Big Dreams, Large open room and small budget

[its phillip]

I would try the Dayton 18' Ultimax kit with a Crown XLS 1500.

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-18-ultimax-subwoofer-and-cabinet-package--300-7099

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=crown+xls+2000&_from=R40&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xcrown+xls+1500.TRS0&_nkw=crown+xls+1500&_sacat=0

I'm running the 15" version with that amp bridged and barely get into it before it's trying to structurally rearrange my house.

I agree with this although I would recommend the inuke 3000dsp amp because of the dsp:
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-NU3000DSP-BEHRINGER-iNUKE/dp/B005EHINAS

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Philip -
From little research I've done re: amp built-in DSP are somewhat limited (don't remember details now) plus REW works better with MiniDSP. Besides balanced inputs and SpeakOn outputs represent additional expenses on special cables and adapters. Crown XLS makes connectivity easier not to mention reliability.

So I got essentially three good options here:
1) DIYSG's 4cuft Dayton 15RS kit
2) PE's Dayton 4cuft Dayton 18HO sealed kit
3) Bill's Tuba HT - 18cuft vented.

Given huge amount of volume I have my reservations in regards to sealed kit... but it's also easiest to build.

If LTD model is right - the amount of bass from that kit is huge already, but given folded horn Tuba's design it should be even more output?

Do I really need to test the structural integrity of house I barely live in less than a year or Tuba is only design to really work in my space? (As mentioned - I already got spouse approved for corner placement of large black speaker box)

Please help me find some balance here.

 

[Alex2507]

Sometimes other peoples used DIY subs go on the market for a lot less than the driver costs new. Sometimes folks don't want to move the 200 lb behemoths to their new residences. You never know what kind of deals you might find.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Sometimes other peoples used DIY subs go on the market for a lot less than the driver costs new. Sometimes folks don't want to move the 200 lb behemoths to their new residences. You never know what kind of deals you might find.

True, but transportation and shipping is quickly becomes an issue here... I gotta be super lucky to find used great DIY within (2-3 hour drive). New Yorkers rarely build monster subs in cramped apartments for some reason.

If I lived in Texas - it probably be much easier.

 

[Jeff R.]

I think I would go with the 18" Dayton kit. I think you will have a lot of output and keep it simple. My 15"s ultimax are ridiculous. I am scared to push them because I am concerned about damage to me house.

 

[KEW]

BSA, I have a situation similar to yours - Open concept Living room, kitchen, dining, entry, office, stairway, and upstairs bridge/balcony/hallway. Attempting pressurization would be insane!

For music, two Rythmik E15HP's (not co-located) give me way more bass than I need with their volume at 12 o'clock (Denon Audyssey has at -7.5dB and I am running them with Energy RC-10's right now which are 85.5dB sensitivity).

I haven't really pushed them for HT. To get the effect of a real theater would require turning up the subs which would be annoying when music played. A ported would probably be better if this is your concern. However, I am heavily biased towards sealed because they are consistently tighter than ported.
Looking at the pulse response between SVS SB1000 and PB1000 we can see how much greater the overhang is for a port (also affected by timing issues between driver and port). This might not be the best comparison, but it is the best I could find with these charts that make sense to me (courtesy of Jman):

SB1000 (SPL below 80dB at around 40ms)

PB1000(SPL below 80dB at around 70ms)

 

[KEW]

I am impressed with the tightness of the PSA XS15se. Ideally Dayton 18" HO sub might be similar. If you crossed it at 60Hz you would have very tight bass:

For the most part it gets very close to the Rythmik E15HP:

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Small correction :dayton in kit linked by Matt isn't HO, but it's senior brother ultimax.

Anyhow, so far i got 3 votes to go with sealed dayton kit. Please keep in mind that musical (tight) sub is not my priority(nice to have thought) . Extension and output is.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

After more serious considerations I decided to spend more time with baby and million other things I could be doing.
Further more considering bunch of additional smaller expenses (paint, brush, polyfill etc..) would all add up to be another $150 (rough estimate) on-top of ether kit prices.
Even with cheapest amp ($200) Inuke NU1000DSP - I would still need to get another $50 worth of adapters/cables (approx) due to SpeakOn/XLR connections.

I decided to postpone DIY, save up toy money a bit longer and get new HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP Sub.
It's performances should comparable to these kits and price difference of $200-300 just not worth it imo at this time. Later on - maybe a fun project.

Option b) would reaction audio V-15 sub at $750 shipped - $140 savings, but it's "sold out" and I don't know if he would sell it again soon.

 

[KEW]

It's performances should comparable to these kits and price difference of $200-300 just not worth it imo at this time.

Good call. Wee ones take time, and power tools and sleep-deprivation can get dicey (pun intended)!

Yeah, I know, kit doesn't require power tools, but I wanted to use my pun, dammit!