Car Stereos: Need smaller box for subwoofers, s parameters, bass output

Question
I have a Sony XS-l20b5d comes with dual 12" subs and wanted to know if they could be put in a smaller enclosure not much room in my s10 for such a big box. hoping maybe a smaller sealed box might work.

Answer
Hi Josh,

I've looked for T/S parameters for those Sony subwoofers in the past, with no luck. They're not even listed on the owner's manual.  Therefore, I can't give you an ideal sealed box size for the subwoofer.  However, generally you're not going to endanger a sub by placing it in too small a box.  The effect is that the deep bass will start to roll off at a higher frequency point, so that the bass won't be quite as loud at lower frequencies.  The removal of the port will also affect the bass output at the port frequency.  

In short, you won't hurt anything by moving the subs to a smaller, sealed box system; but you'll probably get a reduction in the output, especially at the lower frequencies.  Considering that both 12" subs are going to be inside the same small cab of an S10 with you, I suspect you'll still get all the bass you need.  It might affect your ability to be heard down the street, if that's important to you.

Hope this helps!

Brian