Well, I've been reading more and more about DIY projects with speakers and subs. While I'm confident that I can produce something good, my strengths are more on the woodworking side than the "audio" side. That being said, I thought a good first project would be to work on a good subwoofer. I'm sure I can do a good surround sound speaker system for much less than what I can buy online, but I'm concerned about properly tuning the system (since I'm a novice at XOs and SPL meters), and since it is difficult to find consistent info on good speaker design.
I like the idea of building a good subwoofer cabinet and was wondering if anybody had info on a) a good software program for designing the cabinet to measure interior volume, etc., b) some wiring basics for running two drivers off of one amplifier to have a dual-driver cabinet, and c) the costs/benefits of ported vs. non-ported designs and how to calculate the port diameter, length, etc. to get a properly designed subwoofer. I don't intend on using anything enormous, but most likely will settle on two 12" drivers.
Also, I guess if people have recommendations on good 12" drivers for the sub, that would be much appreciated. Thanks!