PERFORMANCE SERIES
SUBWOOFERS
WELCOME
Thank you for buying a DLS PERFORMANCE series
subwoofer.
The subwoofer must be installed correctly in order to work
well. This manual will show you how to install it like a pro.
Please read the entire manual before beginning the in-
stallation.
Install the subwoofer yourself if you feel confident with
our instructions and if you have the proper tools. However
if you feel unsure, turn over the installation job to someone
better suited to it.
The speakers are designed for enclosure mounting. When
installed "open air" the power handling capacity is reduced
with 30% from the nominal value. We dont recommend
”open air” installations except for OA8, OA10D and OA12D
that are designed for open air installations.
CONNECTION OF SUBWOOFER
How to connect depends on what type of amplifier you
use. The best is to follow the instructions given in the
manual for the amplifier. Most amplifiers today have built-
in lowpass crossover and possibilities to connect your
subwoofer in bridge mode.
Two 4 ohm subwoofers are often connected in stereo mode
since most amplifiers can´t handle bridge mode loads
below 4 ohms. If you have a DLS Ultimate amplifier it´s
possible to connect two 4 ohm subs in bridge mode, these
ampliers are 1 ohm stable.
We also recommend the use of a subsonic highpass fil-
ter. This gives a better bass reproduction with less
"rumble". In most DLS amplifiers this feature is already
built-in.
For wiring use high class speaker wires, min AWG13 (2.5
mm
2
). For example
DLS SC 2x2,5.
If you have an amplifier without built-in crossover you must
use a passive crossover between amplifier and subwoofer
like in this example:
Connected with a 12 dB passive low-pass x-over = 10
mH coil in series and a bipolar capacitor of 300 microFarad
in parallel. Crossover frequency is 95 Hz.
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L
+
-
C
W308B,
W310D, W312D
OA8,
OA10D, OA12D
SUBWOOFER ENCLOSURES, GENERAL
Build your enclosure in a stable and airtight material. The
best is MDF-board, 19 mm, or particle board, 22 mm.
Larger enclosures must have bracing inside to avoid
vibrations. The enclosure must be completely airtight. Use
sealing compound in all joints, also around the cable
terminals. The size of the enclosure is decided by the spea-
ker data.
SEALED ENCLOSURES
Sealed enclosures are easy to build. The size is not critical,
but it can´t be too small. The speaker data such as Fs,
Qts, Vas and X-max decides the size of the enclosure.
Large speakers need larger boxes. Two speakers need a
box of the double size etc. The enclosure must be
completely airtight.
A sealed enclosure should be filled with acoustic wool up
to 75 - 100%.
A sealed enclosure has a lower efficiency than vented
enclosures but they can handle high power and are easy
to build.
A subwoofer in a sealed enclosure creates a tight bass
suitable for the audiophiles listening to classical music,
jazz and soft rock. All the Classic subwoofers except for
OA12D, are recommended NOT to use in sealed
enclosures.
VENTED ENCLOSURES
A speaker in a vented enclosure has a higher efficiency (3
dB) and higher power handling capacity than in a sealed
enclosure. In a vented enclosure the sound from the spea-
ker and the port work together creating a higher sound
level. The sound from the port must come out in the same
phase as from the speaker otherwise the result is bad.
The size of the vented enclosure is decided by the spea-
ker data just as for the sealed one.
The size of the vehicle often decides the practical size of
the enclosure. A smaller enclosure has a higher resonant
frequency than the larger one. The size of the enclosure
should not be so big that the speaker plays below it´s own
free air resonance (Fs), then it looses in power handling
capacity.
The port does not have to be fully inside the enclosure as
long as the area and length are correct.
Sometimes you need two or more ports in an enclosure.
You can convert from one to two or more ports as long as
the total port area is the same.
BANDPASS ENCLOSURES
In all bandpass enclosures the speakers are hidden in-
side the enclosure, all sound is coming out through the
ports. There are different types of bandpass enclosures
and they have in common that they are a bit more difficult
to build. Most of our subwoofers can be used in bandpass
enclosures
