Parts Express Recommended Enclosure Volume

Parts Express includes a recommended enclosure volume for the majority of the subwoofer, woofer, midbass, and midrange drivers we stock. With the help of computer modelling and simulation our Technical Advisors use manufacturers' supplied specifications to create these recommendations. When modelling these enclosures our goal is to achieve a balance of reasonable enclosure size, maximum low frequency extension, and acceptable power handling while operating within the driver's excursion limits. Essentially, a practical enclosure that should provide what we consider satisfying results.

In some cases, our recommended enclosure volume will differ from the optimum enclosure volume recommended by modelling software. This is due to the fact that most software suggests optimum enclosures based strictly on maximally flat response. However, maximally flat response models aren't always realistic as the enclosure will be impossibly small for drivers with a low Qts and ridiculously large for drivers with a high Qts. With these types of drivers our recommendations will allow some peaks or dips in low frequency response, when necessary, to allow realistic enclosure volumes. In many cases, drivers with a Qts between 0.3 and 0.5 will have a recommended enclosure volume that closely matches the optimum enclosure.

Certain drivers are not suitable for use in reasonably sized vented or sealed enclosures. With those drivers, no recommendation will be included for that enclosure type. It may still be possible to use these drivers, but some special consideration will be required to achieve satisfactory results, such as high pass filters to control excursion or significant EQ to correct peaks and dips in response.

In any case, our recommended enclosures are never your only option to achieve satisfying results. With the use of enclosure modelling software, such as BassBox 6 Pro, you can simulate various enclosures and tuning frequencies to optimize a suitable design for your specific application. If you are unfamiliar with enclosure modelling software, feel free to contact one of our Technical Advisors for our own professional analysis of what to expect from a driver in a given enclosure.