6x9" for home use : ported vs sealed?

platinumblue

Hi there!

I got hold of a pair of 6x9" speakers a few days ago and now I plan on putting them into boxes to be used in my study.

Which type of enclosure should I be looking at? Usually the comments are pretty mixed when it comes to ported vs sealed, and especially for these type of speakers. I realise that 6x9" aren't really for home use but hey, I got them really cheap, have everything else set-up, just need a few enclosure designs.

For those of you who like detail:
* 2X 6x9" VR3 (Virtual Reality Sound Labs) RS900 3-way speakers
* Polypropylene sprayed paper cones
* 20oz Magnets +-10%
* Foam rubber surrounds
* 400 Watts Instantaneous Peak power
* 80 Watts RMS
* Mylar Midrange speakers/tweeters
* 50Hz-20,000Hz

* StarSound 2x200 Watt Amp Built-in Xover
* PC acting as EQ/tuner
* 2x Computer desktop stereo speakers

Goal: To get as much bass out of them as possible , and clean all round sound.
Again, 6x9" are primarily used for rear fill in a car, and for midbass. But I just want to see how I can get the most out of these guys in a home setup. When I bought them (for roughly $11 brand new sealed in a box), I didn't actually think about enclosures. My mind was kinda made up with "pretty big sealed boxes and see how it goes".

When I started doing some research, I read about some folks putting them into ported boxes, tall "tower" boxes etc etc. Sealed boxes are pretty easy but some dimensions would be nice from you guys. Ported boxes I think are pretty tough to build due to the high qts of the speakers and no idea what their T/S parameters are. I read ported boxed 6x9"s can reach somewhat lower frequencies but how low should one go, or try to go? 40hz?

So far I'm thinking sealed enclosure : H 12" W 10" L 12"

Any ideas??

Thanx for reading!

20hz

my guess is that they are designed for huge volumes like the trunk of a car so going 1 cu foot sealed wont get any bass out of them , what I do is play the speaker with the back loose and move it in place closing it in untill it sounds right ..
I did that on my kicker comp 12" I found there was no way at sealed 2 cubic feet it put out any low end so I went min volume ported it turned out being a square port 5x10x20" long 2.25 cubic .
Try differant amounts of polyfill start with a inch on the wall to kinda stuffed even try stapling it to the walls and a port .

platinumblue

Thanx for the reply!

I hear you. It would be much better going with at least an 8" properly tuned for the amount of "bass-iness" I want.

Suddenly 1CuFt boxes sound smallish for the 6x9" hehe

If you don't mind please look at the attached pics for some other ideas... As you can see from the tower box idea, I made the port at the bottom. Where should I put it? I have zero experience with porting.

And also, the polyfill? I've never used it before. If I have say a 1CuFt box, and added polyfill stapled to the inside walls, how much extra "volume" does one look at? Just a ballpark figure.

Thanx!

Toxis

So you're going to put 200w into some insanely inexpensive "by 9's" rated for 80w and you're worried about SQ? I think you're expecting a lot more out of an $11 investment and definitely putting a lot more effort into rigging this to work than just finding some decent $50-100 computer speakers and calling it a day. The wheel is perfected. No need to go back to the drawing board.

platinumblue

Toxis wrote: »

So you're going to put 200w into some insanely inexpensive "by 9's" rated for 80w and you're worried about SQ? I think you're expecting a lot more out of an $11 investment and definitely putting a lot more effort into rigging this to work than just finding some decent $50-100 computer speakers and calling it a day. The wheel is perfected. No need to go back to the drawing board.

You have a valid point... I guess I like experimenting and challenges wayyy too much. Thanx for the reply.

I'm just gonna go with a 1 CuFt sealed enclosure and be happy with whatever it sounds like until I attempt a proper setup in the near future.

Just a side note... They say the speakers are 400 Watt MAX power, yet only 80 Watts RMS. Is there a way to calculate the "true" wattage of speakers when they claim max power or do you have to go by the manufacturer's specs?

eloplayspolo

platinumblue wrote: »

They say the speakers are 400 Watt MAX power, yet only 80 Watts RMS.

lol. im not hating on what you are trying to do, i just find it entertaining that you are putting effort into a speaker of this quality. You can find much better on partsexpress

platinumblue

eloplayspolo wrote: »

lol. im not hating on what you are trying to do, i just find it entertaining that you are putting effort into a speaker of this quality. You can find much better on partsexpress

Haha!! Yeah I hear you man. But.. Once the boxes are built, it's done, THEN I can add HQ stuff in there. :-)

Maybe I should have left out the brand and specs, and just asked what type of enclosure would be best for 6x9"s?

Thanx for the replies so far guys.

halo71

Welcome to the forum! Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the DIY stuff that people build. But in this case I think you will be severely disappointed in the results. Adding "HQ stuff"......like? You are using some really cheap speakers, and to me, using some decent to better speakers is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. I would check some of the DIY forums first. And depending on your budget build some tried and true DIY designs. For example, there are drivers out there still that are fairly cheap. And return pretty damn good results for the money. The eD EHQS woofers are a fine example. While not being high end, they produce amazing bass in the right enclosures.

platinumblue

@halo71 - Thanx for the warm welcome! Well, I guess "HQ stuff" would be any big brand speakers like JBL, Kenwood, Pioneer, Rockford Fosgate etc etc, then higher HQ would be any similar brand's competition range or something like that. For the most part this is a fun exercise trying to see what type of design would give the best performance for 6x9"s.

So far my heart is set on the tower designs I have attached above. The general consensus is Big Boxes and seal 'em. Those designs would give me quite a few CuFt and hopefully some rich bass. But the wood here is a bit expensive, so I have to settle for square-ish type boxes like 1,5 CuFt...

Can anyone here help me out regarding ported enclosures? Where should a port be and how do you calculate the size/length etc.

Also..Again the wattage dilemma. RMS vs MAX power. Can you calculate one from the other and what do they mean exactly?

halo71

Good luck to you. You really need to find the T/S specs of those speakers to determine what size enclosures to build. You can't just take a driver and stick it in any ole' sized cabinet and hope to get "some rich bass".

halo71

THIS is what you should build. Don't get much cheaper. You just have to buid the cabinets.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-643

platinumblue

halo71 wrote: »

Good luck to you. You really need to find the T/S specs of those speakers to determine what size enclosures to build. You can't just take a driver and stick it in any ole' sized cabinet and hope to get "some rich bass".

You are right. Without the T/S specs building any kind of enclosure for any speaker would be a guessing game. Since I don't have them, and I don't think I can get them since the website's contact page seems to be malfunctioning, there is no use.

Tomorrow I will be buying wood and building boxes with dimensions W16" H16" L16" which provide a volume of 2,37cuft. Let's see what happens...

Thanx for the link, that looks like a really nice kit! Will definitely be looking into that for future plans.

halo71

Good luck and post some pics!

Toxis

RMS is what a speaker can handle on a daily basis. Max is whatever number they feel like throwing on it to make people say "I want that!" For instance, I could tell you I'm 5'4" tall but my max is 6'1 because that's how tall I am if I jump. So I'll start telling people that online so I sound tall... Then they meet me.

txcoastal1

DSkip wrote: »

Cardboard should do the trick. Try to find a box that already has an airhole.
GL on your endeavors.

U couldn't find the link could you...I know you were looking for it

20hz

sound wise the port can be anywhere , since that driver will want nothing but volume and wont sound right untill its over 2 cubic , that is if you expect low bass but if you got a sub and only want them to go 100 hz and up you can go to 1 cu sealed and they will do fine , what might be a good box is a simple transmision line , your tower is perfect but there will be a angled board that so the cabinet has a opening like 4" tall where your port is , I built one for a versatronic 6.5" it sounded real good seemed to take more power but the bass was good .
the inside board is angled so the top triangle is a cabinet going to the bottom it gets larger inside like a flared port .
I think polyfill is 1 pound per cubic foot maximum and the gain is like adding %20 cabinet volume , I get mine at a fabric store its 1/4th the price of parts express , but be carefull if you try it in a ported box it will push the polyfill out the port .

platinumblue wrote: »

Thanx for the reply!

I hear you. It would be much better going with at least an 8" properly tuned for the amount of "bass-iness" I want.

Suddenly 1CuFt boxes sound smallish for the 6x9" hehe

If you don't mind please look at the attached pics for some other ideas... As you can see from the tower box idea, I made the port at the bottom. Where should I put it? I have zero experience with porting.

And also, the polyfill? I've never used it before. If I have say a 1CuFt box, and added polyfill stapled to the inside walls, how much extra "volume" does one look at? Just a ballpark figure.

Thanx!

devani

I would sell at $20 and add $30 of your own for a Polk T15 speakers at Bestbuy which is on sale for $50...

platinumblue

devani wrote: »

I would sell at $20 and add $30 of your own for a Polk T15 speakers at Bestbuy which is on sale for $50...

Oh wow they do look nice. For Christmas! Ok Thanx! :cheesygrin:

Was too busy yersterday to build the enclosures. Just got some wood. Still at the drawing board, but building today!

Which one would you guys choose? A, B or C ?