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Because we work on such a vast array of vehicles here we field requests aplenty for tutorials regarding how to undertake various aspects of installations. In response we've written many a tutorial hitherto for various forums, user groups and the like. However with the online world now moving away from these older community formats and onto newer ones like social media platforms we've also had to change our tack; for social media is extremely dynamic and we've found that any tutorial type posts tend to disappear from sight within minutes of them being posted on social media. Therefore we've started migrating the aforesaid tutorials over to this page to prolong their longevity.
There're many different subwoofer grilles available on the market, some of which we run through here. However one issue with many of them is their thickness. See covering a cheap subwoofer with low excursion is fine, however when you start talking high-end subwoofers you're going to need a better solution, as many have high surrounds with extended ranges of motion. Put simply; these motors can push out well past their frame when being used in anger. This means you'll impact the thinner grille, as best it'll sound terrible and at worst damage the speaker.
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First things first; measure the surround height and then add 10mm for good measure. You’ll see below with out example subwoofer that the cheap Jaycar steel mesh grille was never going to cut it.
First step is to make your enclosure as if you were making a simple surface mount. Construction material is irrelevant, whether it be fibreglass like the left one above or plain timber like the one on the right hand one; the hole you put in this one is the mounting diameter of the subwoofer. For this is the face the subwoofer will bolt too.
This is the top plate that will hold the grille. It’s the same dimensions as the enclosure adjacent and will be 12mm thick to hold the grille. The most common grilles we use here are the JL Audio SRGU type grilles as they’re extremely deep. We actually cover the entire subwoofer which means we use the next size up. So for an 8″ subwoofer we’ll use the 10″ SGRU-10, for a 10″ subwoofer the 12 SGRU-12 and for a 12″ subwoofer we’ll use the SGRU-13. These grilles are a press fit so the hole size for this plate will be the grille outer diameter plus trim material. So for example if you’re using an SGRU-12 it has an outer diameter of 287mm. So we’ll cut the hole in this plate at 289mm, which gives 1mm clearance for the carpet when it’s trimmed.
Glue and screw the enclosure together, including gluing and screwing the grille plate to the enclosure. You then give it a gentle once over with the belt sander to ensure everything is exactly the same shape.
The next step sees the trimming of the enclosure before you cable and gasket it and load your drivers in.
Once the subwoofer is installed and happily working away you’ll simply press the grill over the whole affair. Because you’ve left a little clearance to allow for the thickness of the trim material you’ll find that whilst the push fit will be tight it’s not impossible. Using these grilles you’ll have plenty of clearance above the subwoofer surround, even when it’s moving considerably.
If you want to see alternative types of grille options please click here. Alternatively if you’d like to see what type of overall subwoofer enclosure designs are available please click here.