Subwoofers
OWNER’S MANUAL AND
INSTALLATION GUIDE
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SOUNDSTREAM TECHNOLOGIES
120 Blue Ravine Road
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Folsom
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California 95630 USA
tel 916.351
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fax 916. 351. 0414
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SPL15 and SPL160 SUBWOOFER
CONGRATULATIONS! You have chosen a superior product for
reproducing high levels of "Sound Pressure Level" in the car. This precision
component, when properly installed, is capable of amazing output
performance. The SPL15 and SPL160 woofers are well-suited for sealed,
vented, and sealed bandpass enclosures. They also work well in infinite baffle
installations at one-half the power rating.
and home theater applications.
SUGGESTED ENCLOSURES (Continued)
Should your woofer ever require service or replacement, recording the
information below for your own records will help protect your investment.
Sealed Bandpass
Model Number:___________________________________________________________
Serial Number: ___________________________________________________________
Dealer’s Name: __________________________________________________________
Date of Purchase: ________________________________________________________
Installation Shop: _________________________________________________________
Installation Date: _________________________________________________________
· Enclosure #56
· Rear = 4.7 ft3 sealed
Front = 3.5 ft3 @ 50 Hz (Four 4" x 7.5" ports) - Very high
output for Rock or Rap music.
· Enclosure #57
· Rear = 2.8 ft3sealed
Front = 2.3 ft3 @ 61 Hz (Three 4" x 5.25" ports)- Very high output with good
low frequency extension. Good for Rock or Rap music.
· Enclosure #58
DESIGN FEATURES
· Rear = 1.5 ft3 sealed
· Front = 2.3 ft3 @ 75Hz (Four 4" x 3.5" ports) - Super high output. Great for
· Long Excursion Design -- The SPL woofers use high performance components and the
New Ultra-Excursion Surround to achieve extra long excursion for high output and deep
bass.
Rap music.
· Heavy Cast Aluminum Basket on the SPL160 and Heavy Gauge Steel Basket on the
SPL15 provide extra rigidity and damping.
· Textured Blue Powder Coating ensures durability and lasting superb good looks.
· Ultra-High power handling Voice Coil with Glass Polymide Former increases power
handling and performance. Aerospace grade adhesives and materials insure longevity and
high performance.
· Dual Voice Coil Inputs for increased flexibility in optimizing installations.
· Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machined magnet plates and pole piece
precisely focus the magnet energy for optimum performance.
· High Emissivity Coatings on pole and top plates improve power handling.
· Double Magnet Structures for powerful, well-controlled output.
· Vented Pole Piece for greater voice coil cooling.
· Custom-designed High Strength Spider controls the long travel cone assembly.
· Gold Plated 8 Gauge Terminals ensure consistently outstanding connectivity for cable
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Preliminary
SPECIFICATIONS & THIELE/SMALL PARAMETERS
SPECIAL DESIGN FEATURES!
25-500
95 dB
2
25-500
96 dB
2
Frequency Response (Hz)
Sensitivity (2.83v/1m)
Impedance (nominal Z, ohms)
Rated Program Power, Watts
Fs (Hz)
· Custom-designed Cast Frame Basket for deep excursion and precise
alignment of the voice coil.
· Custom chrome top and back plates for show-quality installations in any
vehicle!
400
800
· Nearly 2 1/2" peak-to-peak maximum excursion for producing awesome
25
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sound levels with just a single woofer!
.33
.33
Qts
6.80
.35
7.82
.35
Qms
Qes
Vas (ft3)
7.98
226
7.24
205
Infinite Baffle
· Excellent performance for all types of music at moderate levels
Vas (liters)
Vas (m3)
.226
201
.205
183
Cms (um/N)
Sealed
· 1.5 ft3 - Good linear response, excellent small enclosure.
1.68
1.02
12.4
131.0
.0845
845
2.01
.67
DCR (ohms)
Excellent for high SPL, multiple driver applications.
Levc (mH) @ 1 KHz
BL (Tesla m)
· 2.0 ft3 - Good response, excellent all around enclosure.
13.3
131.0
.0845
845
Sd (in2)
Sd (m2)
Sd (cm2)
7.0
10.0
22
X max; one way (linear mm)
X max; one way (peak mm)
Vd (linear cm3)
Vd (peak cm3)
Vd (linear m3)
Vented
22
· 3.0 ft3 @ 27 Hz (Two 4" x 22" ports) - High output with good
592
845
low frequency extension. Good small enclosure.
1859
0.000592
0.001859
206
1859
0.000845
0.001859
173
· 4.0 ft3 @ 32 Hz (Three 4" x 16" ports) - High output with
excellent low frequency extension. Great for Rock music
Vd (peak m3)
Mms (grams)
238
345
Magnet Assembly (oz)
Magnet Weight (oz)
Vf (volume of frame, in3)
Coil length (mm)
104
157
320
385
27.9
28.6
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SELECTING AN ENCLOSURE
There are several different enclosure designs for different applications.
The SPL subwoofers work very well in all the following enclosure
designs. It is up to you to select the specific enclosure that will work
the best for your particular application.
SUGGESTED ENCLOSURES (Continued)
Infinite Baffle
Sealed Bandpass
Infinite baffle is the simplest type of subwoofer installation. In this type
of installation, the woofer(s) is mounted to a baffle which is then
mounted to either the rear deck or back seat of the vehicle. The best
results are achieved when the trunk area is virtually airtight and
isolated from the passenger compartment.
·
·
·
Enclosure #54
Rear = 2.8 ft3 sealed
Front = 2.2 ft3 @ 55 Hz (Four 4" x 11.5" ports) - High
output with good low frequency extension. Good for
Rock or Rap.
Sealed Bandpass (SBP)
Pros
Cons
·
·
·
Enclosure #55
· Excellent low frequency extension
· Excellent transient response
· Uses almost no trunk space
· Lower power handling
· Low to medium efficiency
Rear = 1.3 ft3sealed
Front = 2.2 ft3 @ 77Hz (Four 4" x 3.25" ports) - Very high output. Great
for Rap music.
Sealed Enclosure
Sealed enclosures are relatively simple to build and install, as all that is
required is an airtight box. The larger the sealed enclosure, the more
the performance resembles that of an infinite baffle installation.
Pros
Cons
· Very good low frequency
extension
· Medium efficiency
· Very good transient re-
sponse
· High power handling
SEALED
Vented Enclosure
Vented enclosures use a sealed enclosure with a vent or port in the box
Pros Cons
· Good low frequency exten- · Low power handling
sion down to the tuning fre-
quency
below the tuning fre-
quency
· High power handling down · Almost no output
to the tuning frequency
· Higher output than sealed
enclosures
below the tuning fre-
quency
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which is tuned to resonate at a specific frequency.
Sealed Bandpass Enclosure
Sealed bandpass enclosures enclose both sides of the
woofer(s). An airtight enclosure is built around the front and back of
SUGGESTED ENCLOSURES
Pros
Cons
Infinite Baffle
Excellent performance for all types of music at moderate levels
· High power handling
within the operating
frequencies
· Low power handling
beyond the tuning
frequency
·
· Very high output within · Poor to moderate
the range of the oper-
ating frequencies
transient response
· Poor low frequency
extension
Sealed
SEALED BANDPASS
the woofer and one
chamber is ported to
·
1.5 ft3 - Good linear response, excellent small enclosure.
Excellent for high SPL, multiple driver applications.
a specific frequency.
·
2.0 ft3 - Good linear response, excellent all around
enclosure.
Sealed (S)
CALCULATING (NET) INTERNAL ENCLOSURE VOLUMES
When constructing any type of enclosure, you must be aware that the
outside dimensions DO NOT represent the true (Net) volume inside.
Such things as woofers, ports, thickness of enclosure material, dividing
walls, and any internal bracing will reduce the total amount of the
actual air space available. The following worksheet has been designed
to provide you with the necessary steps to accurately calculate the
absolute (Net) internal volume of any given enclosure.
Vented
·
3.25 ft3 @ 27 Hz (Two 4" x 19.75" ports) - High output with
good low frequency extension. Good small enclosure.
·
6.7 ft3 @ 21 Hz (Two 4" x 15" ports) - High output with
excellent low frequency extension. Great for Rock music
or home theater applications.
Vented (V)
Calculating Cylindrical Port Volume
1. Measure the outside diameter of the port and divide by 2 for the
radius.
2. Square the radius and multiply by 3.14 (p) to arrive at outside port
area.
3. Multiply the area by the length of
the port inside the enclosure for the
port volume.
length inside
enclosure
outside
diameter
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ENCLOSURE VOLUME FLOWCHART
BUILDING THE ENCLOSURE
Measure maximum possible dimensions
· Determine the dimensions of your enclosure.
· Be certain the box you have designed will fit into the location you have
chosen. Sometimes making a cardboard box with the same outside
dimensions is helpful.
Multiply wall thickness by 2
· Use 3/4 inch thick Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) or High Density
Particleboard. It is preferable to cut the wood with a table saw to ensure
straight, even joints. If a table saw is not available, a circular saw is
acceptable.
Subtract this from each dimension to
arrive at Gross Internal Dimensions
· Use a “T” square to verify precise right angle gluing.
· Use a high quality wood glue and air nails or wood screws to assemble the
enclosure. Elmer’sâ woodworker’s glue and Weldwoodâ work well. To
guarantee an airtight box, seal each inside joint with silicone sealant.
Multiply LxWxD to arrive at
Gross Internal Volume
· For Sealed Enclosures, stuff the chamber with 50-75% filling (approximately
1.5 pounds per cubic foot) of fiberglass insulation or Dacronâ .
· For Vented Enclosures, staple 1 inch thick fiberglass insulation or Dacron to
Deduct Vf (volume of the speaker frame)
from Gross Internal Volume
all walls of the enclosure except the baffle to which the woofer is mounted.
· Use the supplied gasket to seal the woofer in the enclosure and eight(8)
wood screws or T-nuts and bolts. Progressively tighten each of the bolts or
screws to prevent warping the woofer frame.
Braces?
· Use slide-on connectors to attach speaker wires. Do not solder wires to the
No
Yes
SUGGESTED ENCLOSURES
Calculate brace volume and deduct
from Gross Internal Volume
The following designs include a variety of enclosure sizes and types.
Each design has two frequency response curves; one showing predicted
“In-Car” response, and the other showing “Half-Space Anechoic” (out-of-car)
frequency response. The performance difference between the two curves is a
result of the natural acoustics of an “average” automotive environment. This
“average” transfer function is only an approximation of what you may expect to
see in your car. Every car is different. Each curve was generated using 2.0
Volts across both voice coils in parallel and measured at 1 meter. Also, each
frequency response curve includes a 12 dB/octave low pass at 100 Hz. The
response curves can help you visualize relative performance differences
between designs. Read through the descriptions given for each enclosure and
select the one that suits your needs.
To convert to LITERS:
Divide in3 by 61.03
You are at Net Internal Volume
in cubic inches (in3 )
To convert to CUBIC FEET:
Divide in3 by 1728
Remember: all suggested enclosure volumes are Net, and DO NOT include
woofer, port, and bracing displacement!
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