Physics Question: Why does cabinet volume matter so much to bass response?

You have to brace the heck out a large cabinet though, or else it will vibrate too much and the bass will be crap. A lot of smaller subs with strong cabinets can yield some amazing results.

Newer designs like the Devialet Phantoms manipulate Hoffman’s Iron Law using DSP and crazy amounts of power to get bass in small enclosures.

By the way, that was a very good question OP!👍

The simplest answer is that the air in the cabinet forms part of the suspension.

Before box speakers everything was pretty much close to open air/open baffle designs.

  Never knew much about them, but I remember seeing a driver that was mounted in a closet door. This was back in the 50's.

  I agree that the volume of the cabinet will dictate the amount of air suspension that the woofer is given. It is also important to know that the cabinet volume will determine the resonance of the cabinet itself. Think of different sized bottles and the sound that they make when blown over.