Maelstrom-X 18" sub

[Matt34]

Do you want someone to design a box for you? Give me your desired dimensions and I can see if there is something to fit it. Be warned though the Maelstrom-X is being upgraded.

Not at this time, it will be awhile til I start on it and I haven't locked in on a design quite yet. I'm still tossing around the idea of a dual opposed setup.

 

[lsiberian]

Not at this time, it will be awhile til I start on it and I haven't locked in on a design quite yet. I'm still tossing around the idea of a dual opposed setup.

Well it's not the only fish in the sea. But I know what you mean.

 

[Matt34]

Actually it's slim pickins for a high fidelity 18" sub. After they discontinued the LMS there really isn't anything that can compare to the mal-x, especial for the price.

 

[Warpdrv]

What is your budget....?

The Mal-X 2 is going to dual 2 ohm VC and will have even more excursion, 5mm more then the first gen...

The changes are complimentary. It won't change the box designs that we are currently using. The Re & BL went up with the dual 2-ohm coil. The suspension compliance is roughly the same. The extra suspension travel is something that only shows up in high-level measurements (Klippel), it doesn't change the T/S parameters.

24"^3 external box is what I used, but another guy had gone even smaller.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/17035-mini-mael-x-4-cubes-i-hear-what-fuss-about.html

You can get by with an EP2500, but when you really want to push things with it, you will need a bigger amp, the EP will clip under extreme output.

 

[Matt34]

What is your budget....?

The Mal-X 2 is going to dual 2 ohm VC and will have even more excursion, 5mm more then the first gen...



24"^3 external box is what I used, but another guy had gone even smaller.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/17035-mini-mael-x-4-cubes-i-hear-what-fuss-about.html

You can get by with an EP2500, but when you really want to push things with it, you will need a bigger amp, the EP will clip under extreme output.

Don't really have a budget right now, but the more I read about Mark Seaton's Submersive the more I lean towards trying to duplicate it with the Mal-X. So figure two Mal-X where I might be able to get away with the Ep2500 as it will be a more efficent setup than a sealed design.

 

[Wafflesomd]

What is your budget....?

The Mal-X 2 is going to dual 2 ohm VC and will have even more excursion, 5mm more then the first gen...



24"^3 external box is what I used, but another guy had gone even smaller.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/17035-mini-mael-x-4-cubes-i-hear-what-fuss-about.html

You can get by with an EP2500, but when you really want to push things with it, you will need a bigger amp, the EP will clip under extreme output.

The specs say its peak is 1500w. The berry will do 2000w at 4ohms.

Why would it clip?

 

[haraldo]

What is your budget....?

The Mal-X 2 is going to dual 2 ohm VC and will have even more excursion, 5mm more then the first gen...



24"^3 external box is what I used, but another guy had gone even smaller.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/17035-mini-mael-x-4-cubes-i-hear-what-fuss-about.html

You can get by with an EP2500, but when you really want to push things with it, you will need a bigger amp, the EP will clip under extreme output.

I have to say, this is a very nice good looking subwoofer
Well done !!!

 

[Warpdrv]

The specs say its peak is 1500w. The berry will do 2000w at 4ohms.

Why would it clip?

The EP2500 will NOT do 2000w @ 4ohms.... Its been measured, it will do 1600w - maybe 1700w bridged, but for a sealed sub you will need to add EQ to boost response at the lower end. When you do that it will eat up even more amp power that the EP doesn't have enough of to begin with...

Real world testing will tell you more then just posting numbers, I have done that with both the EP2500 and the QSC 2502 and both ran into the same problem on the Mal-X's, just not enough power. They did get pretty loud, but not loud enough for what I needed in my situation. The Mal-X's can handle some serious wattage, I'm running each of my 3 Mal-X's with Crest 8002's now that will put out 4000w bridged, I no longer have the problems I had before with the smaller amps. I am not giving them the full power of those amps, but I have plenty to spare if I upgrade to the new upcoming 2009 18" LMS's down the road.

Ported may be a different story, as well as size of room and how much SPL you are looking to get out of these drivers.... so YMMV based on execution.

 

[haraldo]

The EP2500 will NOT do 2000w @ 4ohms.... Its been measured, it will do 1600w - maybe 1700w bridged, but for a sealed sub you will need to add EQ to boost response at the lower end. When you do that it will eat up even more amp power that the EP doesn't have enough of to begin with...

Real world testing will tell you more then just posting numbers, I have done that with both the EP2500 and the QSC 2502 and both ran into the same problem on the Mal-X's, just not enough power. They did get pretty loud, but not loud enough for what I needed in my situation. The Mal-X's can handle some serious wattage, I'm running each of my 3 Mal-X's with Crest 8002's now that will put out 4000w bridged, I no longer have the problems I had before with the smaller amps. I am not giving them the full power of those amps, but I have plenty to spare if I upgrade to the new upcoming 2009 18" LMS's down the road.

Ported may be a different story, as well as size of room and how much SPL you are looking to get out of these drivers.... so YMMV based on execution.

Sho how is your power bill?

 

[lsiberian]

The EP2500 will NOT do 2000w @ 4ohms.... Its been measured, it will do 1600w - maybe 1700w bridged, but for a sealed sub you will need to add EQ to boost response at the lower end. When you do that it will eat up even more amp power that the EP doesn't have enough of to begin with...

Real world testing will tell you more then just posting numbers, I have done that with both the EP2500 and the QSC 2502 and both ran into the same problem on the Mal-X's, just not enough power. They did get pretty loud, but not loud enough for what I needed in my situation. The Mal-X's can handle some serious wattage, I'm running each of my 3 Mal-X's with Crest 8002's now that will put out 4000w bridged, I no longer have the problems I had before with the smaller amps. I am not giving them the full power of those amps, but I have plenty to spare if I upgrade to the new upcoming 2009 18" LMS's down the road.

Ported may be a different story, as well as size of room and how much SPL you are looking to get out of these drivers.... so YMMV based on execution.

Warp I think you have a point but my gosh 12,000 watts is a bit much that's 12 kwatts. Per hour you talking paying a over a dollar in electric costs. That has to be a beautiful setup.

 

[Matt34]

Sho how is your power bill?

I bet Warp has or will be upgrading his home's electrical system.

 

[Warpdrv]

Sho how is your power bill?

Hhahha Those Crest Amps probably feel like they are in retirement with what I'm asking of them with the Mal's compared to what they are capable of...

They are just loafing about these days even with heavy usage...

I bet Warp has or will be upgrading his home's electrical system.

I ran dedicated dual 20amp circuits for my HT setup that those amps are hooked up to... No problems...

 

[Wafflesomd]

The EP2500 will NOT do 2000w @ 4ohms.... Its been measured, it will do 1600w - maybe 1700w bridged, but for a sealed sub you will need to add EQ to boost response at the lower end. When you do that it will eat up even more amp power that the EP doesn't have enough of to begin with...

Real world testing will tell you more then just posting numbers, I have done that with both the EP2500 and the QSC 2502 and both ran into the same problem on the Mal-X's, just not enough power. They did get pretty loud, but not loud enough for what I needed in my situation. The Mal-X's can handle some serious wattage, I'm running each of my 3 Mal-X's with Crest 8002's now that will put out 4000w bridged, I no longer have the problems I had before with the smaller amps. I am not giving them the full power of those amps, but I have plenty to spare if I upgrade to the new upcoming 2009 18" LMS's down the road.

Ported may be a different story, as well as size of room and how much SPL you are looking to get out of these drivers.... so YMMV based on execution.

I just remember seeing some measurements of it hitting near 1900.

I would personally never make a sealed sub.

 

[Warpdrv]

I just remember seeing some measurements of it hitting near 1900.

That may be a bit exaggerated, regardless when you add any sort of EQ to any of the sub band to boost that null you have in your FR, ported or not it will eat up power from the amp.

I would personally never make a sealed sub.

To each their own....

I've said it before but I'll say it again...

Personally I prefer not to have a port contributing in any way to the sound signature presented, give me a driver system that retains its air spring/driver loading. I also would rather have a manageable, heavily braced cabinet size, where the rear wave is isolated from the front wave. For my bass reproduction I'd rather not hear the subwoofer, just the sound.

I'll forgo any lack of efficiency though design and overcome it with brute force.

 

[lsiberian]

That may be a bit exaggerated, regardless when you add any sort of EQ to any of the sub band to boost that null you have in your FR, ported or not it will eat up power from the amp.




To each their own....

I've said it before but I'll say it again...

Personally I prefer not to have a port contributing in any way to the sound signature presented, give me a driver system that retains its air spring/driver loading. I also would rather have a manageable, heavily braced cabinet size, where the rear wave is isolated from the front wave. For my bass reproduction I'd rather not hear the subwoofer, just the sound.

I'll forgo any lack of efficiency though design and overcome it with brute force.

I like the idea of brute force.

 

[Matt34]

Here is a smaller ported build I found, love the finish he used:

6.0cu/ft slot ported tuned to 10hz- I could handle something this size.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/12433-my-maelstrom-x-build.html

 

[WmAx]

Ports are completely transparent when done properly. You can even have a ported box sound exactly like a sealed box if you add equalization to achieve the same FR as the sealed system you want to emulate. The ported system is radically superior in terms of SPL and distortion in the lowest octave(which is typically the most improtant one it seems to most people).

-Chris

 

[WmAx]

Here is a smaller ported build I found, love the finish he used:

6.0cu/ft slot ported tuned to 10hz- I could handle something this size.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/12433-my-maelstrom-x-build.html

How do you tune 6 cubic foot to 10 Hz with a Mal-X 18"? Simulations of this proved a bad idea when I just tried this alignment; -3db was about 27hz with -17db at 10Hz.

-Chris

 

[Warpdrv]

How do you tune 6 cubic foot to 10 Hz with a Mal-X 18"? Simulations of this proved a bad idea when I just tried this alignment; -3db was about 27hz with -17db at 10Hz.

-Chris

Chris, I'm pretty sure its about 6^3 internal, updated designs were 6.75^3 internal, which puts the external at about 10^3 or so...

Heres a thread with some cut sheets of that design..... and plenty of measurements on there as well

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1018171&highlight=

 

[just-some-guy]

Ports are completely transparent when done properly.

in my case, i agree with that. my ports make NO noise what so ever.