# Dual sealed box --> single sealed box



## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

I decided one 12" sub would be more than enough for my B13 trunk. I'm trying to cut down on the weight of the system also. The current configuration: dual box - 50 lbs, two 12" subs - 15 lbs, amp - 10 lbs. My plan is to cut the dual box and convert it into a single 12" sealed box. Yup I'm gonna go ahead and cut it in half with a circular saw. What's the best way to remove the grey material which seems to be bonded to the speaker box ? The box is 3/4" thick... pressed wood not MDF. Basically I want to strip down the cheap material off the box and paint it in high-gloss black paint.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

That's just carpet, it's probably glued on so the best way to get it off is just to rip it. You're going to have to do a LOT of sanding if you want to paint it in gloss, that glue is going to be a bitch.


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

After an hour of struggling on top of the box and trying to pull on the material I got the half that I'm going to keep stripped. The sticky shit left came right off using a dull metal scraper. I wouldn't do this again if you asked me to... I'll just build a new box next time. Thanks for replying. I'll post a pic of the modified box setup when I'm done remodeling it.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

That's good that you got the glue off of the wood without much of a problem, the few times I've had to prep a wood speaker box to be painted I had to do a viscious amount of sanding....


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

Oh I'm sanding down the box too and I'm taking my time with this... I don't want it to look cheap. It's going to get primed first and it'll get several coats of paint. 

I didn't find any foam on the inside walls of the box when I took the cheap subs out and put them in the dumpster but I'm thinking of padding the inside of the box with 1 1/4" thick white foam.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

what for exactly?


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

To eliminate the reflection of sound from hard surfaces. The foam lining will attenuate standing waves. I installed foam lining in one of the two shelf speakers I have in my room. It makes like a day to night difference when you compare the sound quality in between the two. However those speakers are ported. But I'm gonna go ahead and use foam inside the sub box I'm rebuilding also.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

With a box of that size and the frequencies that you're playing with that speaker, standing waves will not be a problem at all, I promise you. Your bookshelves were playing much higher frequencies where you can get standing waves, but in a box that size your sub would have to be playing at 500hz and higher to have a problem with them.


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

Yes, typically this is an issue with boxes that have to make midrange response like bookshelf speakers. Sub boxes shouldn't really have this issue.


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

just an idea for the paint prep.

use some high build sandable primer. sand the box with a healthy 200 grit wood paper, prime it, sand with 400 grit, prime again, sand with 800, paint.

i used 400 grit on an old chair of my moms and the wood is like glass.

once you paint, sand with 800 and paint again and repeat untill it looks good, then use 2000 grit and then buff the hell out of the paint with a cleaner/polisher wax and you should be able to use your sub box as a mirror.

good luck, AND I WANT PICS WHEN ITS DONE!


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## sfhellwig (Feb 4, 2003)

Trying to block reflected waves is a noble cause but not really necessary as stated before. However, using polyester stuffing to stuff the box can damp ringing and lower your Q. If you don't know what that means it will damp the main resonance of the system and extend your low response a little. Always worth doing IMO. Stuffing only works on sealed boxes. Lining the walls is for ported boxes.


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