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Box Building Tips
The material of choice for building a strong box is 3/4" MDF (Medium
Density Fiberboard). Cross bracing is a good idea to help reduce panel vibration.
Strips of 3/4" by 2" wood work well for tying the panels together. HDF (High
Density Fiberboard) is also good as is a really good grade of plywood (such as
marine grade 7 or 13 ply). Regular particle board is not very good for speaker
enclosures. It is flexible and will crumble when you try to screw the woofer in.
A good grade of wood glue is recommended for joining two pieces of wood
together along with 1-1/4 to 1 1/2" drywall screws or 1-1/2" staples. A fastener
placed about every 3" will hold the box together good enough until the glue
dries. After assembling the box and allowing the glue to set up, use silicone seal-
er to make absolutely sure the corners are perfectly sealed.
Hint: When assembling the enclosure, build the whole enclosure except for
the rear baffle opposite the woofer cutout. This way you can easily reach inside
to apply the silicone sealer. Once this is done, put the rear panel on and seal it by
reaching through the woofer cutout.
A common source of air leaks is the connecting wire for the woofers. Terminal
cups are commonly available and are recommended. They provide an airtight
means for bringing the wire into the enclosure and allow for easy wiring
changes. An alternative is to drill a hole slightly larger than the wire and seal
carefully with silicone sealer. Do not disturb the silicone until it has set up.
Moving the wire before the silicone has set up will usually cause an air leak.
If you carpet the enclosure it is important to cut the carpet around the woofer
opening. It is hard to get a good seal if you have both the gasket and the carpet
between the woofer and the wood.
On a sealed enclosure it is easy to test the seal of the box. Push the cone in all
the way and let it go. If the seal is good, the cone should take at least five sec-
onds to return to the center position. If the cone spring back faster that that
you have a leak somewhere in the enclosure. Sometimes you can hear air escap-
ing around the woofer or at one of the joints in the enclosure. If the box itself
leaks take the woofer out and check the silicone seal all around the inside. If the
air is leaking out around the woofer try adding a flexible sealer like plumber's
putty or rope caulk. Don't use silicone sealers around the woofer.
For more information and additional box plans, see the KICKER Comp Technical
Brief on kicker.com or call the Technical Services Line at (405)624-8583.