What is the differnces between plates and sub boxes? Since after Xmas I am getting my new system (2 12' Kicker Compvr's), what would be better to me?

Also how much should I pay for a good box, or plate? I heard that plates were cheaper, but you get what you pay for......

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91 RS Camaro
3.1L
Cat Back System, K&N filter,modified air box, Fastchip Stage 2, 160 thermo, Rapidfires and Bosch Wires 5 Air Horns

Kills: 89' 302 Thunderbird, 88' 305 Cutless Supreme, 90' 3.8 Bonneville

My Car

 

youre crazy if you put subs like them on a plate. Somebody told me that Freeair Subs are the only subs that sound good on a plate. Kickers are GREAT subs, and the only way you'll get GREAT sound is with a GREAT box.

get a box!

kev

 

But what is the difference??

Also how much should I pay for a box?

 

A box is a BOX. 6 sides, all sealed up. A plate is just a flat piece of wood with 2 speakers attached to it. Speakers need to have the front and rear sound waves 100% isolated from each other, which means that the backside of the sub either needs a box, or you need a plate that is longer than a soundwave at about 20hz (somewhere around 50 feet if memory serves me). The proper sized box is critical to good sound quality, because the motion of the speaker cone is dependant directly on the pressure caused by the compression and rarefraction of the cone.

So, to sum it up:

Plates suck.

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OK thanks Jim,

How much should I pay for a pre-made box?

 

Don't be a plate hater! I agree that a box will give you better bass....but at the cost of space in the hatch. Personally, I think boxes look gaudy in hatchbacks. You can design a plate for good sound depending on how well you insulate the space under the plate. An good enslosure would probably run you about $150.....a plate about half of that

 

you can always buy a plate and w/ about $10 worth of mdf and maybe $5 in glue and screws you can build 2 separate boxes to attach to the plate...it would be the same as a regular sealed box (if you have the equip. and knowledge of woodwork) and it will fit nicely in the well area. and best of all you can tell people you made it yourself. i built my own box for $20 with a circular saw, a jig saw, screws and plenty of glue.....but i must say i would have KILLED for a table saw...1 more thing, you dont even have to buy the plate you can make that yourself...just need to measure everything out nicely...ask around and you can find plans for your own well box...you'll just have to adjust the dimensions for the proper volume.

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350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake 600 cfm carb and exhaust, headers



[This message has been edited by CamaroZ_85 (edited December 17, 2000).]

 

it just depends on how serious you are about your sound. I cut the factory lid to fit my 6x9s,people thought I was crazy,but I just wanted a little bump in my sound even though I didn't have big bucks for subs.it's definitly not a perfect setup but it certainly isn't getto either.the bass is full and vibrates through the whole car,now I'm putting the 6x9s back in the sail panels,with a bandpass box in the well,it's high density partical board,holds two 8" with seperate enclosures. it's almost an inch thick and came fully insulated I payed $139,I got good use out of my "resonant-cavity" setup.my friends always thought it sounded good and some people copied my idea.ultimatly,the closed box is where it's at. it will be more precise,harder hitting bass the only drawbacks are the space consumption and the addidtional 50lbs in the trunk ,I'm sure it makes up for that though.

 

It depends on where you buy it. I've seen some boxes sold online for between $100 to $150, but I have to question their quality. A car audio shop will probably charge you around $200-$300 for a custom built box, but you get what you pay for.

------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah