Building custom speakers without a design

[highfigh]

Ok, 3 12's op? Really? I'm kidding. You need to understand that what you're trying to ultimately accomplish doesn't require quite so much horsepower. If you're just listening to music, virtually any speaker/system that is -3db around 30hz will supply those "flawless" lows you're looking for. I think you might be surprised what smaller speakers and a sub are capable of. Your best bet right now is to set aside the drawing board and go listen to every speaker and combination you can. Once you understand what you like, and why you like it, then you'll be on a much better track to ultimately design a speaker for your tastes. I used to want massive speakers with lots of drivers cause I thought it would work "better". I love the elaborate simplicity that smaller two-ways can provide. Stereo subs satisfy the bass needs I have.

Its ok to "want" to build something crazy. Trust me, I understand it. When I first heard a sub in a car, I wanted to rush out and buy 4 18's and a an 8gigawatt amp. Once I understood the process a bit more, a single 10 did just fine.

In the end, if you still want a massive 3 or 4 way design, then more power to ya, but you'll likely be thrilled with the "less is more" approach.

Three 12s is doable but in anything other than a large room, it's just acoustical compression. Still, some people are looking for a receiver or amp with one knob that's labeled "MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!".

Re: starting small and growing from there, SIB KISS comes to mind. That's what my professors told us in my Statics & Strength of Materials class.

 

[yepimonfire]

lol i think i went a bit overboard with 3 12"s, the reason i wanted a 4-way was because i wanted to build subs into the towers, but now that i think of it it would probably be more like a 3.5-way. im not going to worry about building speakers yet, i have a load of research to do first, then i will goof around and make a cheapo bookshelf once i actually understand how acoustics work.

 

[majorloser]

If you want massive bass that's easy to power, just look at Matt34's "Goat Fainter" project.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60906

 

[Loren42]

lol i think i went a bit overboard with 3 12"s, the reason i wanted a 4-way was because i wanted to build subs into the towers, but now that i think of it it would probably be more like a 3.5-way. im not going to worry about building speakers yet, i have a load of research to do first, then i will goof around and make a cheapo bookshelf once i actually understand how acoustics work.

If you want to add subs, the best thing you can do is have them mobile so that you can place them where the room dictates them to work. Room acoustics will determine the location of the subs and they are unlikely to be at the location of the main speakers.

 

[lsiberian]

If you want to add subs, the best thing you can do is have them mobile so that you can place them where the room dictates them to work. Room acoustics will determine the location of the subs and they are unlikely to be at the location of the main speakers.

Unless you build a sub for every speaker.