My buddy and I are going to be building a box like the one attached and I want to know if we can get away with 1/2" MDF. There will probably be 2 10" Alpine Type-R's in them.

Thanks,

Brian

 

well you could build it with the 1/2" but if you plan to power them with 300 or more RMS then you may wan tto go thicker, my friend is running an swr 1241D i think thats the number, its a type R dual 4ohm coils, and he blew the sides out of a 1/2 mdf box with 350 watts RMS, but it may have been the box, who knows

 

I would not use anything thinner than 3/4". Anything smaller tends to move and cause unwanted flex. It will really sound better with the thicker board.

 

Cool thanks, that is what i figured.

And on a side note. Would he be better off to get 2 10" Type R's or 2 10" Audiobahn the black or the flame? Thanks

Brian

 

i have only used alpines, and they are great

 

Alpines are much cleaner. Audiobahn Flames Q's will acheive a MUCH higher SPL.

 

You could build a box with 1/2" MDF and have it sound just as good or better than most 3/4" MDF boxes.

The key is to use lots of bracing. Most generic boxes have little or no bracing and this is one of their big weaknesses. With 1/2" MDF you'd need more bracing. Here is some info on bracing - http://www.jlaudio.com/tutorials/bracing/index.html

The other factor to consider is proper airspace sizing. Many, many people are using a sub box that is either too big or too small for the particular drivers that they are using. If you're gonna build your own box make sure it is the correct size to match your subs.

 

what about braceing and fiberglass i've heard that if use fiberglass you don't have to go as thick

 

A fiberglass box should still somehow be braced. My fiberglass sub box is only about 1/4" thick but is plenty strong enough for me to jump on.