappy its hard to clean them. Painted boxes, and i mean real paint that you use a sprayer to apply, looks great, is durable, and easy to clean with a damp rag.


My trunk is carpeted and it matches my carpeted box. Hmm, I guess I don't get it.


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## Richv72

SaturnSL1 said:


> A flea market box? What makes a wooden cube with a hole cut into flea market quality?
> 
> I've never heard anything so silly. Either way, different strokes...


Have you ever been to a flea market?. If you have you will notice all the prefab speaker boxes with black waffle grills and either grey or black carpet. The last box I had carpet on was in like 2000. I had 4 15's and thought I was pretty cool. My boss at the time was someone that everyone at the company looked up to, including me, because he was like the electronics genius. His car had like a custom built stereo on a linear actuator to pull it in and hide it when it turned off. All kinds of very trick installation features on his system. Anyways I went to show him my system one day after work, thinking he would be blown away. He took one look at my box and said, "speaker box carpet huh?" "what are you like 12?". He wasnt calling me names or trying to insult me, it was just a "as a matter of fact" response. Kind of like when a friend tells you advice you dont want to hear. Well i was humiliated, but I could understand what he was saying. Since that day I have never put any carpet on a speaker box, and wont ever put any on.


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## Spyke

Richv72 said:


> Have you ever been to a flea market?. If you have you will notice all the prefab speaker boxes with black waffle grills and either grey or black carpet. The last box I had carpet on was in like 2000. I had 4 15's and thought I was pretty cool. My boss at the time was someone that everyone at the company looked up to, including me, because he was like the electronics genius. His car had like a custom built stereo on a linear actuator to pull it in and hide it when it turned off. All kinds of very trick installation features on his system. Anyways I went to show him my system one day after work, thinking he would be blown away. He took one look at my box and said, "speaker box carpet huh?" "what are you like 12?". He wasnt calling me names or trying to insult me, it was just a "as a matter of fact" response. Kind of like when a friend tells you advice you dont want to hear. Well i was humiliated, but I could understand what he was saying. Since that day I have never put any carpet on a speaker box, and wont ever put any on.


So, because you got butt hurt about someones opinion, you decided to let that opinion change your mind about something that you liked and were proud of? That seems kinda cheesy. I try not to idolize others and don't give a damn about anyone's opinion. Different strokes I guess.


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## SaturnSL1

Richv72 said:


> Have you ever been to a flea market?. If you have you will notice all the prefab speaker boxes with black waffle grills and either grey or black carpet. The last box I had carpet on was in like 2000. I had 4 15's and thought I was pretty cool. My boss at the time was someone that everyone at the company looked up to, including me, because he was like the electronics genius. His car had like a custom built stereo on a linear actuator to pull it in and hide it when it turned off. All kinds of very trick installation features on his system. Anyways I went to show him my system one day after work, thinking he would be blown away. He took one look at my box and said, "speaker box carpet huh?" "what are you like 12?". He wasnt calling me names or trying to insult me, it was just a "as a matter of fact" response. Kind of like when a friend tells you advice you dont want to hear. Well i was humiliated, but I could understand what he was saying. Since that day I have never put any carpet on a speaker box, and wont ever put any on.


Your boss was a real prick. Instead of taking his opinion as fact you should have told him to stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

Carpet is not cheap or played out, no matter what some douche with a fancy motorized system tells you. If you built it the way you liked it and you where satisfied with the job you did, who the **** is he to make you feel like an noob for using carpet?


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## SaturnSL1

Spyke said:


> So, because you got butt hurt about someones opinion, you decided to let that opinion change your mind about something that you liked and were proud of? That seems kinda cheesy. I try not to idolize others and don't give a damn about anyone's opinion. Different strokes I guess.


Damn brother, you and me are like minded.


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## Richv72

Spyke said:


> So, because you got butt hurt about someones opinion, you decided to let that opinion change your mind about something that you liked and were proud of? That seems kinda cheesy. I try not to idolize others and don't give a damn about anyone's opinion. Different strokes I guess.


So what you are saying is that you have never valued anyones opinion?. I mean cmon man this is a car audio forum, all day long you have peoples opinions on everything car audio. Does brand A sound as good as brand b?, and so forth. Some car show winner comes out with some speakers and half the forum wants them without even hearing them, no matter what the price. Now thats idolizing. I will take constructive criticism from people that know more then i do. That doesnt mean I will follow it, but I will think about it and weigh it. In the case of the speaker box carpet, he was absolutely right. I had just never thought about the aesthetics of the install before that time.


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## SaturnSL1

See, that's exactly what I can't seem to figure out. Most cars have your run of the mill grey carpet in the trunk, so carpeted boxes are more aesthetically pleasing. 

Either way, I think you would've figured the aesthetics part out on your own later. And that's something completely subjective anyway, only you know what is going to please you. Constructive criticism is a little different than some ass hat laughing at your carpet choice. What if you painted your box and your boss only liked carpeted, factory looking boxes and said that?


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## Spyke

Richv72 said:


> So what you are saying is that you have never valued anyones opinion?. I mean cmon man this is a car audio forum, all day long you have peoples opinions on everything car audio. Does brand A sound as good as brand b?, and so forth. Some car show winner comes out with some speakers and half the forum wants them without even hearing them, no matter what the price. Now thats idolizing. I will take constructive criticism from people that know more then i do. That doesnt mean I will follow it, but I will think about it and weigh it. In the case of the speaker box carpet, he was absolutely right. I had just never thought about the aesthetics of the install before that time.


I do value opinions and get them all the time. I wasn't trying to be as rude as I seemed in my post, that's just how I saw it. I guess my point is that you took his opinion, changed your opinion, and then said in a rather broad statement that carpeted boxes are flea market crap. Your boss seems like a complete tool, and I what I don't value is smart ass off the cuff comments from people like that. I would never in a million years look at someones install and condescendingly tell them it sucks for any reason. Maybe if they had a ball of sparking wires jammed in their trunk I might suggest this or that, but I would never suggest that they change something for aesthetic reasons.


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## K-Mike

Well back to the OP, four hundred can depend really on what your getting, but seems a little steep even with experience. I paid less for my PWK designs box built by Pete himself and its about as application specific as you can get, and sounds fantastic. I know a lot of people hate on PWK but his stuff sounds good and you could always ask him for a quote with a build if you don't want to build it yourself.


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## ZAKOH

Given this cost, I'd rather buy all the tools and build the box myself. Granted, Pete from PWK designs seems to build awesome boxes that are tuned for car's cabin. He sells designs and also the boxes on demand.


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## Richv72

I appologize to all carpet users for being rude, my bad.


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## MoparMike

At $400 can I assume that you are paying a brick and mortar shop for this service? If so then that price, though on the higher side, is not absurd. Hourly labor costs cover all kinds of things other than the actual laborer's rate. Additionally, if they can/do build great enclosures then a previous members comment about paying for their time and expertise is spot on. If you are good at something, I feel that you should be properly compensated for it. 

This is a DIY site, for the most part anyway, but good stereo shops should be supported by those that can afford to and are willing to pay for quality work. How much of their prior work have you seen and heard? Most importantly, is it worth it to you and are you confident that you will get what you are looking for?


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## Vaglover

Well I've seen about half a dozen install and two very custom sub enclosures. All IMO very good work and sounded fantastic (from an installation/tuning sound point)
I think that for my money I would be happy. But there would always be that nagging feeling in my head I could of had it done cheaper.


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## cruzinbill

I think its only high if your getting a simple sealed box. If its contoured for the car, properly built, tuned correctly and looks good in the end.... then yes I would say 350 is reasonable, which after tax is around 400. 

Some people in here have some batshit crazy ideas.... like going to home depot and having them do the cuts for you... I wouldnt let those clowns cut my pizza. Their tooling is nowhere near precise.


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## captainscarlett

After spending doing a few box builds myself i came to the understanding that there are two factors. 

1)Design

2) Construction

I've yet to come up with a 'final box' ... and i'm not 100% trusting of graphs, for anything audio related. there are many programs, but in the end, i don't listen to music using programs, i use my ears. The only other thing is testing. I've never been the one to think that one solution fits all that's partly the reason why i still have over 30 pairs of headphones. of course you can't yank subs and speakers in and out of your car that easily. I'm currently on box 8 (if my memory serves me right) for my HAT I6SW sub, and i hope this will be the one. 

As for construction, that's where things go awry. Understanding the intense pressures that enclosures are under, however talking with various people i see far too often (IMHO) far too much bracing and caulking. Of all the woodworkers that i know of (i'm not going to call them experts) when i discuss the issues and caulking, they all tell me that caulking is unnecessary (don't shot the messenger) rather one should concentrate on getting the cuts as precise as possible, not always easy with a cheap table saw. 

Bracing seems to be another huge debate, but i see far too much of it from certain box builders. 

Form what I've seen, my money would be on:

PWK
DL Designs/Ram Designs

But again, even from those guys, i'm always wanting to try and test things, hence my 8th I6SW box!

*i6sw concept box* ..



















I think myths and unproven and proven techniques can be diluted and disseminated too easily especially in the internet, and people think that what is good in one instance can be taken as the general rule. 

Don't get me wrong, i build t-lines only, but i understand that in certain circumstances and/or with certain subwoofers a t-line might not be the best solution, but at least i've got the guts to acknowledge it. 

as for price, for a bare box i've seen not very impressive boxes in the UK go for around £200-250. Again I wouldn't have trusted them with a bargepole. But reputations and brands carry marketing weight .. sometimes undeservedly IMO. 

Also, sound is like humor, its a very personal thing. Yes someone else could come along, and make a few adjustments and you can go; wow! but in the end, you have to live with it.


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## Offroader5

For a simple 6 sided MDF box with a hole routed out (or two if vented)...$400 seems a bit steep. If it's a slotted vent, you're getting closer to making it worth it, but still seems high. You may be paying for "expertise" or "experience", but it really doesn't take much of either of those to simply construct the box. The part they may be upselling is the designing. If it's not just an "optimum enclosure recommendation" per the manual, then maybe they have a better more proven design and that's the experience you pay for. 

I for one have no idea what enclosures cost since I have no issues building my own....at least out of wood. 

I got a price from a local shop to build a fiberglass enclosure to fit into the rear quarter of my 4Runner to hold one 10, and they quoted $750.  Now, this was not a big box store but rather a custom install shop that came recommended...so I knew it would be a bit higher. But...$750? 

Needless to say, I'm going to have a go at my first fiberglass project here soon.


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## captainscarlett

Offroader5 said:


> For a simple 6 sided MDF box with a hole routed out (or two if vented)...$400 seems a bit steep. If it's a slotted vent, you're getting closer to making it worth it, but still seems high. You may be paying for "expertise" or "experience", but it really doesn't take much of either of those to simply construct the box. The part they may be upselling is the designing. If it's not just an "optimum enclosure recommendation" per the manual, then maybe they have a better more proven design and that's the experience you pay for.
> 
> I for one have no idea what enclosures cost since I have no issues building my own....at least out of wood.
> 
> I got a price from a local shop to build a fiberglass enclosure to fit into the rear quarter of my 4Runner to hold one 10, and they quoted $750.  Now, this was not a big box store but rather a custom install shop that came recommended...so I knew it would be a bit higher. But...$750?
> 
> Needless to say, I'm going to have a go at my first fiberglass project here soon.



I really do wish it were that simple. I spent a good 6 months reading, researching and soaked up as much info as i could before i got the courage to get out there and start building. Even with various software and theories, the results can be varied ... hence i'm on the 8th box build for the i6sw!

The 'stick 6 slabs of MDF together' mentality ... good luck with that! but isn't that the mentality of pre-fab boxes? with the greatest respect to JL, I'm about to rip the 10W3v3 out of my HO110 RG box (seen here) and to stick it in my custom built t-line. Why i need to do this i'm not sure as my 8W3v3 in its concept box surpasses the 10" HO box anyway!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z6BoD0skWY





Offroader5 said:


> I got a price from a local shop to build a fiberglass enclosure to fit into the rear quarter of my 4Runner to hold one 10, and they quoted $750.  Now, this was not a big box store but rather a custom install shop that came recommended...so I knew it would be a bit higher. But...$750?
> 
> Needless to say, I'm going to have a go at my first fiberglass project here soon.



And to quote one of the most successful enclosure designers in the game:



> You ask if there are any acoustic compromises to the above designs. I don't know. Any one of them could be a true engineering marvel, or a beautiful piece of s**t. It would take the better part of a day for me to script a shape like that, and a better part of a month to fabricate it. In any regard, we all know that the curvy angles of the fiberglass enclosures in cars are NOT the result of months or years of modeling research


Quote taken from the PWK Forum, thread title: If I said I prefered Lanzar over Hybrid Audio

For me its not only about the construction, but the design itself, and again as my 8 boxes for one subwoofer shows, i don't take anything at face value, not from PWK, not from Ram, not from Dave the box guy, not from any manufacturer. Its my belief that as enthusiasts, the flies never land on us for long. I'm always of the opinion that; surely another design would yield different/better results! As such, the i6sw is sounding better, deeper, louder, than it did with my first effort.


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## huggy54

$400 not a chance, thats like the price of a good sub if not more. I mean I know alot can go into it, but its just wood and carpet


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## Horsemanwill

what type of car is it goin in. what does he have to work around?


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## Vaglover

It would be going in an mk4 jetta. There really shouldn't be anything too out of the ordinary. Nothing too fancy. 400$ was just their base price. Around and about. I suppose that number too depends on materials (so size of enclosure) and if anything special was required to make it fit and work in my car. Which I doubt will be anything.


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## Horsemanwill

i would ask to make sure what exactly comes with the price. then post back. there are too many variables.


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## quality_sound

huggy54 said:


> $400 not a chance, thats like the price of a good sub if not more. I mean I know alot can go into it, but its just wood and carpet


Unless you possess the skill to build that enclosure you're paying for more than just the materials.


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## Spyke

Ask if it comes with a happy ending.


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## nubz69

300-400 sounds fair but a bit high for a slot ported box in a MK4 Jetta. 3.8 cuft. is quite a big box in that size of a trunk. It is not quite as simple as slapping together a box and jamming it in there. He is paying for the build quality, wrapping, design and expertise. A well designed box has more of an affect on bass then the sub does, once you are not dealing with junk subs. 

Will this shop be doing any of the install or just building the box? Will the box have good internal bracing for that price?


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## thomasluke

Spyke said:


> Ask if it comes with a happy ending.


Hell, I better get 4 happy endings for that.


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## huggy54

quality_sound said:


> Unless you possess the skill to build that enclosure you're paying for more than just the materials.


true, but $400 is still steep, for me anyway. I'd look to find someone todo it cheaper to the same quality


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## quality_sound

huggy54 said:


> true, but $400 is still steep, for me anyway. I'd look to find someone todo it cheaper to the same quality


Just remember the triangle of quality. I've charged someone double that for an enclosure for an 8" sub because of the timeframe he had and the quality he demanded.


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## mkeets

nubz69 said:


> 300-400 sounds fair but a bit high for a slot ported box in a MK4 Jetta. 3.8 cuft. is quite a big box in that size of a trunk. It is not quite as simple as slapping together a box and jamming it in there. *He is paying* for the build quality, wrapping, *design *and expertise. A well designed box has more of an affect on bass then the sub does, once you are not dealing with junk subs.


This is what we don't know are the installers actually DESIGNING a box or just looking at the manual and then building a "custom box" which is just built to manufacturers specs.



nubz69 said:


> Will this shop be doing any of the install or just building the box? Will the box have good internal bracing for that price?


This doesn't and shouldn't magically bump the price of a box $100+ honestly how much time or effort does is it take to throw some 2x2s in to brace a box?

As for the original question $400 is VERY steep especially for a 6 sided sub enclosure (which means they're not making any unique contours to fit your car).


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## Spyke

mkeets said:


> This is what we don't know are the installers actually DESIGNING a box or just looking at the manual and then building a "custom box" which is just built to manufacturers specs.
> 
> 
> This doesn't and shouldn't magically bump the price of a box $100+ honestly how much time or effort does is it take to throw some 2x2s in to brace a box?
> 
> As for the original question $400 is VERY steep especially for a 6 sided sub enclosure (which means they're not making any unique contours to fit your car).


I agree that $400 is steep, that's why I build all of my enclosures. Like I said earlier, they are running a business. Figure $100 an hour and 2-3 hours plus parts to complete the box. There's the $400. If you don't like it don't pay it. I don't know of too many business owners that will take time away from their business just to help a brotha out.


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## autokraftgt

I would pay my installer $400 for a custom box all day. With that being said, I know my installer would build it the right way, tuned perfectly for the particular sub(s) I would be running, complimentary to the rest of the system, pleasing to the eye, mounted correctly....It wouldn't be a finished product until he was happy with it as an installer, and me as the customer...that's worth $400 regardless!


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## Realifeactual

I did this job for a friend. Built the two boxes, wood flooring, stained the floor, carpeted boxes and full install. Also, the boxes are curved in the back to wrap around the wheel wells and I did that while job for $300


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## GoldRiver

I paid $500 for a custom ported box for 3 8s. It was a ridiculous price but I didnt know any better at the time. 
The labor rates are insane. You go to school, get an advanced degree, put in decades of experience but weve got box builders making more money an hour at $100, plumbers raking in $150+ an hour, mechanics $175. Most lawyers dont make this much. 

I built my second box. It took me a long time and a lot of trial and error trying to get the cuts straight. I needed a router, table saw, clamps, compressor, nail gun. I didnt bother carpeting it, just stained it. 

It was a fun project, but that $500 was looking real cheap. Prob would have taken someone 2 hours to build what took me 12. 

You can shop around a bit, but if you lack the tools and experience and cant find a better deal, just pay up lol


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## Gingervitis

Horsemanwill said:


> what type of car is it goin in. what does he have to work around?


I just bought a JL10W7-ae, single subwoofer, I want a custom box built into the back of my trunk on a 2017 Buick Lacrosse. my car has a deep trunk but not looking for lights or presentation as I'm not doing competition, just want pure quality sound. dont need wire run through my car as it has a Bose system which has its own battery in the trunk separate from the front. would $400 still be too high for build and install with the amp as wel?


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## Holmz

Gingervitis said:


> I just bought a JL10W7-ae, single subwoofer, I want a custom box built into the back of my trunk on a 2017 Buick Lacrosse. my car has a deep trunk but not looking for lights or presentation as I'm not doing competition, just want pure quality sound. dont need wire run through my car as it has a Bose system which has its own battery in the trunk separate from the front. would $400 still be too high for build and install with the amp as wel?


 I dunno, what is the inflation between 2012, when this was first posted, and today… 9 years later?


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## dumdum

Gingervitis said:


> I just bought a JL10W7-ae, single subwoofer, I want a custom box built into the back of my trunk on a 2017 Buick Lacrosse. my car has a deep trunk but not looking for lights or presentation as I'm not doing competition, just want pure quality sound. dont need wire run through my car as it has a Bose system which has its own battery in the trunk separate from the front. would $400 still be too high for build and install with the amp as wel?


Not at all, especially with prices of wood being four times what they were, anywhere between 500-1k I’d think depending on fit and finish would be reasonable, it also depends on cost of living where you live, if your in New York at apicella auto sound then I’d expect 1k to be the start price if they even entertained doing a single sub box in the first place, other places where it’s cheaper to live half that labour rate

as for your Bose system… that’s not even a thing, a stereo with its own battery in the boot, I have known cars with second batterys… but they were never ‘just’ for an aftermarket audio system regardless of level, more likely to support a degree of engine off equipment so they are not going to end up with a flat battery


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## Holmz

dumdum said:


> Not at all, especially with prices of wood being four times what they were, anywhere between 500-1k I’d think depending on fit and finish would be reasonable, it also depends on cost of living where you live, if your in New York at apicella auto sound then I’d expect 1k to be the start price if they even entertained doing a single sub box in the first place, other places where it’s cheaper to live half that labour rate
> 
> as for your Bose system… that’s not even a thing, a stereo with its own battery in the boot, I have known cars with second batterys… but they were never ‘just’ for an aftermarket audio system regardless of level, more likely to support a degree of engine off equipment so they are not going to end up with a flat battery


Maybe the cost is just leaving a bad taste in @Gingervitis mouth?


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## Jroo

Gingervitis said:


> I just bought a JL10W7-ae, single subwoofer, I want a custom box built into the back of my trunk on a 2017 Buick Lacrosse. my car has a deep trunk but not looking for lights or presentation as I'm not doing competition, just want pure quality sound. dont need wire run through my car as it has a Bose system which has its own battery in the trunk separate from the front. would $400 still be too high for build and install with the amp as wel?


400 would not be high especially if it quality work. Wood prices are crazy and I would bet a generic prefab would run 250 to 300 on its own. Here is the question, what does custom box mean? Ive seen some custom boxes that didnt look any better than a prefab option. The shop just whipped up a generic ported and called it custom. On the other end, I have seen some custom boxes that I really wanted to see who and how they made it as the woodworking and construction were that good.


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## Jheitt142

I don't know how it is in the US but up here a sheet of 3/4" pine ply is $80 give or take. 

Mdf is always cheaper. I always figure $100 for materials for a basic Mdf box. Then places either have a flat rate or hourly for construction of the box. The more complicated the box the more time it takes. I really don't see $300 for a sealed box as unreasonable in Canada.


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## tfunk182

dumdum said:


> Not at all, especially with prices of wood being four times what they were, anywhere between 500-1k I’d think depending on fit and finish would be reasonable, it also depends on cost of living where you live, if your in New York at apicella auto sound then I’d expect 1k to be the start price if they even entertained doing a single sub box in the first place, other places where it’s cheaper to live half that labour rate
> 
> as for your Bose system… that’s not even a thing, a stereo with its own battery in the boot, I have known cars with second batterys… but they were never ‘just’ for an aftermarket audio system regardless of level, more likely to support a degree of engine off equipment so they are not going to end up with a flat battery


The car's only battery is in the trunk.
Battery - North America
The original equipment battery is
maintenance free. Do not remove
the cap and do not add fluid.
This vehicle has a standard 12-volt
battery under the trim panel on the

left side of the trunk. Refer to the
replacement number on the original
battery label when a new standard
12-volt battery is needed.


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## Jheitt142

Every manufacturer calls their batteries maintenance free now. They've gone to great lengths to make it look like there are no caps. But I'll tell you secret. They're just regular flooded lead acid batteries that can be topped up if you'd like. 

The maintence free claim is legal.


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## Fish Chris 2

Good question. I've always designed my own boxes, and I totally enjoy building them. 
However, I've been thinking that my next enclosure will probably be a 4th or 6th order... And I'm just not confident enough in my enclosure designing for that (as I hear that with these types of enclosures, the cabin space can make an even bigger difference than with standard ported designs)
This said ^ There is an enclosure Guru by the name of Bobby Gately here in Sacramento. His shop is only a few miles from the house, and besides being a master enclosure guy, he is a super cool dude also. I guess I'd give him $200 for a printed design and cut sheet, or more if I had to ? 

Then I'd go to this specialty lumber place we have, have them hack up a sheet or two of MDF, come home, slap it together, and Bam 👍


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## Lou Frasier2

Fish Chris 2 said:


> Good question. I've always designed my own boxes, and I totally enjoy building them.
> However, I've been thinking that my next enclosure will probably be a 4th or 6th order... And I'm just not confident enough in my enclosure designing for that (as I hear that with these types of enclosures, the cabin space can make an even bigger difference than with standard ported designs)
> This said ^ There is an enclosure Guru by the name of Bobby Gately here in Sacramento. His shop is only a few miles from the house, and besides being a master enclosure guy, he is a super cool dude also. I guess I'd give him $200 for a printed design and cut sheet, or more if I had to ?
> 
> Then I'd go to this specialty lumber place we have, have them hack up a sheet or two of MDF, come home, slap it together, and Bam 👍


how close is he to McClellan?


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## Jheitt142

i think Gately would be a whole lot more then $200 for a design. Also his big thing is the building itself.


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## Fish Chris 2

Lou Frasier2 said:


> how close is he to McClellan?


Very close ! I'd say less than 5 miles... Right off of Auburn Blvd.


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## Fish Chris 2

Jheitt142 said:


> i think Gately would be a whole lot more then $200 for a design. Also his big thing is the building itself.


I talked with him last year, and I believe that was the typical cost he mentioned. Obviously now, especially with the cost of wood, it would be a lot more if he built it himself. Plus he generally uses expensive plywood. Although he builds fantastic enclosures himself, he didn't sound like he had any problem just designing one for you to build either.


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## Jheitt142

Fish Chris 2 said:


> I talked with him last year, and I believe that was the typical cost he mentioned. Obviously now, especially with the cost of wood, it would be a lot more if he built it himself. Plus he generally uses expensive plywood. Although he builds fantastic enclosures himself, he didn't sound like he had any problem just designing one for you to build either.


thats good to know. I just think hes blown up a bit as of late and thats usually followed up with a price hike. just because time becomes more limited, so it becomes more valuable


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