Starting from Scratch - the sub qwest

[pdxmonkeyboy]

So it seems that despite the fact that I plunked down a significant amount of money on my home theater speakers.. the 100 watt polk sub that essentially came with my Rti 8's is not impressing me that much. It really doesn't pressurize the room all that much and when the volume turns up (i.e. when the wife and kid are not home) the bass seems to blend into one big booming blob puntuacted by louder booming blobs. (how is that for an audiophile description).

Anyways, I have decided to build a sub..not just any sub.. but a beautiful sub. One that the wife would WANT to have sitting in the middle of the room. I'm still undecided but it will likely be constructed out of birds eye maple plywood and bubinga legs (with mdf bracing). While I do possess respectable woodworking skills, in the audio modeling and tuning realm, I am essentially the equivelant of little red riding hood.

I've settled on a 12" driver and I'm looking at either the dayton titanic or dayton reference. I read that the reference http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=295-464 would be slightly more musical.

I am also uncertain about the amp but the dayton 500w seems like a nice amp and it has a parametric EQ which from what I read could really help things sound better. (yes, I just received a parts express catalog in the mail).

Other notes.. I would like to keep the size somewhat reasonable but I do like the house shaking bass boom so it seems that a ported box is the way to go. (but keep in mind I have never heard a nice sealed sub).

The only real limit at this point is that the driver and amp can not go over $400. Not $410, not $450.. $400. Soo, the point of the thread, I'm looking for a good amp/driver combo. once this is decided I can launch into specifics about volume and ports, etc.

Lastly, I feel kind of all take and no give in terms of my forum contributions so I decided that once I get the material, I'll start of a thread with detailed instructions and photos detailing how to build a super looking sub that does not look like a big black box. With a couple hundred dollars in tools (router and biscuit jointer) you can make a fantastic looking sub and I will show you one way to do it.

 

[patnshan]

There are a bunch of guys over at AVS forum who build subs and can help you a lot in your quest. I don't mean to direct you somewhere else, but there are more fanatics in that realm then here.

As for polk subs, they suck. Even the polk fanboys over at polk forums think they suck. They all have real subs. I have low end polk speakers and they sound good, just not their low end subs (or any for that matter).

Good luck in your quest,

Pat

 

[TLS Guy]

There are a bunch of guys over at AVS forum who build subs and can help you a lot in your quest. I don't mean to direct you somewhere else, but there are more fanatics in that realm then here.

As for polk subs, they suck. Even the polk fanboys over at polk forums think they suck. They all have real subs. I have low end polk speakers and they sound good, just not their low end subs (or any for that matter).

Good luck in your quest,

Pat

Go to the DIY forum

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22

 

[annunaki]

And some of us are not fanatics?

 

[Hi Ho]

I would recommend building the enclosure completely out of MDF or void free plywood and applying a veneer of your choice. Hardwood is generally not recommended as an enclosure material due to possible excess resonance. I prefer MDF myself. I biscuit joint everything. I use paper backed veneer from Rockler. I find it to be very good quality and easy to work with. I used veneer with no backing on my first sub and it didn't turn out too well. It was probably because I didn't know what I was doing (first time doing veneer) but I still prefer paper backed veneer.

I am about to build a new sub myself. I chose the Rythmik Audio DS1500 servo sub kit. It is at bit over yourl limit though. You can buy Rythmik drivers seperately and pair them with any amp but according to my research they really work best when paired with the servo amp. Their 12" kits are still above your price ceiling but not that much.

 

[darien87]

I am about to build a new sub myself. I chose the Rythmik Audio DS1500 servo sub kit. It is at bit over yourl limit though. You can buy Rythmik drivers seperately and pair them with any amp but according to my research they really work best when paired with the servo amp. Their 12" kits are still above your price ceiling but not that much.

Hi ho's given you some good information here.

I would second his Rythmik sub recommendation. I recently built the 12" kit, and I absolutely LOVE it. I have virtually NO woodworking skills, but my sub still came out pretty nice. If you're a decent carpenter, I'm sure yours will come out way better than mine. I purchased the 12" kit for about $400, then ended up buying about $100 worth of MDF and various materials. So I ended up with a kick-*** sub for about $500.

When I tested the sub, it was putting out quite a bit of output at 16Hz!

Give Rythmik a look.