Harris Tech Audio - click to return to the home page.

 

BassBox Lite Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 08-Aug-15
 

What kind of computer do you recommend for BassBox Lite?  Ideally, we recommend a full-featured PC that runs Microsoft Windows 10, 8.1, 8*, 7, Vista or XP very well. This is usually a computer with a "snappy" processor and plenty of memory (RAM) and hard disk space. We recommend at least 2 GBytes of memory. We recommend that the graphics display have a color depth of 16 bits (thousands of colors) or higher (24 to 32 bits or millions of colors is best). A good color depth provides the most attractive appearance for the program and enables better color support for the plot lines in the graphs.

*Windows RT, the tablet version of Windows 8.x, is not supported.

Does BassBox Lite include a printed manual?  No. BassBox Lite includes an extensive and well-illustrated on-screen manual that the user can access on their computer. It includes design examples that take the user step-by-step through four designs. If desired, topics from the on-screen manual can be printed.

Is a network version of BassBox Lite available?  No. BassBox Lite is only available as a single-user program and we offer only single-user licenses. The program should not be installed on a network application server. We offer discounts to customers requiring multiple copies.

Can BassBox Lite design a speaker box for an automobile?  Yes. The principles of box design are similar whether the listening space is inside an automobile or a room. In addition, BassBox Lite allows the user to select an automotive listening environment with the Preferences window and then provides the capability to simulate the 12 dB/octave low-frequency response rise that typically begins in many car interiors at about 50 Hz. The acoustic response of the listening space is controlled in the Car Acoustic Properties window.

Can BassBox Lite produce a cut sheet for a cabinet shop?  Yes. BassBox Lite includes a box parts list which includes a two-dimensional drawing of each box part with dimension labels and cut angles. It can be viewed on the Parts List tab of the Design Properties window and it can be printed.

Can BassBox Lite design a trapezoid box?  Yes. However, in geometry a "trapezoid" is actually the name of a two-dimensional shape. The three-dimensional version is called a "truncated pyramid". This is the name used by BassBox Lite. The truncated pyramid is quite flexible and allows its dimensions to be adjusted in a variety of ways.

What box shapes are available in BassBox Lite?  Single-chamber boxes: cube, cylinder, square prism, optimum square prism, slanted front prism, truncated edge prism, truncated pyramid (trapezoid) and wedge. Multi-chamber boxes: two-chamber cylinder, three-chamber cylinder, two-chamber prism and three-chamber prism.

Can BassBox Lite design double-chamber and triple-chamber bandpass boxes?  Yes. BassBox Lite can design both double-chamber and triple-chamber bandpass boxes. In most cases, you can also configure which chamber(s) control the lower and upper response limits of the design.

Does BassBox Lite include a driver database?  No. Driver parameters are entered manually into the program. However, since a design can be saved and re-used later, once the parameters for a particular driver model are entered, they do not have to be re-entered again because the design file can be opened or imported again later and the parameters re-used.

Can BassBox Lite use the BassBox Pro driver database?  No. BassBox Lite has no support for Harris Tech's driver database.

Can BassBox Lite share design files with BassBox Pro?  Yes. BassBox 6 Pro can open any BassBox 6 Lite design file. BassBox 6 Lite can open most BassBox 6 Pro design files. The only exceptions are BassBox 6 Pro designs that use box shapes that are not supported by the Lite version and any design with a bessel array. BassBox 6 Lite can also open files created with Eminence Designer 1 and visa versa.

Can BassBox Lite model a complete multi-way speaker system?  BassBox Lite is a low-frequency enclosure design program. As such, its focus is on modeling the low-frequency portion or "bottom end" of a speaker system. (Remember that the primary function of a speaker box is to control the low-frequency response.) BassBox Lite will model only the response of the box and the woofer. The response of a tweeter cannot be added to it. However, complete two-way and three-way loudspeaker systems can be modeled with our passive crossover network design program, X•over Pro. All relevant box parameters can be imported into it from a BassBox Lite design. When this is done, the graphs in X•over Pro will show the full system response of a box, a woofer, a midrange driver and a tweeter.

Can BassBox Lite model multiple woofers?  Yes, as long as they are identical. Any number of identical drivers can be specified for a box and BassBox Lite will determine the correct total box volume. Multiple drivers can be configured several different ways and BassBox Lite provides separate mechanical configuration settings (standard, isobaric, bessel, push-pull, not coherent) and electrical configuration settings (parallel, series, series-parallel, separate).

Can "alignments" be specified in BassBox Lite?  No. The concept of speaker "alignments" such as B4, B5, B6, QB3, C4, C5 and C6 goes back to the days of slide rules—long before the invention of powerful "personal" computers. They provided a "shorthand" way of describing the response of a box design. With today's computers and high-performance box modeling software, like BassBox Lite, you can now view the predicted response directly in a graph and no longer need to be bound by the artificial boundaries of each alignment. For example, whether or not a design happens to be a B4 or QB3 is irrelevant because you can view the response directly and determine if it satisfies the goals of your design.

What "alignment" is used for an "optimum" vented box?  When the "Suggest" button is used, BassBox Lite attempts to design a box with a maximally flat amplitude response. Its ability to do this will depend on the driver parameters. It does not try to achieve a particular speaker alignment. However, if the Qts of the driver happens to equal 0.4, the optimum vented box will resemble a B4 (4th-order Butterworth) alignment. As the value of the driver Qts drops below 0.4 the optimum vented box will begin to resemble a QB3 (quasi 3rd-order Butterworth) alignment. As the value of the driver Qts rises above 0.4, the optimum vented box will begin to resemble a C4 (4th-order Chebychev) alignment.

Can BassBox Lite calculate the length of a flared vent?  Yes. BassBox Lite includes end-correction adjustments for vents with flared ends. Vents with single or double flared ends can be selected.

Why does BassBox Lite suggest different closed box sizes than other programs?  BassBox Lite tends to recommend a smaller closed box volume than less sophisticated programs. This is because the BassBox Lite closed box model allows several box parameters to be adjusted which are not adjustable in many other programs. These parameters include QL, Qa and gamma. QL is the Q of the leakage losses of the box. Qa is the Q of the absorption losses of the box. Gamma is the ratio of heat at constant pressure to that at constant temperature for the air inside the box. QL can be manually adjusted on the Box tab of the Design Properties window. It usually gets smaller as the box gets larger. Qa and gamma are automatically set according to the Damping or "Fill" setting of the Damp tab of the Design Properties window. The default values for Qa and gamma for different Fill settings can be adjusted with the Preferences window. BassBox Lite can be made to predict similar box volumes as other programs by turning on the "Use Classical equations" option on the Damp tab of the Design Properties window. This can also be configured as the default setting with the Preferences window.

Is there a 64-bit version of BassBox Lite?  No. BassBox Lite is only available as a 32-bit application. However, we've tested it under 64-bit versions of Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 and Vista and have found no problems. Note: BassBox Lite is not compatible with Windows RT, the tablet version of Windows 8.x.

Is there a Mac version of BassBox Lite?  No. We presently develop software only for the Microsoft Windows environment. To run BassBox Lite on a Mac, you will need to do so under a PC emulator (like Apple's BootCamp) running a licensed copy of Microsoft Windows.

 

how to purchase BassBox Lite is available from one of our distributors or directly from us. Click the purchase button above for information, including special package deals.

support policy Technical support is provided for one year to users who have purchased a software license and registered their license with us. Our preferred method of support is email. For more information, visit our Support page.

BassBox update Latest BassBox Lite maintenance release:
  6.0.11  29-Jan-13.

Copyright © 2022 by Harris Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.