eD A2-300 Amplifier Failure.

[alexsabree]

So my Elemental Designs A2-300's amplifier just died and I've had it for longer than one year. Should I buy a new amp? or just scrap the build and start anew?
DIY maybe? muhahaha!!!

I'm thinking about maybe spending around 600 or more on a build... what do you suggest? (Its mainly for movies.. I use my headphones for music)

 

[TLS Guy]

So my Elemental Designs A2-300's amplifier just died and I've had it for longer than one year. Should I buy a new amp? or just scrap the build and start anew?
DIY maybe? muhahaha!!!

I'm thinking about maybe spending around 600 or more on a build... what do you suggest? (Its mainly for movies.. I use my headphones for music)

We have had a number of posts on ED sub amps blowing up and one catching fire.

If you don't want to have it repaired and have the skills DIY is the way to go.

How big a box can you tolerate?

 

[alexsabree]

The only limit I have is the size of the door, which is 25in wide. It can be 5 feet tall and 300lbs for all I care (not really, just saying).

And as it stands right now, my budget is extremely flexible. I can push it up to $1000 if need be. I just don't wanna spend much-much more for little-little gain.

I don't have any woodworking skills. But I have family members who have the tools and experience to help me out.

 

[TLS Guy]

The only limit I have is the size of the door, which is 25in wide. It can be 5 feet tall and 300lbs for all I care (not really, just saying).

And as it stands right now, my budget is extremely flexible. I can push it up to $1000 if need be. I just don't wanna spend much-much more for little-little gain.

I don't have any woodworking skills. But I have family members who have the tools and experience to help me out.

Would this fit the bill?

 

[alexsabree]

Would this fit the bill?

That driver seems kinda low-end and affordable.

Would that be a substantial improvement over my previous sub?

 

[TLS Guy]

That driver seems kinda low-end and affordable.

Would that be a substantial improvement over my previous sub?

By the time you buy that driver, furnish a decent amp, build and finish a box you will be right in your target range. It will be a huge improvement over what you have now.

If you want to move up the food chain a little try this.

That driver is $160.

Either will make a good sub, the more expensive better.

Those drivers work best on ported boxes.

Expensive sub drivers are generally intended for sealed enclosures. They have to have massive motor systems with huge linear travel.

The whole project ends up expensive as you need very powerful amps and an equalizer.

I would budget for a pro amp by the way and not a class D plate amp.

Either of those drivers will give you a very impressive sub on budget.

 

[alexsabree]

Alright, thanks a lot man. I appreciate the help. I value your opinion and more than likely I'll end up going with either one of those subs.

Wow, building subs is a lot like building a PC. The most important part of the computer (the CPU or in this case the Driver) might only be few hundred but when you add in the case, HDD, motherboard, graphics card, power supply, monitor, ram... you could spend well over a thousand bucks.

 

[TLS Guy]

Alright, thanks a lot man. I appreciate the help. I value your opinion and more than likely I'll end up going with either one of those subs.

Wow, building subs is a lot like building a PC. The most important part of the computer (the CPU or in this case the Driver) might only be few hundred but when you add in the case, HDD, motherboard, graphics card, power supply, monitor, ram... you could spend well over a thousand bucks.

The driver and build quality of the enclosure are of equal importance.

 

[alexsabree]

The driver and build quality of the enclosure are of equal importance.

Really? I mean, do enclosures have that big of an impact on acoustics?

 

[TLS Guy]

Really? I mean, do enclosures have that big of an impact on acoustics?

Yes, huge. They have to be the exact volume for the, properly ported, damped, obsessionally well built and braced. Anything less will be a severe compromise.

You need to add driver displacement, bracing and the volume displaced by the port to Vb to get Vt.

So the best of drivers will be a truly lousy sub in an improperly aligned and or built enclosure.

 

[T2T]

So my Elemental Designs A2-300's amplifier just died and I've had it for longer than one year. Should I buy a new amp? or just scrap the build and start anew?
DIY maybe? muhahaha!!!

eD has been in the process of switching over their amps to a new model. You might be best to contact them and see what they can do for you - being that you're just a bit out of warranty. They also have the trim plates to fit the new amp to an existing opening.

After I sold one of my eD subs (one of the original with the truck bed liner), the amp died on the new owner. He worked through eD on a replacement amp. They actually discounted the new replacement amp to about 1/2 the price that they list the amps for on their site. Might be worth a try to get the amp replaced, then sell the subwoofer. After that, move onto a DIY sub - just for the joy of inhaling the MDF dust.

 

[Warpdrv]

Being the original owner, they may or at least should offer a better price then that....

If going DIY, a very good direction may be to go Dual Opposed with some 15" drivers from AE Speakers. Or you could do a 15" driver and 2 x 18" PR's, which would give extraordinary output and SQ...

 

[alexsabree]

Being the original owner, they may or at least should offer a better price then that....

If going DIY, a very good direction may be to go Dual Opposed with some 15" drivers from AE Speakers. Or you could do a 15" driver and 2 x 18" PR's, which would give extraordinary output and SQ...

Quick question: Whats 2 x 18" PR's? I'm all about extraordinary output and SQ.. but I have no clue as to what that might be referring to.

Whats the benefit of having two opposing speakers. I understand that they cancel each other's kinetic energy. So the box moves around and shakes less, but is there actual benefit?

Thanks

 

[TLS Guy]

Quick question: Whats 2 x 18" PR's? I'm all about extraordinary output and SQ.. but I have no clue as to what that might be referring to.

Whats the benefit of having two opposing speakers. I understand that they cancel each other's kinetic energy. So the box moves around and shakes less, but is there actual benefit?

Thanks

A PR is a passive radiator. It has no motor or electrical connection. It replaces the function of the port in a reflex enclosure.

 

[alexsabree]

Wow.. I've never even heard of a passive radiator. (wiki)

So your saying having a 15" driver and having TWO 18" Passive Radiators would be an really good setup?? That seems ... kinda insane.

 

[TLS Guy]

Wow.. I've never even heard of a passive radiator. (wiki)

So your saying having a 15" driver and having TWO 18" Passive Radiators would be an really good setup?? That seems ... kinda insane.

It is the same as having a 15" sub and a port. Remember at round the tuning frequency of a ported sub, most of the sound is from the port, the driver pretty much stops still.

Same with the PR, the driver stops still and the PRs radiate around tuning.

A port radiates just as well as a PR. The PR makes for a smaller sub, as it usually displaces less volume than a port. with a PR distortion is a little higher and bass roll off is usually a little steeper. But both work well if properly designed.

 

[alexsabree]

It is the same as having a 15" sub and a port. Remember at round the tuning frequency of a ported sub, most of the sound is from the port, the driver pretty much stops still.

Same with the PR, the driver stops still and the PRs radiate around tuning.

A port radiates just as well as a PR. The PR makes for a smaller sub, as it usually displaces less volume than a port. with a PR distortion is a little higher and bass roll off is usually a little steeper. But both work well if properly designed.

So many options!!!

Passive radiator?
Dual Opposing Drivers?
Horn Loaded Subwoofer?
DIY or Prebuilt?

 

[TLS Guy]

So many options!!!

Passive radiator?
Dual Opposing Drivers?
Horn Loaded Subwoofer?
DIY or Prebuilt?

That's what makes it fun!

 

[alexsabree]

So I'm really contemplating the 15" driver and 2 x 18" PR setup that you guys mentioned. I think the best size enclosure for me would kinda look like this.

Sorry for the horrible Sketchup, but it gives you the general idea of what dimensions I'm looking for. Would that enclosure be good enough? (around
25x30x40in) How much internal bracing would be needed?

Once again, thank you guys for all your help. This is really getting exciting!

 

[BillCinLR]

WinISD is your friend. Go to Hometheatershack.com to learn about/how to use it.

Good Luck,


Bill C