Step 1: Choosing the Right Equipment

So before I could even start designing my custom subwoofer box, I had to figure out what equipment I wanted to use first.  Outside of brand and sound quality (obviously), these were my main two concerns when choosing which subwoofer to use:

• Size of the subwoofer
• Minimum sealed enclosure volume of the subwoofer

I decided to go with an eight inch subwoofer, to satisfy my size requirement.  So I started researching different eight inch subwoofers, and found that there can be a HUGE difference in minimum enclosure (box) volume.  It seemed that most 8" subwoofers required a minimum enclosure volume of 0.5 cubic feet.  That makes for a bigger box than I wanted!  So I looked a little further, and found the Rockford Fosgate P1S2-8 Punch:

Not only does this subwoofer have great reviews, but it only requires 0.23 cubic feet of enclosure volume!  Furthermore, Amazon was selling it for only $55.  So starting here, I went on to pair it with the right amplifier.

Doing my research, recommendations were to pair this subwoofer with a mono amplifier rated between 150 and 300 watts RMS at 2 ohms.  After shopping around a little bit, I bought the Kenwood KAC-M3001, which is a mono amplifier rated at 300 Watts RMS at 2 ohms, on sale on Amazon for $85:

If you're keeping track, that's $140 for both the subwoofer and my amplifer... well within range of my "keep it cheap" goal!

After finding the right amplifier and subwoofer for my Mazda CX-5, it was time to work on Step 2:  Building the Custom Subwoofer Box.