New to DIY home audio subwoofer....small form factor with big punch

[Brandon Charlsen]

i just had my klispch sub loose its auto shut off due to an electrical short in my house. so insurance is giving me money to replace it. but i want to build a new subwoofer. looking for small but packs a good punch and with some good low end also. any help would be awesome! thanks

im a average wood worker

 

[everettT]

What do you consider small? And what's your budget

 

[TLS Guy]

i just had my klispch sub loose its auto shut off due to an electrical short in my house. so insurance is giving me money to replace it. but i want to build a new subwoofer. looking for small but packs a good punch and with some good low end also. any help would be awesome! thanks

im a average wood worker

That's what everybody wants! Physics is against you. The only way that happens is with very expensive drivers, equalization circuits and huge amplifiers.

Big gets the job done much cheaper and better.

 

[Brandon Charlsen]

I was thinking a 10 inch and a couple hundred bucks.

 

[KEW]

I was thinking a 10 inch and a couple hundred bucks.

I assume you mean a 10" driver, but what size are you looking to keep the cabinet around?
A 10" driver can go in a very large cabinet if you really want to get the best performance out of it.

Which model is your Klipsch? Were you allowed to keep it? Was the only problem that the amp would not shut down? There may be something worth cannibalizing if it was a nicer model.

 

[Brandon Charlsen]

Maybe around a 2-3 cubic inch cabinet

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Maybe around a 2-3 cubic inch cabinet

3 cuft gets you an option to go with sealed 15" driver like this one

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-um15-22-15-ultimax-dvc-subwoofer-2-ohms-per-coil--295-514
I recommend this amp:
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-NU1000DSP-iNuke-Power-Amplifier/dp/B005EHIN3A
It has plenty of power (1000W in bridged 4ohm mode) and DSP to fine tune sealed sub output.

If you have tools and knowledge to build your own sealed box of 3cuft external size - do it or if not you could buy very easy to build mdf flatpack box:

http://www.parts-express.com/denovo-audio-knock-down-mdf-30-cu-ft-subwoofer-cabinet-for-dayton-audio-15-ultimax-subwoo--300-7082

Is this kills your couple of hundred original budget? Yes it does, and by much, but then again nothing commercial could match this sub for small size and MASSIVE output. It will shake walls at max output, I promise you that.

 

[Brandon Charlsen]

Well a plate amplifier would be ideal

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Well a plate amplifier would be ideal

Don't confuse ideal and good
Inuke would be better deal all around, but if budget allows this is near equivalent plate amp:
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-spa1000-1000w-subwoofer-plate-amplifier--300-809

Similar( but no EQ options and half power - still no slouch at 500W) is this on
http://www.parts-express.com/yung-sd500-500w-class-d-subwoofer-plate-amplifier-module-no-boost--301-512

as you see inuke dsp is much better value

 

[lovinthehd]

As was mentioned, size matters. Hoffman's Iron law lets you pick two of the three: small cabinet size, deep bass or high sensitivity. I'd go for a larger driver than 10"; as was mentioned in a small 2-3 cft cabinet you can easily use a larger driver than 10".

A sealed cabinet will be smaller than a ported cabinet for a given driver and you'll have to make up your own mind about how to handle dsp/amplification needed; the smaller sealed sub will need both dsp to bring up the low end via eq and the power to handle and with the ported configuration you'll need dsp to provide a protective high pass filter for the driver, altho perhaps not so much power needed as a sealed design will. The Behringer iNuke dsp series amps are nice, but tend to be a bit noisy with their fans (but can be modified to be quieter altho you lose warranty).

Plate amps are nice in that they fit on the back of the sub and are fanless, but that's about it as far as the good points for a plate amp IMO. They usually have fixed dsp and limited power and are generally only good for one sub (and the economies of scale on a diy sub really kick in when you can power more than one sub box from a single amp) and the working environment isn't the best. Easier to put in a simple speaker wire terminal on a box than a cut out for a plate amp, too. Are you looking for a plate amp as you have no room in your rack or are concerned about fan noise or ?

 

[Brandon Charlsen]

But this is all going in my living room /main room. So size is a factor

 

[lovinthehd]

You can also make a diy sub into a piece of furniture like an end table easily enough to help WAF out. You're probably more a diy sealed sub candidate than ported is my guess.

PS I find it easier to put a box together than finish it well....were you planning on paint or stain or?

 

[Brandon Charlsen]

either ported or sealed is good

 

[lovinthehd]

Maybe the subs in this thread would work for you.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have had this design for a while.

This sub would fit the bill for you. It uses a newer novel driver designed by Saul Linkwitz in association with SEAS. It is optimal for ported use in a much smaller than usual box volume, of 2.3 cu.ft. It is a low Q driver and will give you precis natural bass that I think you are after. It is not the deepest sub in the world, f3 is 27 Hz. However any sub with an f3 below 30 Hz will get the job done very well. This is a high (28mm) excursion driver with very good sensitivity (88db) for a 10" driver.

This is the driver the SEAS L26 ROY

A PDF of the design is attached. The sub would require an amp of 200 to 250 watts and produce good spl.

For a project like yours a vented enclosure is a much better bet. It is simpler and saves the problem and expense of equalization and will work well with amplifiers of lower power. This sub will actually give you a tighter bass than most sealed designs.

I think from the specifications you have given this sub will be a very good performer for you.

 

[lovinthehd]

I have had this design for a while.

This sub would fit the bill for you. It uses a newer novel driver designed by Saul Linkwitz in association with SEAS. It is optimal for ported use in a much smaller than usual box volume, of 2.3 cu.ft. It is a low Q driver and will give you precis natural bass that I think you are after. It is not the deepest sub in the world, f3 is 27 Hz. However any sub with an f3 below 30 Hz will get the job done very well. This is a high (28mm) excursion driver with very good sensitivity (88db) for a 10" driver.

This is the driver the SEAS L26 ROY

A PDF of the design is attached. The sub would require an amp of 200 to 250 watts and produce good spl.

For a project like yours a vented enclosure is a much better bet. It is simpler and saves the problem and expense of equalization and will work well with amplifiers of lower power. This sub will actually give you a tighter bass than most sealed designs.

I think from the specifications you have given this sub will be a very good performer for you.

This design doesn't need a protective high pass filter for the driver?

 

[roadrune]

A "small" diy project with theese drivers for sale here i Norway

http://www.finn.no/71923592

 

[TLS Guy]

This design doesn't need a protective high pass filter for the driver?

No it does not. An amp in the power range I have quoted will not over drive it. This driver is well made. It has a linear travel of 2.8 cm and a maximum travel of 5.6 cm!

 

[TLS Guy]

You might want to also consider the companion driver which is very low Q. (0.27) the SEAS L26RO4Y

This driver will lower the sensitivity to 85.5 db but you will only need a box volume of 1.4 to 1.6 cu.ft.

This will give you very punchy bass. You can port it, or use the companion matched passive bass radiator for this driver.

I attach the pdf. of my design. The port will be cheaper, the ABR will be easier, and the box will be smaller as you won't have the volume of the port.

Either of the designs I have posted will do a good job for you to your requirements.

 

[lovinthehd]

No it does not. An amp in the power range I have quoted will not over drive it. This driver is well made. It has a linear travel of 2.8 cm and a maximum travel of 5.6 cm!

Thanks, but at what frequency and power would you run into trouble with this design?