Any good powered subwoofer kits?

[Squishman]

My 5.2.2 living room system has two BIC floor-firing 12" subs. The room is approx 14' by 24', but only about 14' by 14' of it is used for the home theater. Mains are upgraded Klipsch Forte II's. I am thinking about getting a way better subwoofer since these were pretty low-budget. Floor is not carpet, if it matters. It is LVT. Perhaps I could get more bang for my buck if there is a kit someone might recommend. My TV table has room underneath for one or two 12's not a 15" I do not think. I would imagine that one decent 12" would do the trick and that two is probably overkill in this room. ..... Perhaps there is a killer (non-kit) brand that you think I should consider. I imagine that if I find a kit, that it would not be powered, so I'd need an amp. Thanks!

 

[KEW]

I'm not the guy to answer your question, but including what type of budget you have would be useful in giving you the best responses!
In the meantime, you can look at these:

Home

Build your own speaker or subwoofer! Whether you're an experienced hobbyist, customization pro, or DIY electronics fan, these kit bundles are a great buy.

www.parts-express.com

 

[NINaudio]

If you're talking about a DIY kit, parts express has a number of them, some even include the amp:

https://www.parts-express.com/cat/speaker-subwoofer-kits/286?N=23647+4294967118+4294966746&Ne=10166&Nrs=collection()/record[endeca:matches(.,"P_PortalID","1")+and+endeca:matches(.,"P_Searchable","1")]&PortalID=1

If you get one without an amp, the Crown XLS series work really well as sub amps and they are super quiet.

 

[Squishman]

I was thinking 4 to 600 bucks including the amp. Thanks for the info!
One good or great sub has to be better than two mediocre subs, right?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I was thinking 4 to 600 bucks including the amp. Thanks for the info!
One good or great sub has to be better than two mediocre subs, right?

IMO, yes.

 

[Alex2507]

One good or great sub has to be better than two mediocre subs, right?

A $3,000 sub is better than two $200 subs but two $200 subs are better than say a $750 sub if they're placed nearfield.

My cheapo's were Infinity PS10s and the better subs were a Def Tech Supercube 1 and a RBH 1010-SEN that I tried individually as replacements for the dual set-up. Single subs nearfield are a little too localizable (is that a word?) even with a lower xo and timing tricks to make it less so.

The $3,000 beast was a PSA dual, sealed something or other that I got to hear in a friend's system.

But then again, an Epik Empire (~ $800) had enough output to keep up with $10,00 towers in a different friend's system.

So I guess it depends. Final Answer.

 

[NINaudio]

A $3,000 sub is better than two $200 subs but two $200 subs are better than say a $750 sub if they're placed nearfield.

My cheapo's were Infinity PS10s and the better subs were a Def Tech Supercube 1 and a RBH 1010-SEN that I tried individually as replacements for the dual set-up. Single subs nearfield are a little too localizable (is that a word?) even with a lower xo and timing tricks to make it less so.

The $3,000 beast was a PSA dual, sealed something or other that I got to hear in a friend's system.

But then again, an Epik Empire (~ $800) had enough output to keep up with $10,00 towers in a different friend's system.

So I guess it depends. Final Answer.

That all depends on which $750 sub you're talking about. (I'm looking at you deftech supercube!) I'd be willing to bet a Hsu VTF3 would run circles around a comparably priced deftech sub

 

[Alex2507]

That all depends on which $750 sub you're talking about. (I'm looking at you deftech supercube!) I'd be willing to bet a Hsu VTF3 would run circles around a comparably priced deftech sub

In a nearfield placement, I'm starting to think it might not matter how good a solo sub is. The RBH is about the best sub I've had here and the two pee-pee PS10s worked better ... it also matters that this is a condo so I'm not after high spl.

But the 2 PS10s were a curse. I wasn't able to replace them with 2 better subs at once so I tried the better solo sub route twice. I ended up giving away the Def Tech and I use the solo RBH now because an amp and then an EQ died, making the PS10s not worth the hassle.

What I NEED is 2 HSUs!

 

[Squishman]

Hmmm. Instead of a kit, what if I put in a better driver and higher powered amp into one of the BIC cabs? Not too heinous of an idea?
I need to find out if the Parts Express amp plate fits. Are all 12" woofers the same as far as mounting?
Sometime this week, I'll find out how thick the cab walls are and what size of the amp plate is.

 

[everettT]

Hmmm. Instead of a kit, what if I put in a better driver and higher powered amp into one of the BIC cabs? Not too heinous of an idea?
I need to find out if the Parts Express amp plate fits. Are all 12" woofers the same as far as mounting?
Sometime this week, I'll find out how thick the cab walls are and what size of the amp plate is.

You would be better off starting fresh. Trying to drop another driver in a ported cabinet isn't a good idea. The Reference series from parts express have been modeled numerous times and are an excellent value.

 

[Squishman]

You would be better off starting fresh. Trying to drop another driver in a ported cabinet isn't a good idea. The Reference series from parts express have been modeled numerous times and are an excellent value.

ok, makes sense.

 

[everettT]

ok, makes sense.

Diysoundgroup.com has some ported designs, but their website seems to be down. Do you have any old amps or AVRs laying around?

 

[Squishman]

I do, but nothing that would be enough power.

 

[lovinthehd]

Diysoundgroup.com has some ported designs, but their website seems to be down. Do you have any old amps or AVRs laying around?

I was looking there earlier, they didn't have but a few sealed ones to choose from. Generally I think you're on your own for a ported box. There are some guys in socal selling a Marty variation box, tho....

 

[Squishman]

If i went ported, what is wrong with the BIC cab?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

If i went ported, what is wrong with the BIC cab?

It’s probably too small to make a great HT sub for one thing. Plus, each driver is matched to its cabinet. Meaning, a drivers specs will determine its cabinet and port size.
You can download winisd and model boxes and drivers etc. Bass box is another good one. If you want to build a cylinder sub, the sonosub freeware can help do that. Iirc, all three programs have a catalog of drivers already in their databases so if you choose one of those, you might not have to enter all the TS parameters manually.

 

[Squishman]

That's good, because I can follow instructions. But to figure it out myself is above my pay grade. ha. That said, Parts Express might be just the ticket.

 

[lovinthehd]

Lots of plans for various drivers in various diy subforums, including the one here https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/audio/diy-corner-tips-techniques.22/ or at avsforum.com or diyaudio.com, etc.

 

[everettT]

I was looking there earlier, they didn't have but a few sealed ones to choose from. Generally I think you're on your own for a ported box. There are some guys in socal selling a Marty variation box, tho....

They use to have a few ported but it seems they are thinned out I guess. I thought there was someone else do Marty cabs, just cant remember.

 

[lovinthehd]

These are the only ones I've seen doing Marty flatpacks https://shop.gsgad.com/