# Sub enclosure too small, result?



## JerryK (Mar 6, 2009)

I have a small, deep space I'd like to put a JL W7 subwoofer in. They recommend .875 cubic feet, I have one-half that. What would be the effect on the bass if I did it anyway?


----------



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

It would play bass better [ integration to components would be good ], subbass would be virtually non-existant....Oh, and you could dump a ****load of power to it {braggin rights}


----------



## yermolovd (Oct 10, 2005)

Or you can download WinISD pro (http://www.linearteam.dk/default.aspx?download=winisdpro) and model it. Of course putting it in the car with throw off the response quite a bit, but at least you can find out what actually happens in general terms as you change the box size...


----------



## aznboi3644 (Jan 25, 2009)

How about you get a subwoofer that actually WORKS WELL in the space you have instead of trying to cram 10lbs of sh!t into a 5LB bag.


----------



## elvisjer (May 13, 2008)

It will work indeed, but not play as low as you'd like...well i assume as low as you'd like. Only one way to find out right???


----------



## JerryK (Mar 6, 2009)

I guess that's my question, would the JL W1 8" work better (the space is correct for that), or would a better sub (JL W7 8") sound better in half the recommended space?

On the other hand, I have a penchant for overstuffing things.


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

JerryK said:


> I guess that's my question, would the JL W1 8" work better (the space is correct for that), or would a better sub (JL W7 8") sound better in half the recommended space?
> 
> On the other hand, I have a penchant for overstuffing things.


you would be far better off, putting a sub in the proper encloser than not... 

The w7 will be over damped, so as everyone stated, it won't extend very low, it may intigrate with the mids real nice, mainly because you've over-damped it so much, it's not a sub anymore, but more of a mid-bass... 

Stuffing the box with polyfill only gets you so far, till the law of diminishing returns comes into effect..


----------



## JerryK (Mar 6, 2009)

I'm convinced, I'll get the proper sub for the space. Thanks all for good advice.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

What about an 8W6?


----------



## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Stuffing gets you about 10-15% more, not that much. Depending on the install you can invert, not much else you can do. I would get a small box sub, but then I don't remember ever liking a recommended size box I always go larger.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Actually, according to an article by Tom Nousaine you can get roughly 35% from proper stuffing.


----------



## Infinity (Jun 28, 2005)

Add a couple of the Variovents and it just may work.


----------



## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Actually, according to an article by Tom Nousaine you can get roughly 35% from proper stuffing.


He must be a lucky guy, I've stuffed a lot of them and it never changed them that much. I hate small box sound so I have tried, my problem is the recommended size is usually too small for me too.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

He measured resonance with different levels of polyfill. it was eye-opening to say the least. 

Search for a "polyfill" thread started by me and you'll find the links.


----------



## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> He measured resonance with different levels of polyfill. it was eye-opening to say the least.
> 
> Search for a "polyfill" thread started by me and you'll find the links.


Found it:
Polyfill Chart
Sub Box Polyester Fiberfill

They don't say anything about db however, I thought you lost some output with a lot of stuffing. A third larger, hmmm, I don't recall getting that much out of one but could be. In my experience it seemed to take out the higher bass as opposed to increasing sub bass. The stuffing takes heat because it is adsorbing the energy, meaning energy is lost from the sub. Not like anyone cares about that in these days of huge amps.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

It's not taking anything from the sub. The sound projected out is in no way affected by the polyfill in the box. The polyfill vibrates and heats up. Hot air is less dense than colder air so the sub "sees" a larger box.


----------

