Sub Box Const.

[Havasu Hangin']

Now you're just being hurtful.
Naw...otherwise I would have said something like "...cardboard, paste, and rubber bands."
But that's not my style.

[Tom Brown]

Air leaking will only sound bad if it whistles, but the performance of the sub will not be affected.
I really, really, really hate to do this but I'm going to agree with ShockwaveBob and disagree with HH.
Air leaks, even small ones, will absolutely kill the performance of a bass reflex enclosure and dramatically reduce the performance of an acoustic suspension enclosure. It's more than just noticeable. It's dramatic.
BTW, the best way to seal a sub to an enclosure is with plumber's putty. You roll it up like a rope, put it on, and squish the driver into it. Just peel off the excess and it's clean and sealed perfectly. Silicone is shit to work with and seals poorly, by comparison.
Did I mention how much posting this pains me?

[Havasu Hangin']

Air leaks, even small ones, will absolutely kill the performance of a bass reflex enclosure and dramatically reduce the performance of an acoustic suspension enclosure. It's more than just noticeable. It's dramatic.
I'll will bet you $20 Canadian ($1 American) that if you take two identical boxes, with the same sub and same amp, you will be able to tell the difference with a couple small holes drilled in one.
Now, I'm sure there are thresholds, probably depending on the size of the leak, internal volume, and sub design.
Air leaks affecting sub response have been an old wives tale around the industry for many years, so we tried it, and nobody could tell the difference. It's easy to do- just plug the hole with a dowel after you are done.

[Havasu Hangin']

.. posting really sucks when we r dealing with a bunch people who dont do stereos think thy know it allllllllllllllllll!!! we can all learn from eachother. WFS!!!
I used to build stereos, but I wanted to go somewhere in life, so I moved up and became a Wal-Mart greeter.

[Havasu Hangin']

i new that was u at the front door at the local wallmart
Yes. No matter how many times I tell them, those damn Wal-Mart shoppers don't use Marine Ply, either.

[Tom Brown]

Air leaks affecting sub response have been an old wives tale around the industry for many years, so we tried it, and nobody could tell the difference.
I've tried it too, but with different results. A Nexus analyser was used to compare before and after. I don't have plots but perhaps one day I will grab a couple of old boxes and do a before/after comparison.
With a bass reflex enclosure, we were off 14 dB. With an acoustic suspension enclosure, we were only off a few dB and the curve was changed a little bit.
Perhaps with the sealed box, it wouldn't be a big deal in the grand scheme of car audio but I wouldn't want my box to leak.
Think of the cost to double the power to gain back 3 dB. How hard is it to use some care and seal the box? :idea:
With bass reflex, you can pretty much completely kill the output with a 3/16" drill bit.

[Havasu Hangin']

Perhaps with the sealed box, it wouldn't be a big deal in the grand scheme of car audio but I wouldn't want my box to leak.
I don't think the point was to build leaky boxes- only that small leaks won't matter in most car audio sub enclosures.
Here's another experiment. Take the same two boxes, but take 10% out of the volume on one by putting a piece of a 2" x 4" in there. See if you can tell the difference.

[Jordy]

I wouldn't want my box to leak.
See a doctor and get it cleared up.

[rivercrazy]

There really is no significant difference in sound quality between 3/4" Marine plywood and 3/4" MDF. Why risk using such a structurally weak material like MDF in a wet environment? And an environment that subjects the box to the pounding a boat takes in rough water.
Oh that's right - its cost...........

[phebus]

Oh that's right - its cost...........
Yea, we wouldn't want to invest an extra $30.- in materials on a $100k boat. :crossx: