Please recommend a 5" driver for a sealed box with a volume of 0.57ft3 (9"x6"x6"), with the 120 - 5k and crossover around 5hz. Ideally but not necessarily, 8 ohms with a sensitivity around 80 - 83db.
Thanks.
Thanks.
It is normal to first choose the driver then determine the volume of the enclosure that suits the driver.
It's not so simple to do it the other way round.
Importantly, what is your budget?
For reference, here is a calculator that allows you to enter certain parameters of the driver in order to obtain a suggested sealed volume:
https://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Calculator/SpeakerBoxEnclosure/
You would enter an "Actual System Q (Qtc)" of between 0.7 (for refined, clean bass) and 1.5 (for an accentuated bass).
If you check out the parameters of a selection of 5" midwoofers , you can play with this calculator to find the one that most closely matches your required volume of ~0.6 cu ft.
Perhaps someone will already have fitted a 5" midwoofer in a cabinet the same volume as yours, which will make all of my above information redundant!
It's not so simple to do it the other way round.
Importantly, what is your budget?
For reference, here is a calculator that allows you to enter certain parameters of the driver in order to obtain a suggested sealed volume:
https://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Calculator/SpeakerBoxEnclosure/
You would enter an "Actual System Q (Qtc)" of between 0.7 (for refined, clean bass) and 1.5 (for an accentuated bass).
If you check out the parameters of a selection of 5" midwoofers , you can play with this calculator to find the one that most closely matches your required volume of ~0.6 cu ft.
Perhaps someone will already have fitted a 5" midwoofer in a cabinet the same volume as yours, which will make all of my above information redundant!
You'll probably find a 5" full range driver that will work in that size box, and with similar parameters.
Take a look at a Visaton WS 13 E for a possible fit. (I have no experience with this driver)
Take a look at a Visaton WS 13 E for a possible fit. (I have no experience with this driver)
Internal 9" x 6" x 6" = 324 cubic inches ÷ 1728 cubic inches/1 cf = 0.1875 cubic feet
With that correction to internal volume, the Visation WS 13 E may not be a good choice.
Last edited:
I ran the specifications of that driver through the calculator and if we accept a Qtc of 1.7 (accentuated bass) we get a sealed enclosure volume of 0.18 cu ft (5.2 litres). The enclosure resonant frequency would be 130 Hz and the -3 dB bass cutoff frequency would be 90 Hz.
P.S. Allowing for the volume taken up by the driver itself, the 0.1875 cu ft of internal volume of the OP's cabinet would be near to 0.18 cu ft.
https://www.visaton.de/en/products/drivers/fullrange-systems/ws-13-e-8-ohm
Looking at the budget friendly Dayton Audio Classic DC130A-8 we have a sensitivity of 88.7 dB/2.83V/m, and a cost of around £27.
The full specs are here: https://www.soundimports.eu/en/dayt... Search | Producten | Dayton Audio | DC130A-8
Running the specs through the calculator for a sealed box volume of 0.18 cu ft (5 litres) I get:
The full specs are here: https://www.soundimports.eu/en/dayt... Search | Producten | Dayton Audio | DC130A-8
Running the specs through the calculator for a sealed box volume of 0.18 cu ft (5 litres) I get:
- Qtc = 0.75 (clean unaccentuated bass)
- Enclosure resonant frequency = 97 Hz
- 3 dB bass cutoff frequency = 92 Hz
Why the "ideal" requirement for such low sensitivity?
The Dayton driver has a sensitivity of around 88 dB (sensitivity figures are sometimes overstated by manufacturers).
Attenuating the driver to 80 dB would require a high power series resistor that would not only waste amplifier power, but decrease the amplifier's damping factor with the effect of raising the system Q.