- Building a subwoofer enclosure requires manufactured wood.Speaker image by PinkShot from Fotolia.com
A subwoofer accentuates the low bass levels typically lost in standard speaker output. Manufactured subwoofer enclosures are far more expensive than building one, but material selection makes all the difference in a well-built subwoofer enclosure. According to the audio experts at CarAudioHelp.com, building a strong enclosure requires, "composite wood rather than a natural wood." Natural woods are porous and allow air to escape the enclosure. Subwoofer enclosures are built to direct air, and this is why the entire unit must seal everywhere excepting where it is ported for airflow. Three-fourth inches is the recommended thickness for all subwoofer enclosure woods. - The most common subwoofer enclosures are built using medium density fiberboard (MDF). The composite wood specialists at the Composite Panel Association (CPA) define MDF as, "a composite panel product typically consisting of cellulosic fibers combined with a synthetic resin." These ingredients are then heat and pressure treated into sheets of varying thickness.
- An acceptable substitute for MDF is a high-grade particleboard, according to CarAudioHelp.com. Particleboard, like MDF, is a non-porous manufactured wood well suited for subwoofer enclosures. CPA lists particleboard as a composite panel made from heat and pressure treated cellulosic particles of varying sizes bonded with synthetic resin. The downside to particleboard is that exposure to water typically ruins the composite sheet.
- For a more expensive custom approach to subwoofer enclosures, hardboard is another option. CPA reports that hardboard is, "a composite panel manufactured primarily from inter-felted lingo-cellulosic fibers consolidated under heat and pressure." Hardboard is available in a plethora of finishes and could easily create a subwoofer enclosure needing no additional finish work once assembled.
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