Stupid to swap out different woofer in older subwoofer enclosure?

[Nakean]

Hello everyone. I finally took a look at my least fav sub in the house to see why it's making noise. It's an Acoustic Research S112PS I got from Goodwill years ago for like 20 bucks. It's a 12" down-firing sub. The base plate it fires into was loose, hence the rattling I was hearing. Turns out that it was just part of the problem since I removed that plate altogether.

I don't think it's chuffing, but just the speaker distorting as I turn up the volume on the sub. Is there a way to tell for sure. I can record sound if that helps determine.

Last question. Would it make sense to purchase a 12" sub from parts express and toss it in there to see how it does? Then if it doesn't work well I could purchase a DIY kit to use with that same subwoofer?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nakean]

How can I figure out what Ohm rated subwoofer to get? Is it even worth it? The plate amp is only 125watts RMS. I have an SVS sb2000 and SVS pc2000 in the house so I think I might be asking a bit much from this enclosure and amp....

 

[NINaudio]

Without knowing the tuning parameters of the box putting another sub in there will be a crap shoot. I'd advise against it.

 

[Nakean]

Without knowing the tuning parameters of the box putting another sub in there will be a crap shoot. I'd advise against it.

Yeah the more I look and research the more it seems like a bad idea. Sounds like each box and port is tuned per that woofer. I prefer sealed anyway. Think I might try to build one from parts Express. Don't have much knowledge but it looks like just glue and clamps are needed? Would one of their basic 12"s compete with my SVS?

 

[NINaudio]

Yeah the more I look and research the more it seems like a bad idea. Sounds like each box and port is tuned per that woofer. I prefer sealed anyway. Think I might try to build one from parts Express. Don't have much knowledge but it looks like just glue and clamps are needed? Would one of their basic 12"s compete with my SVS?

Glue, wood clamps, and some drilling are necessary. Some painting skills might help for finishing it. The DIY kits from parts express are a great bang for your buck as well as a fun project if you're into that kind of thing. I built my sub from one of their kits and I love it.

 

[Nakean]

Glue, wood clamps, and some drilling are necessary. Some painting skills might help for finishing it. The DIY kits from parts express are a great bang for your buck as well as a fun project if you're into that kind of thing. I built my sub from one of their kits and I love it.

Lastly, it sounds like in order to get the best bang for the buck, I should go with 15" or larger as the 12"s start to compete for pretty close bang for the buck to store-bought SVS Klipsch etc. Would you say this is true? Originally I was thinking a sealed 12" but now I'm not sure.

 

[NINaudio]

Lastly, it sounds like in order to get the best bang for the buck, I should go with 15" or larger as the 12"s start to compete for pretty close bang for the buck to store-bought SVS Klipsch etc. Would you say this is true? Originally I was thinking a sealed 12" but now I'm not sure.

IMO, when it comes to bass, bigger is better!

 

[Verdinut]

Lastly, it sounds like in order to get the best bang for the buck, I should go with 15" or larger as the 12"s start to compete for pretty close bang for the buck to store-bought SVS Klipsch etc. Would you say this is true? Originally I was thinking a sealed 12" but now I'm not sure.

Why would you opt for a sealed sub? Is your room small and you don't have the space for a bigger cabinet? The well designed ported sub is a more efficient design with lower frequency response without heavy EQing and lower distortion. The only good reason to get a sealed sub is when you don't have the space for a bigger box.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Why would you opt for a sealed sub? Is your room small and you don't have the space for a bigger cabinet? The well designed ported sub is a more efficient design with lower frequency response without heavy EQing and lower distortion. The only good reason to get a sealed sub is when you don't have the space for a bigger box.

This.

 

[Nakean]

Why would you opt for a sealed sub? Is your room small and you don't have the space for a bigger cabinet? The well designed ported sub is a more efficient design with lower frequency response without heavy EQing and lower distortion. The only good reason to get a sealed sub is when you don't have the space for a bigger box.

This.

I currently have an SVS sb2000 (sealed) and a pc2000(Ported). They have the exact same amp. Fed by the same receiver. I much prefer the sound of the sealed sub. I don't care when it comes to movies so much but I definitely like the sound of the sealed for music. The attack is much more visceral.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I currently have an SVS sb2000 (sealed) and a pc2000(Ported). They have the exact same amp. Fed by the same receiver. I much prefer the sound of the sealed sub. I don't care when it comes to movies so much but I definitely like the sound of the sealed for music. The attack is much more visceral.

I had an sb2000 once. I didn’t find that to be the case at all. I paired it with two pc12pluses, but tried it alone for awhile just for fun.
IMO, it does sound very nice, and would be good in a very small room, but has limited output and and turned into an inchworm when I tried to push the volume. Visceral? Not IME.
I would guess you have a setup issue. Maybe not...

 

[Nakean]

I had an sb2000 once. I didn’t find that to be the case at all. I paired it with two pc12pluses, but tried it alone for awhile just for fun.
IMO, it does sound very nice, and would be good in a very small room, but has limited output and and turned into an inchworm when I tried to push the volume. Visceral? Not IME.
I would guess you have a setup issue. Maybe not...

I had them running off the same amp in the same position with the same settings. Perhaps there's something wrong with the pc2000 I bought.
I'll tell you when I got it home I was SOOOO excited. The PC2000 was like three times the size! Of course, it was going to sound larger and better! I had all this expectation so even if it was the same performance I'm sure my brain would have thought it was better. I was ready for it to hit harder and louder but it just didn't. It sounded boomier. A lot obviously has to do with my room so I suppose I could change my response and say, For me in my specific room, I preferred the sound to the sealed sub.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I had them running off the same amp in the same position with the same settings. Perhaps there's something wrong with the pc2000 I bought.
I'll tell you when I got it home I was SOOOO excited. The PC2000 was like three times the size! Of course, it was going to sound larger and better! I had all this expectation so even if it was the same performance I'm sure my brain would have thought it was better. I was ready for it to hit harder and louder but it just didn't. It sounded boomier. A lot obviously has to do with my room so I suppose I could change my response and say, For me in my specific room, I preferred the sound to the sealed sub.

If you didn’t rerun audyssey/ypao/mcacc/Dirac etc, or at least level match there’s no way to evaluate each subs performance. I’m basing this off of where you mentioned “same settings”.

 

[Nakean]

If you didn’t rerun audyssey/ypao/mcacc/Dirac etc, or at least level match there’s no way to evaluate each subs performance. I’m basing this off of where you mentioned “same settings”.

I don't think I had any DSP going on at all when testing them. That's a good point though. Might have to test with the newer Denon x3500H. The sealed also has waaaay more WAF!!!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I don't think I had any DSP going on at all when testing them. That's a good point though. Might have to test with the newer Denon x3500H. The sealed also has waaaay more WAF!!!

Yeah, you should definitely test them with their own calibrations. Running a subwoofer, with a calibration for another tells you nothing. We’re you able at least level match? If that’s differs, from sub to sub, it will render all impressions useless as well.
Curious to here what happens if you get a chance to retest. Everybody’s waf is different. I think it’s stupid, but still have to deal with it to some point regardless...

 

[KEW]

I currently have an SVS sb2000 (sealed) and a pc2000(Ported). They have the exact same amp. Fed by the same receiver. I much prefer the sound of the sealed sub. I don't care when it comes to movies so much but I definitely like the sound of the sealed for music. The attack is much more visceral.

If you didn’t rerun audyssey/ypao/mcacc/Dirac etc, or at least level match there’s no way to evaluate each subs performance. I’m basing this off of where you mentioned “same settings”.

I don't think I had any DSP going on at all when testing them. That's a good point though. Might have to test with the newer Denon x3500H. The sealed also has waaaay more WAF!!!

This!!!

I keep emphasizing that without EQ a sealed sub is going to sound better (especially for music) in a typical room!
Reason being that ported subs are designed to be flat in an anechoic chamber and once you throw in a dose of room gain, the ported sub will be boomy. The sealed sub's roll off is much more likely to end up with a closer to flat in-room FR. It may err on the weak side, but that is far better than boomy for music!
Better subs have more ability to tune and I believe a typical Hsu ported sub with the optional plugging of one or two ports and two EQ positions and variable Q will provide enough flexibility to get what you need. And Audyssey will generally get you there (but IME, not always).
I think we should always ask if the OP has RoomEQ and factor that (or a tunable sub) into his choices. If they do not have EQ or intend to get it (like many 2.1 music people) then I see sealed as a safer option.

As far as swapping drivers, if it is a sealed box are there more factors than simply the internal volume of the box? I'm not a DIY guy, so I don't know.

 

[FunDaddy5000]

Hello everyone. I finally took a look at my least fav sub in the house to see why it's making noise. It's an Acoustic Research S112PS I got from Goodwill years ago for like 20 bucks. It's a 12" down-firing sub. The base plate it fires into was loose, hence the rattling I was hearing. Turns out that it was just part of the problem since I removed that plate altogether.

I don't think it's chuffing, but just the speaker distorting as I turn up the volume on the sub. Is there a way to tell for sure. I can record sound if that helps determine.

Last question. Would it make sense to purchase a 12" sub from parts express and toss it in there to see how it does? Then if it doesn't work well I could purchase a DIY kit to use with that same subwoofer?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Kurt,
You can do replace the driver, like I did. Be sure to research the ohm rating or you may overdrive the amplifier. I just compared 4 ohm car subwoofers that were suitable for use in a (approximately) 1.75 cubic foot ported box. Since the Paradigm amp is only 110w rms/330w peak, I only considered replacement woofers which were relatively efficient.
However, with all of the excellent subwoofers available today, you may be better off fixing yours and purchasing a new one. Good luck!
Below is my BestBuy review of the Kicker Sub.

Home Theater Sub/Bass on a budget :0)

Verified Purchase|
Posted 3 months ago.
Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
The 12” driver in my 22 year old Paradigm PDR sub finally gave out (rotted surround). I felt like MacGyvering the Paradigm, so I researched a few car subs before settling on the Kicker. Once installed, and after having about four or five hours of break-in, I find this Kicker/Paradigm mash-up filling my family room with more bass than ever before. Thanks to Kicker & Best Buy..!