Need advice on DIY subs for $300-400

[BeMaJe]

Hi guys,

So Fry's had some deals on their Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers and I decided to upgrade from my... $100 Logitech 2.1 (lol)... to a budget ~$1000 5.1 surround. I grabbed Pioneer SP-PK52FS Towers x 2 @ $68.00 each, SP-C22 center for $79.99, and a pair of SP-BS22-LR for $119.99. I grabbed the floor model Denon AVR-S530BT for $165.00, which was also on promo. I walked away with a 5.0 and receiver for ~$500, not bad, not bad. However, the subwoofer.

Subs are so damn expensive I am half tempted to steal my Velodyne Impact-12 from my 2.1 setup for my PC (Rokit 8 G2s for monitors), but on the other hand... them Skyrim dragons are gonna sound like mice without that woofer, haha.

Anyway, to get to the point, am I able to spend $300-$400 on a "DIY" subwoofer to get sound similar, or better than my Velodyne? I would be making the cabinet from scratch as I know a master carpenter (my wife's father). I have noticed people ask the following questions to such a request, and so I will be preemptive with my answers. The room is a weirdly shaped room that connects with the entry way w/ staircase (which windows out to the living room), so 20ish feet wide and 40ish feet deep. The subwoofer will be used for gaming, movies and music... so something that can do a little bit of everything and not those speciality subs I keep reading about.

Or... should I just get a $400 sub? I understand the savings don't rack up unless you plan on spending some serious dough, but frankly, I don't know. If you can't tell by my budget, I'm obviously an neophyte.

IF a DIY would be worthwhile, however (as to which I consider worthwhile if the built sub for 300-400 will be the equivalent of something approximately 1.5x value if bought commercial), then what would be my best bet for components to fill that room with an all-purpose sub?

On the other hand, if it is a waste of time considering the low-ball budget number, does anybody recommend a $400 sub that can accomplish the same thing, more or less?


Best,

Ryan

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Besides budget and obviously large room, do you have any other parameters limiting this build?
Like do you care about the size of a subwoofer?

one option:
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-15-reference-series-ho-subwoofer-and-cabinet-bundle--300-7093
You'd still need an amp for it. If you want to stay within your budget behringer inuke nu1000 should do.
Bridged it delivers 1000w into 4ohm.

 

[BeMaJe]

Besides budget and obviously large room, do you have any other parameters limiting this build?
Like do you care about the size of a subwoofer?

one option:
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-15-reference-series-ho-subwoofer-and-cabinet-bundle--300-7093
You'd still need an amp for it. If you want to stay within your budget behringer inuke nu1000 should do.
Bridged it delivers 1000w into 4ohm.

It could be as big as a Volkswagen for all I care, as long as it sounds good

Are there any equivalents to the driver you suggested? The RSS390HO-4 seems to be out of stock

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

I would try to snag a used SVS, Hsu et. al. off Craigslist or ebay. You’ll get a lot more for your $400.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[BeMaJe]

I've decided to just pay more and get the 18" Dayton Ultimax combo as it becomes available. It can take up to 1000 watts of power... is it ok to still use the inuke nu1000 which can push a max of 1000 watts? Or is it not advised to push an amp to max?

 

[KEW]

Hi guys,

So Fry's had some deals on their Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers and I decided to upgrade from my... $100 Logitech 2.1 (lol)... to a budget ~$1000 5.1 surround. I grabbed Pioneer SP-PK52FS Towers x 2 @ $68.00 each, SP-C22 center for $79.99, and a pair of SP-BS22-LR for $119.99. I grabbed the floor model Denon AVR-S530BT for $165.00, which was also on promo. I walked away with a 5.0 and receiver for ~$500, not bad, not bad. However, the subwoofer.

Nice deal!
Hard to believe the towers are going for $136/pr and the bookshelves for $120!
I guess you found a special deal on the 52's while the 22's were at normal price?

If you get bored while you are waiting for the 18" to show, you might consider testing the impact-12 in your new setup. You can go ahead and do the sub crawl to get a sense of where you would put it. It will also be interesting to see how much different the Impact is in a different room. Also, you can learn about the setup and play around with the crossover settings on your AVR if you aren't familiar.

 

[Zarkoff500]

The inuke 1000 puts out less than 700 watts bridged I believe so the UM18 would be slightly underpowered if listening at reference. You could build two V.B.S.S's with an inuke1000dsp for about $500 which would destroy anything non dyi for the price. Plus you would have two and potentially more even bass.

 

[lsiberian]

If you already have the tools then you can DIY it cheaper, but if not then it's much cheaper to buy it.

 

[BeMaJe]

The inuke 1000 puts out less than 700 watts bridged I believe so the UM18 would be slightly underpowered if listening at reference. You could build two V.B.S.S's with an inuke1000dsp for about $500 which would destroy anything non dyi for the price. Plus you would have two and potentially more even bass.

Did some reading on the V.B.S.S. design and I feel like this is probably the best way to go. Thanks man. You saved me money and it doesn't look like I'll be missing out on any performance

 

[Zarkoff500]

You are welcome. I am just finishing up my second V.B.S.S sub and I expect it will be capable of much more than I need. I also like the variable tuning options and ability to quickly change between 15 and 20 Hz through the inuke.

 

[BeMaJe]

Just ordered the drivers, ports and NU3000DSP

I'm so pumped to get this started ! I love doing this stuff, haha

Anything else I should get aside from the MDF and R-13? Maybe speaker grills to make sure my toddler doesn't stab them with something?

 

[Zarkoff500]

I picked up a pack of 2 18" grills on Amazon with hardware for about $20. Wouldn't hurt to add additional bracing as well to decrease cabinet resonance.

 

[Zarkoff500]

I forgot about the fan mod. My inuke1000dsp fan is very loud and distracting. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00KF7MVI2/?coliid=IQKWAAORDZG8F&colid=1EIDFF0F2UCCJ&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[KahunaB14]

I read through about 9 pages of the VBSS thread on AVS forums. Very interesting - but a lot went way over my head.

Q: Why would he need an amp with DSP vs. say purchasing a inuke Nu1000 (non-DSP for savings of $50) or a used Crown XLS 1000 off ebay? Doesn't the Denon have Audessy that would equalize the subs?

I am a newb - but my Yamaha for example (RXv681) equalizes the sub as well with YPAO and has PEQ that I can adjust if I felt like changing the equalization on the sub channel.

 

[Zarkoff500]

If I recall correctly the V.B.S.S (flex 18) was designed specifically to use the dsp inuke for getting the most performance from these PA speakers while keeping them and the amp safe at high output levels (limiters etc). You can also use the DSP for room ccorrection as well in combination with REW.

It is amazing you can get to reference levels with two of these for $500 or less and have decent output at 20 Hz or less depending on the tune.

Audyssey and YPOA (and others) will set delay, crossover etc but since they are not amplifing the subs have no way to change the behavior of the sub.

I am also a newb so maybe much more knowledgeable people can provide some insights.

 

[KahunaB14]

Crown XLS has limiters too.

 

[lovinthehd]

For some ported/vented designs the dsp in the amp can be used to set a high pass filter below the tuning point frequency of the sub to help protect the driver.

ps DSP can be handy as well for any necessary delay or eq of course. With a sealed sub you might be okay with Audyssey alone for eq and delay so for a sealed sub a plain amp might be just fine....