15" DIY HT Sub

[Buckeyefan 1]

If you had to choose between these three 15" drivers for a DIY HT sub (sealed 19.5" and a 1000w plate amp), which would you go with? I'm looking at the Fs, Xmax, RMS, and SPL, and one seems to jump right out. Am I missing something? Any other recommendations?

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=3

http://www.partexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=295-420

http://www.partexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=297-150

 

[Sheep]

Anything but the bully. Fs = 27Hz .... thats weak. Plus its a power hog.

The JL is pretty, if WAF is a factor.

The Titanic looks to be of better build.

Either 2 would make a great sub.

SheepStar

 

[jaxvon]

By the numbers, the Titanic driver looks awesome. But I know for a fact that the Bully has lower distortion at comparable output levels.

Here's the lowdown on Bully: http://bullysubs.com/

 

[WmAx]

By the numbers, the Titanic driver looks awesome. But I know for a fact that the Bully has lower distortion at comparable output levels.

Here's the lowdown on Bully: http://bullysubs.com/

Since the typical transducer spread frequency spectrum pattern of THD has to be higher than 10 percent at <100Hz for human to detect it with musical program, one should not get too carried away with a driver that has better distortion figures unless they are substantial and relevant to the specific application.

-Chris

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Here's one more offering for a 15" sub. Not too bad on the rms power handling and Hz response. Any comments?

http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=10547205&refLoc=searchone

 

[HookedOnSound]

Here's one more offering for a 15" sub. Not too bad on the rms power handling and Hz response. Any comments?

http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=10547205&refLoc=searchone

That is certainly a unique shape. I don't think I have seen this type of design (square) before.

If you build a DIY sub with those drivers, please post some pics!

Good Luck,

 

[Sheep]

Here's one more offering for a 15" sub. Not too bad on the rms power handling and Hz response. Any comments?

http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=10547205&refLoc=searchone

I would stay away from square woofers. The corners cause excess distortion. I think the Titanic is going to be a good woofer.

SheepStar

 

[MacManNM]

I would stay away from square woofers. The corners cause excess distortion. I think the Titanic is going to be a good woofer.

SheepStar

Correct, plus due to the shape they are weaker and they will fold (actually bending the cone) under high stress conditions.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

By the numbers, the Titanic driver looks awesome. But I know for a fact that the Bully has lower distortion at comparable output levels.

Here's the lowdown on Bully: http://bullysubs.com/

I'm leary on the Fs figure regarding the Bully. On their site it states:

To show the excellent performance of the Bully-15, we have provided a close-mic measurement of the Bully-15 in a 2.5 ft3 sealed box with 3.5 ft3 of fiberglass filler. Note the scale is 2dB per division. This measurement shows that the Bully-15 is essentially flat to 100 Hz with a -3dB point of approximately 35 Hz (Qts of 0.7); a very desirable response for most home theater systems. In addition, the high frequency response of the Bully-15 extends out beyond 200 Hz, adding total flexibility when integrating with the rest of your system.

What's up with the 35 Hz being very disirable for HT???

 

[jaxvon]

Designer was smoking crack?

About a year ago I listened to a 2-hour talk the designer/owner of Bully did on driver design. It was really interesting, but in the end, I still think he ended up with an inferior product when you look at the measurements on the driver.

Question of the day: If you had the cash, would you use a JL 13W7 driver instead? I know I would.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Designer was smoking crack?

About a year ago I listened to a 2-hour talk the designer/owner of Bully did on driver design. It was really interesting, but in the end, I still think he ended up with an inferior product when you look at the measurements on the driver.

Question of the day: If you had the cash, would you use a JL 13W7 driver instead? I know I would.

Absolutely, but $999 msrp is a little rich for my blood right now.
Plus, can you imagine the amp needed to get that thing to move? At 86.3 spl and 2.41 ohm of DC resistance, you can practially plug it into the wall.

 

[Sheep]

Why dont you make 2-10's instead of 1-15inch? What sub are you using now?

SheepStar

 

[MacManNM]

Why dont you make 2-10's instead of 1-15inch? What sub are you using now?

SheepStar

Look sheep, he can barely use a screwdriver, (unless there is a ton of Vodka in it) you think he could put TWO woofers into a cabinet? That's like asking me to be nice, aint gonna happen!

 

[Sheep]

Look sheep, he can barely use a screwdriver, (unless there is a ton of Vodka in it) you think he could put TWO woofers into a cabinet? That's like asking me to be nice, aint gonna happen!

Not 2 woofer into a cabinet, 2 woofers into 2 cabinets

SheepStar

 

[MacManNM]

Not 2 woofer into a cabinet, 2 woofers into 2 cabinets

SheepStar

Then that's 12 pieces of wood!!!!! no way, like asking a monkey to perform fusion.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Mac's a funny guy. I wonder if he'll let me tell the story about his Chevy pick up driving down Meridian Rd when we were younger. Or how about the Chevette clutch father ordeal.

 

[MacManNM]

Mac's a funny guy. I wonder if he'll let me tell the story about his Chevy pick up driving down Meridian Rd when we were younger. Or how about the Chevette clutch father ordeal.

Oh, yeah, your 1975 Vega GT vs. My dads 1983 Chevette? I would have had you if my clutch didn't turn into powder.

 

[PSU80]

DIY or SVS

Hey guys, I really appreciate all your advice on some of my other sub questions. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on an SVS sub but a DIY project sounds interesting. My problem is that for my room (3400 cubic ft) SVS recommended 1st the PB12-ISD/2 or 2nd 25-31 PCi-Plus. The reps at SVS have been great but unfortunately my wife blew a gasket when she saw the price and if I'm going to stay married (I know choices, choices...) I need to spend less. SVS's next choice was a 25-31 tuned to 22Hz which I think I can swing.

I'm pretty handy with tools and wood working and I'm wondering if I could get more "bang for the buck" by going the DIY route. I was looking at the 12" & 15" Titanic sub kits on Parts Express and wondered how they might compare to the SVS line. Would they maybe be comparable to a PB12-Plus? For basically same money I could do the 12" Titanic w/500W or the 25-31 PCi. Thoughts???

Are there any other kits or components to consider?

Thanks

 

[MacManNM]

Hey guys, I really appreciate all your advice on some of my other sub questions. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on an SVS sub but a DIY project sounds interesting. My problem is that for my room (3400 cubic ft) SVS recommended 1st the PB12-ISD/2 or 2nd 25-31 PCi-Plus. The reps at SVS have been great but unfortunately my wife blew a gasket when she saw the price and if I'm going to stay married (I know choices, choices...) I need to spend less. SVS's next choice was a 25-31 tuned to 22Hz which I think I can swing.

I'm pretty handy with tools and wood working and I'm wondering if I could get more "bang for the buck" by going the DIY route. I was looking at the 12" & 15" Titanic sub kits on Parts Express and wondered how they might compare to the SVS line. Would they maybe be comparable to a PB12-Plus? For basically same money I could do the 12" Titanic w/500W or the 25-31 PCi. Thoughts???
Are there any other kits or components to consider?

Thanks

For HT those subs just don't cut it. They extend down to 20Hz......barely. A DIY unit is easy and pretty cheap if you do it right. If your mains go down to ~50Hz without a problem then you can build one that is flat 17-60Hz no sweat. All you need is a couple of decent woofers, an amp, and let your receiver do the rest.

 

[annunaki]

Buckeye,

Ok, one BIG thing I see between the woofers is that the Dayton and the Bully are rated at 2.83V/1m Sensitivity (or 2w/1m) and the JL is 1w/1m. (2.83v^2 = 8.009W / 4ohms = 2.002W) The JL will be easier for an amplifier to drive. So theoretically speaking, subtract 3db from the Bully and the Dayton's sensitivity numbers.

The Bully's Fs is just too high for HT. Though, it does have a lower Le than the Titanic which may make it slightly more capable for transients. JL does not have their Le published for the 15W3v2.

The JL sub also uses a slightly scaled down version of the W7's motor. In effect it is a W7 design motor behind that beast. The Dayton does have an Xmax edge, though small. I have not seen any Bl/Kms curves on the Dayton to see how linear it is. That being the case, I would have to give the JL a slight edge in linearity. The JL also offers more wiring configuration options being available in dual 2 ohm and dual 4 ohm.

i would say it is a toss up between the JL and the Dayton.