Zenclosure Subwoofer Enclosure

[DJ_B_Easy]

So I did a little research here on Nico regarding the Zenclosure sub enclosures for the AC, eventually deciding to buy one. Just thought I would share some info on the box that I did not find on Nico.

All in all the box is a quality enclosure. Good solid MDF and some nice carpeting. Fits PERFECTLY under the rear deck. Here are some "issues" I found with the box. These are not necessarily bad things, just things I would have liked to know before purchasing.

1) The entire box is NOT carpeted. The bottom and both sides are not carpeted. There are 2 "flanges" on each side of the sub openings. Behind these two flanges is bare wood. Imagine looking at the box in the normal website pics as if you are looking at a manta ray from the top with the two flanges being its "wings". The bottom of the wings and the sides of its belly are bare. The bottom of its belly which would touch the back of the seats IS carpeted.

2) No pre drilled mounting holes. Obviously this is not a huge deal and probably not a great idea because all users will be installing different subs, but a standard 8 screw mount pattern would have been nice.

3) Terminals are sub-par. Glued in, no screws, rather cheap in quality, spring clips not binding posts. Enough said...

4) Unless you are going to do some serious fab, you are running a budget like me and are planning on mounting amp/s on to the rear seats. No can do if you want the box to look nice in the trunk. When pushed all the way back to look the best in the trunk it sits completely flush to the rear seats. You could push it forward to leave a few inches room but then not so great looking in the trunk and the manta ray wings would deter air flow quite a bit. Would have to implant some fans into the wings.

5) Not even sure what to call this...but the distance from the bottom of the sub to the bottom of the interior of the box is about 1/2" at most. If you are running subs with large mounting posts like me that have bottom terminals, plan on doing some careful wiring and shoving. Of course you could rotate the subs left or right a few clicks but if you have patterened or decorated dust caps you wont want to do so like me.

Hope this helps anyone still on the fence.

[alphapig]

Looks like a great box for the price.

Interesting note about the "wings," wish it came in 12in.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Dont get me wrong, I think its a great box. Just some surprises that I wish hadn't surprised me.

Also failed to mention that the carpet color does not perfectly match the stock carpet.

Here are some pics from the back to further illustrate the "wings".

[blackteam02]

..should have built one for yourself!all 3/4" MDF, 2 inverted 12" Alpine type-r, "binding" terminals/SCREWED in, 8awg speaker wires, black vinyl wrapped/not the back or sides either..Its for show & sure its heavy but it was made to be easily removed.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Nice...how do the inverted subs sound?

I for one dont have the woodworking skills or more importantly the tools to build something of that caliber for myself. I was an electrical man in HS...

[blackteam02]

if it were in a sealed box it would sound better im sure, but i wanted to show the magnets off at the time-i dont have wood working skills either, my husband built the box for me.-but- i sold the box recently, i still have the 2 speakers..anyone interested?

[alphapig]

Cool setup blackteam02.

Mine's less show:



Just a 12in Alpine type R, sealed fiberglass box.I have a 1000watt mono amp hidden under the carpet.

[Viper5000]

I like that box Piggy....

[DJ_B_Easy]

Agreed...wish I had the time and know how for the fiberglass route, much more style.

[HuyyNguyen]

if you bought that online..could have made one yourself for pretty much half the price and the way you want it =P

[coupecrazy1232]

if it were in a sealed box it would sound better im sure, but i wanted to show the magnets off at the time-i dont have wood working skills either, my husband built the box for me.-but- i sold the box recently, i still have the 2 speakers..anyone interested?

how much for both? and can u ship?

[DJ_B_Easy]

Huyy...actually I couldnt. See previous post. I have little to no woodworking skills. Dont want to sacrifice good sound for a few bucks.

[dangeris]

I made my own and it was pretty easy. I took out the removable carpeting so it was just black in the trunk area. The whole thing took me under 2 hours to build and thats with taking time out for lunch!

[DJ_B_Easy]

Seriously, I wish I could have made my own. But I dont have the tools or wood experience. Example...I dont own a saw, I just got my first Ryobi drill set, I cry if I get a splinter.

[DiamondWVU]

Yeah I had that box for a little while until I blew out the 2 10" w3's. Still have the box. Perfect condition. If anybody in the PA/Maryland/Jersey/New York/Virginia area wants it for $40 let me know. Shipping it is way to expensive.

Also the reason why it looks like it doesn't fit perfectly is because I tried to fit the capacitor behind the right side of it. Didn't really work out too well.

[downedzephyr]

if it were in a sealed box it would sound better im sure, but i wanted to show the magnets off at the time-i dont have wood working skills either, my husband built the box for me.-but- i sold the box recently, i still have the 2 speakers..anyone interested?

how much for the speakers?

[blackteam02]

how much for the speakers?

was going to email you but "hidden"..so email me, [email protected]

-edit-check your email coupecrazy!
Modified by blackteam02 at 2:27 PM 2/25/2010

[DJ_B_Easy]

Diamond...dude a week to late. Im in NJ would have taken it in a heartbeat rather than the $100+ plus shipping I paid.

[BLKmomba1]

i wish they started manufacturing the side single sub box like pig has... id buy one

[93coupe]

Yeah I had that box for a little while until I blew out the 2 10" w3's. Still have the box. Perfect condition. If anybody in the PA/Maryland/Jersey/New York/Virginia area wants it for $40 let me know. Shipping it is way to expensive.

Also the reason why it looks like it doesn't fit perfectly is because I tried to fit the capacitor behind the right side of it. Didn't really work out too well.

How far of a drive from Baltimore? (I know about that thing called Mapquest, but I'm tired right now. )

[Bmore-coupe]

How far of a drive from Baltimore? (I know about that thing called Mapquest, but I'm tired right now. )

Thats me asking BTW!!! That is the second time today I have given Ryan a free post because he didnt log out of my computer.

We have a strict "Log Out" policy here. Too many Nico Accounts in one house

[Desire1314]

I never noticed that the entire box wasn't carpeted until you pointed that out. Guess it never caught my attention haha.

I actually have my amp running behind the box, so yeah the box does stick out a bit from that. I want to relocate my amp and find a spot for my cap, but not exactly sure wheres a good spot for it and won't be in the way when i need the trunk space. Any suggestions? I want to push my box all the way back so it no longer sticks out.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Im having the same issue myself, no idea where I want the amps to go. Ive seen a few recessed mounts into the spare tire wheel well on here, I was thinking of maybe doing a stacked rack for 2 amps in one of the tail light corners. I like to be able to get at my amps a lot and easily so I think that is going to be my best bet.

[HuyyNguyen]

could have gotten a friend somewhere to build you a box :] or better yet GOOGLE! building 2 boxes alone would cost the same as that one online =P so you got 1 chance to mess up. I wish i had those w3's up there those look beautiful..aha. Can't believe you blew BOTH of them up =/

[DiamondWVU]

Bmore I met you at Carlisle last year. I am not far at all from Baltimore. I'm in Morgantown WV right now for school the box is at my house back in PA. I'm gonna be back at home late March for spring break. My email is [email protected]

[DiamondWVU]

could have gotten a friend somewhere to build you a box :] or better yet GOOGLE! building 2 boxes alone would cost the same as that one online =P so you got 1 chance to mess up. I wish i had those w3's up there those look beautiful..aha. Can't believe you blew BOTH of them up =/

yeah i know. I bought those subs, a different box, that amp, and a capacitor off my friend for $220. Too bad the shop only connected one of the voice coils when they installed them in the box. But they made up for it, gave me back my money for install and gave me a really good deal on what i have now. One 12" Rockford Fosgate T1. And doc if you read this thread, I know you have a T2 and I know that will destroy my T1.

[93coupe]

I am not at all into audio, but if I was, I can't see putting a sub in the trunk. It is so freaking tiny. It can be frustratingly small.

[BLKmomba1]

yea this is a good thread cus i was thinkin of buyin that enclosure but i need trunk space. u guys with the single sub box on the side like piggy and applebonker... those are hand built right? or does anyone know anyplace i can order or have one made?

[alphapig]

^ I'm sure any audio shop can make one for you.

They will need your car there though... I'm not aware of any pre made boxes for the side.

[AppleBonker]

frustratingly small.

Probably the best description of our trunk I've seen. I never have people in the back seat, so I store extra stuff there if needed.

u guys with the single sub box on the side like piggy and applebonker... those are hand built right?

Yes. Everyone I have seen is custom. I don't believe you can find a pre-fab box like this for the A/C

I'm sure any audio shop can make one for you. They will need your car there though.

True. A decent audio shop (read: not best buy) will be able to fiberglass an enclosure for you. They do need your car temporarily to mold to the contours, but the majority of the work can be done without the car. I would guess they'd need the car for at least 4 hours to let the first few layers of glass harden before removing. I was going to have a shop do this, but I thought it would get too expensive for me (I needed a pretty thick enclosure for my sub). Even with a less powerful sub, I would doubt you'd get someone to do a decent job for under $500. It is cheaper to carpet the enclosure (since it doesn't have to be visually perfect). Painting requires more work to eliminate bad lines. I probably spent about 20-25 hours working on mine (but again, I think I've got about 12 layers of fiberglass and I'm no pro), so you can figure a pro would take at least 10. Figure the hourly labor accordingly. Then add material cost...