6
Installa
tion
Box Building Notes
A Note on Power Handling Capacity
ES Subwoofers will handle large amounts of power in any of the
recommended enclosures, sealed or vented. The smaller
enclosures are best for use in limited-space applications. The
larger recommended enclosures will yield slightly more bass at
the lowest frequencies. The infinite baffle (free-air) mounting
method will handle moderate amounts of power and take up
less trunk or passenger space.
The cardboard “Template” inside your ES Subwoofer’s
shipping carton can be used as a pattern for cutting the speaker
mounting hole in your enclosure. The cardboard template is the
same size as the ES Subwoofer’s basket. After marking your
baffle with the template, make sure to cut directly on the line.
This will maintain the proper baffle cut-out size for the ES
Subwoofer’s basket.
All the cubic feet numbers given in the following pages include
the displacement of the woofer. For the ported enclosures the
displacement of the port must be added to the final design.
Always use 3/4" (1.9 cm) or thicker MDF and make sure all the
joints are fastened and well sealed. The peak pressure in a
ported box can exceed that of a sealed enclosure. All of these
designs need some internal bracing. Add 2" x 2" (5 cm x 5 cm) to
3" x 3" (8 cm x 8 cm) triangle braces between each of the larger
unsupported panels.
Kicker recommends using a high-grade wood glue and silicone
sealer for an airtight box.
X
X
X
x = 3" x 3" for ES154, ES124
x = 2" x 2" for ES104
Note: If you prefer an ultra-smooth bass response, you should
loosely fill your ES Subwoofer’s enclosure with poly-fil (polyester
fiberfill) stuffing. Ported designs will require covering the end of
the port (located inside the box) with grill cloth, chicken wire, or
expanded metal to prevent the poly-fil from being blown out of
the port. The use of poly-fil stuffing will slightly decrease
efficiency, but will deepen and extend the low frequency output.
Do not install a port opening against a solid surface, such as
an internal brace, back-panel or trunk wall, seat or interior panel
of your vehicle. The port opening must remain unobstructed. Use
the smallest dimension of the rectangular port or the diameter of
the round port as the minimum amount of space between the
port opening and any solid surface to insure unrestricted airflow.
For more advice on box building, click on the SUPPORT tab
on the Kicker homepage, www.kicker.com. Choose the
Technical Support tab, choose the Tech Manuals tab, and then
download or view the corresponding information. Please E-mail
support@kicker.com or call Technical Services (405) 624-8583
for specific or unanswered questions.
ES Subwoofers
