First DIY sub

[Dsav101]

Hello all. Long time lurker, close to first time poster here. I am currently purchasing some stuff for my first DIY sub. It will be a dayton ultimax 15 with most likely a crown XTS1000 or something along those lines in a 13.5 cu. ft ported enclosure. My first question is in regards to running rca or using something like the rocketfish wireless unit. If I run an RCA it will be about a 30ft. run so I would like to do the wireless unit, but is it worth the 60 bills for it? Thanks for any replies!

Don

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I would go with wire.

 

[fmw]

I would too. Wire is more reliable by a quantum leap. You should be able to find a 30' model for a modest price from monoprice. I use an Ultimax 15 sealed in my home theater. It provides breathtaking bass with high end sound. I can't think of anything that will compete with it at its price.

 

[Dsav101]

Awesome. I will stay wired. Totally excited to see what this thing will do. Should be a great time!

 

[Dsav101]

Hello again all! So I am also thinking between two different amps at this point. My #1 amp would be the Crown XLS 1002. My second would be the behringer nuke 1000dsp. Now the crown is almost 100 bills more, but I like the looks of it better. The amp will not be easily seen, but can be if you wanted to peek. Any thoughts between the two? Any help is of course appreciated!

 

[fmw]

Hello again all! So I am also thinking between two different amps at this point. My #1 amp would be the Crown XLS 1002. My second would be the behringer nuke 1000dsp. Now the crown is almost 100 bills more, but I like the looks of it better. The amp will not be easily seen, but can be if you wanted to peek. Any thoughts between the two? Any help is of course appreciated!

I use a plate amp with mine but I'm not sure there would be any meaningful difference between them. Behringer does have a poor reputation in the pro audio world compared to Crown and that might explain the price difference. As long as it doesn't break and as long as neither of them are noisy, either one should do.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I am currently purchasing some stuff for my first DIY sub. It will be a dayton ultimax 15 with most likely a crown XTS1000 or something along those lines in a 13.5 cu. ft ported enclosure.
Don

Hi Don and welcome to AH!
First of all - a question : According to PE, recommended vented box for this driver is only 6cuft with very respectable f3 of 22hz
What made you choose to go over double in size? Do you seek lower tuning? Is it worth the extra size, weight, wood and effort?

 

[KEW]

Hello again all! So I am also thinking between two different amps at this point. My #1 amp would be the Crown XLS 1002. My second would be the behringer nuke 1000dsp. Now the crown is almost 100 bills more, but I like the looks of it better. The amp will not be easily seen, but can be if you wanted to peek. Any thoughts between the two? Any help is of course appreciated!

I'd be inclined to go with the Crown. It is reasonably priced and you'll have enough time and effort in building this sub; you should have confidence in the components and pride in how it looks when friends want to check out your DIY sub.
I'd use the analogy of painting your house. You can save $50 easy enough by not going with a premium quality paint...however, it really isn't the cost of the paint, but the hours of time spent painting the house that is the true cost of the project. If you can add a few years before the next time you need to paint for $50, that is the deal, not saving money on paint!
Not a perfect analogy, but I think it is clear enough. If you are throwing the cabinet together for a temporary solution, get the Behringer. If you plan to invest your time and craftsmanship, get the Crown.

 

[KEW]

Hi Don and welcome to AH!
First of all - a question : According to PE, recommended vented box for this driver is only 6cuft with very respectable f3 of 22hz
What made you choose to go over double in size? Do you seek lower tuning? Is it worth the extra size, weight, wood and effort?

Good point!

Don,
You posted this in the subwoofer section, and I think most of us assumed, since you specified the cu. ft. that you had already done the modeling to know your design. If this is the case, great!
However, if you are opening in getting second (and third) opinions on design, say so.
I know, for my first build, I would want a second set of eyes on it.
There is a DIY section which gets more attention from the guys who can help you with design.

 

[Dsav101]

BoredSysAdmin thanks for the welcome. Long time lurker very few posts. My brother actually modeled the sub and came up with the 13.5 cu ft. box. I believe he said it would be around 15.8hz. I have a space for this sub and maybe even his brother if it is "necessary" so the size is fine. I know parts express says 6 cu ft. ported, but even under that it says optimum using bassbox pro was I believe 11.1 cu ft. So not sure why the 6cu ft was there except for a reference. I do not mind the size, weight, or time as long as the finished product works well and sounds sublime. Being as this is my first time, I am very hopeful to have my homework done and make something to be proud of.

KEW, I went ahead and purchased the Crown xts1000. This will be made out of 3/4" birch ply. We have gone over the box a bunch of times, but it is just my brother and I, so I am very very happy to have as many eyes on as I can. The build timeframe is still a few weeks away, so any advice helps. We have all the tools, and now the parts, just have to buy the wood and get to work. Thanks for the advice so far and keep it coming!!

Don

 

[KEW]

Sorry, I read my post and can see why you might believe I am someone to model the sub for you, but I have no experience in this.
However, hopefully someone who does will come along and run some numbers to confirm your brother's numbers.

 

[Ytsejam01]

I would too. Wire is more reliable by a quantum leap. You should be able to find a 30' model for a modest price from monoprice. I use an Ultimax 15 sealed in my home theater. It provides breathtaking bass with high end sound. I can't think of anything that will compete with it at its price.

Hi FMW, I just ordered my Ultimax 15 and plate amp. Although I have extensive cabinetmaking experience (entertainment centers and such) this is my first speaker project. I feel like a fish out of water. Since we have the same subwoofer, can you tell me why you chose sealed instead of ported. I was thinking of incorporating the cabinet into sort of a bench design. Can the enclosure be "too big" for the speaker? If you have experience, would you be willing to chat with me about this sometime.
Thanks in advance,
-Ken

 

[fmw]

Hi FMW, I just ordered my Ultimax 15 and plate amp. Although I have extensive cabinetmaking experience (entertainment centers and such) this is my first speaker project. I feel like a fish out of water. Since we have the same subwoofer, can you tell me why you chose sealed instead of ported. I was thinking of incorporating the cabinet into sort of a bench design. Can the enclosure be "too big" for the speaker? If you have experience, would you be willing to chat with me about this sometime.
Thanks in advance,
-Ken

Sealed subs don't require tuning of the enclosure. That allows them to be smaller than ported subs. Ported subs have to have the right internal volume, port diameter and length and so forth in order to perform properly. If you want a ported model you will either have to find plans for an enclosure or put the driver parameters into a calculator to get this information. If you want a bench then it would just be a matter of building the bench while leaving a space for the subwoofer to be placed.

I used the sealed enclosure provided by Parts Express. It is CNC cut to for a perfect fit all around. You may want to go to the DIY forum at AVS and check in there. The people there can probably provide you with better information than I did.