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3. Install damping material
The damping material included is intended to line the walls of the cabinet to reduce midrange reflections and
help prevent standing waves. The included foam will need to be cut to size and then secured onto the walls of
the cabinet. Note: On most kits there will be excess material available, it is not necessary to use all of it. Do not
place foam directly on top of or underneath the crossover boards.
For this system, we would like to line one of each set of opposing walls, rather than lining the whole cabinet.
Using too much foam (particularly in this small cabinet) can cause an overdamped bass reflex system. This will
result in loose or muddled bass response.
Alternating the foam location between walls is recommended. For example, use one piece of foam on the right
side wall on the front half of the cabinet. Use a second piece on the left wall behind the brace. For the top and
bottom, use one piece of foam on the bottom front half, and one piece on the top rear half above the port. This
will reduce direct reflections between parallel walls on all surfaces without overdamping the system. This con-
figuration also works well by leaving us plenty of room for installing the crossover boards.
The damping material can be secured to the walls with a spray adhesive or with hot-melt glue. When using
spray adhesive, please follow the manufacturer’s instructions. It is best to apply the spray to the foam itself,
being sure to spray away from the cabinet to prevent getting adhesive on the cabinet exterior. When using hot-
melt glue, simply place a few drops of glue at various locations on the rear of the foam and press into place.
Example of finished foam installation
