Foam Speaker Baffle

[beak81champ]

If I use a foam closed basket type of speaker baffle in my front doors with a 6.75" mid, will it cancel the infinite baffle concept of using the entire door as a box?

[papacueball]

Yes. You will wind up with an enclosure that is way too small for the driver, most likely. Some people use them to keep water off their driver, but you need to cut away most of the foam, just leaving enough to shield from water coming from above.

[claydo]

I find those things handy, but I cut most of it away, only leaving a sealing surface for the driver, and a "hood like" drip gaurd. Like what papa is saying......

[chithead]

Agreed. I tried the 6x9 and 6.5" version previously, and had to cut the bottom portion out in order to let it vent into the door space. But leaving the top and a bit of the back does work well as a water barrier.

[beak81champ]

Thanks everyone!

[cajunner]

not sure if this is pertinent, now.. but if you are actually using an XTC water barrier type foam product, and not actually forming a foam enclosure to mount your driver on, then disregard...

but if you are making a closed basket enclosure, AND baffle, from foam using Great Stuff or similar but 2 part, then we're talking two different things.

My experience with the XTC foam baffles is that they didn't appreciably alter the sound much at all, even when only a small hole for a speaker wire was punched out of it. The infinite baffle response remained intact, deep bass from small cones flooded the cabin.

If you were to be forming a speaker pod and wanted to vent that into the door interior cavity, but most of the back of the speaker cone sees only foam behind it, upper midrange frequencies will be affected, and depending on how big the hole you make is, it could make a bad resonant buzz to form from the space's dimensions.

[beak81champ]

not sure if this is pertinent, now.. but if you are actually using an XTC water barrier type foam product, and not actually forming a foam enclosure to mount your driver on, then disregard...

but if you are making a closed basket enclosure, AND baffle, from foam using Great Stuff or similar but 2 part, then we're talking two different things.

My experience with the XTC foam baffles is that they didn't appreciably alter the sound much at all, even when only a small hole for a speaker wire was punched out of it. The infinite baffle response remained intact, deep bass from small cones flooded the cabin.

If you were to be forming a speaker pod and wanted to vent that into the door interior cavity, but most of the back of the speaker cone sees only foam behind it, upper midrange frequencies will be affected, and depending on how big the hole you make is, it could make a bad resonant buzz to form from the space's dimensions.

I have purchased a pair of foam baffles (I forget which brand), then I read about a few people not liking them, so I posed the question. I have not begun my install yet, as I have a couple more pieces to purchase, so I was looking for more info. Thank you for your expertise! All the info I can get will help, as I would love to install everything at one time, and only have my truck apart once. It seems that I am dreaming of a perfect world though, bcuz the bug to upgrade more and more seems more like the real world experience!!!

[papacueball]