some updates:
Lazy attempt at bracing... I should have braced it with about 2 more shelf braces and more vertical bracing but I think I hit a threshold of "this is enough and I just don't WANNNAAA"
The middle brace is only at on the backside:
Shoved like three pillows in there even though my box q (.58 or so) was low enough as it was >_>... I hope It's not too overdamped. And yes, the insides are just oozing with silicone at every joint.
Ghetto attempt at making an air tight binding post... and the green in wall speaker wire from Rona matches the carpet?!:
I need to clean this place up a bit + lost a 10-24 x 2 1/2 screw somewhere + two t-nuts didn't dig in properly and fell out.. should probably glue them in if I can find the hot glue gun:
Early listening impressions. I've got the e55tis running as "small" and an 80hz crossover...
What can I say... it's hard to put into words what this sounds like. In a sense it's the most inaudible subwoofer I've ever heard. That isn't to say it doesn't slam you in the chest hard if the recording (or test tone
) calls for it but it's so hard to describe how this subwoofer just dissapears - I think it's the very low harmonic distortion that's causing it - what i'm experiencing is probably JUST the fundamental. This thing is supposed to be near linear right up to x-max or so. I wouldn't doubt it. It's just such a quiet loud sub!
I watched "The american" yesterday in the middle of the night and I'm not gonna lie... those were the most realisticly reproduced gunshots I've ever experienced - WITH dynamic range control on!
I also popped in a single song (Monster - Kanye West) and all I can say is that the drum machine used in the track could not sound and feel more like the real thing! Not only a visceral experience, but what seems like a really well mastered CD too. I'd been holding off on giving it a proper listen until the sub was done.
I'm debating whether I want to finish the exterior on this one first... or save up for another and finish them both together. This was definitely a tasking project... I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it is to build such a large and heavy box properly. Even the driver's ridiculously heavy. A part of me wants to never build a box this big again for those reasons, yet the other part is screaming to get the second one again. Another thought is to make a typical .707 Q instead but.. call it snake oil or not... I like what I've heard with this box so much that I just can't imagine messing with the formula!
Either way the next step before anything is to get some measurement equipment, a PEQ, perhaps a high pass filter, and get this one right. I haven't even toyed much with placement yet... I need help pushing it around!
Since it is a sealed sub, I need to know how much (er.. little in this huge open room) room gain I've got. I do have the amplifier and xmax headroom to throw in a linkwitz transform to make it flat to around 20hz or so but that will have to wait until I get real measurements. Of course getting a second one will probably help moreso. For the time being, as it is it's awesome.
I didn't build this thing with the goal of ridiculous output. I feel one needs multiple subs... always. I built this thing for what I perceived as measurably good sound quality in a very large room... with the plan of buying a second eventually. I don't think I've dissapointed myself. I just wish it didn't weigh 300-400lbs @_@ And... I dont doubt it's capable of ridiculous output... I'm afraid of my subwoofer.
P.S. Can any mod change the name of this thread to "Exodus Maelstrom X 18" 8.5 cu ft sealed"?