Oops, didn't mean to post this in speakers, sorry 'bout that. (Don't know how to remove post, or if you even can).
Alright, here it is. I have a Kicker CompVX 15" (dual 2ohm) sub, (I know, Kicker sux balls, I agree, but I bought this sub like 3yrs ago, B4 I knew better. Plus, I got it for $149, new, from an authorized dealer).
Anyway, it's still brand new in the box & I'm finally ready to build an enclosure for it to replace my Orion P2 12" that I'm currently using. (BTW, it'll be going in a '97 Cadillac DeVille & it's being powered by a Crossfire VR1000D (if it matters).
According to the owner's manual, ideally, the proper ported enclosure is; 5cu.ft. with a slotted port tuned to 29Hz. My question is, does this sound right? I mean, I know Kicker says it is, but they also say that I can put it in a 1.8cu.ft. sealed box & it'll perform just fine. Now I'm no expert, but I don't know if a small sealed enclosure is a good recommendation for a 1,000w (supposedly) 15" sub. I'm thinking that the volume seems a bit large and the tuning frequency seems a bit low (though I could be wrong).
So, any advice on enclosure size and tuning frequency would be greatly appreciated. Also, space isn't much of an issue, as I have a large trunk. Oh, and I'm going for SPL (Obviously. Especially with Kicker & a large ported box, I don't expect great SQ, lol).
Kicker's Comp, CVR, and CVX subs are fine. Don't worry about that. The problems are with the square subs. That said, 5cu ft @ 29Hz will hit very low, the larger enclosure is designed for SPL systems. ported will also help handle more power.
Sealed is good if you want a faster response, with more detail and mroe control, and a box that will hit deeper at the cost of some SPL. sealed is about -3 to -5dB down from a ported box, but sealed doesn't suffer from the transient delay or the brick wall roll offbelow the tuned frequency of a ported box.
For a 15", you can go as small as about 3-3.5cu ft, with port tuning between 28-35Hz. You'll want to use two 4" or one or two 6" ID ports for a fifteen inch sub, to avoid port whistle. It'll move a lot of air with that power and that amount of cone area and excursion.