Is this a subwoofer possibility?????

[kmlance]

Here is the question that's been burning in my mind..... Can I go to my local "PRO-AUDIO" shop and buy a "concert" subwoofer and a P.A. amp and use it in my HT.????

I can't see why I couldn't but, I would hate to burn up tons of $$$ in the attept!

I have found GOOD subs to be very costly, but required for real HT enjoyment.

Any info is greatly appreciated!

 

[Audioholics]

A monkey banging on a drum is a subwoofer "possibility" - just not a good one...

I'm not sure what you are asking - maybe if you share some more info like model numbers, etc...

 

[annunaki]

I would not recommend this. Concert equipment is primarily designed for one thing. Getting LOUD. Detail may or may not be very good here. Frequency response may also be very limited. Most pro equipment subs I have heard were somewhat boomy (due to peaks in response around 50hz-60 hz). They were also pretty anemic below roughly 35hz. Most live music does not go much below that. Home theater, however, has much information below 35hz. This is not to say that there may be some good ones out there. I feel however, that may be kind of rare. One could still use a P.A. amplifier, just get some good woofers and build a sturdy enclosure. However, by the time one figures in the cost of an amplifier, good subs, enclosure materials and TIME, a good sub could be purchased for the same price. What type of budget are you looking at here?

 

[RLA]

Hi
The problem with using most Pro audio Woofer's for HT applications is that the FS of these woofers are too high Typically they have a cut off of around 30-35Hz and they are most effective playing what they were designed for in the 40-100Hz range For HT you should be looking at a Low FS high X-max
high SPL subwoofer and design an enclosure using its specific Thiel Small
parameters There are a few Pro woofer's that would be ok to use
Ev and JBL do have some lowers FS subs but you can do better looking at consumer based raw drivers

Hope this helps
RLA

 

[kmlance]

But.. do what type of kit to use??? Help needed!

First, let me say that my budget is currently at ZERO! I was recently laid-off so $$ is tight.
My current sub woofer is, or I should say was, a JBL psw-d112, that just gave up the ghost! Itwas the last remaining piece of my "original" HT. I was doing some research before replacing it. Now that funding was cut, I am subwoofer-less.
I had noticed on Ebay that some of the Powered Subwoofers that appeared under the search were "DJ" styled units. These were quite powerful, and reasonable priced. The Mackie SRS1500, or JBL EON 15" are good examples.
I have also looked at various DIY articles, and Kits (Titan, Madisound, etc) And having use of a full woodworking shop, and WAY too much time on my hands, I figured this might be a good place to start!
But which kit, or plan to use? I can't afford mistakes!
Then, what type of amp, box-mount, or stand-alone, or a P.A. amp? I really do want quality sound, but cost may be factor for some time, I need to find the happy medium.
I love DEEP solid bass. I use my HT for movies only, music is only played when dusting the equipment!
Thank you to all who replied, I look forward to more info, comments, etc!

 

[annunaki]

Here are some sites for DIY subs and amps:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=302-600

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=295-404&DID=7

http://www.adireaudio.com/ Go to DIY audio, select Shiva on left-hand side also check the DPL12 and Tempest 15

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=302-614

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=302-610

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=300-794&DID=7

http://www.music123.com/Behringer-Europower-EP1500-i106768.music?t=4

That should be enough to get you started!! The Adire DPL12 and the Behringer would be my picks from the list.

 

[Rob Babcock]

You could buy a VMPS or Selah Audio sub in kit form and get great performance pretty cheap, too. A sonotube sub based on an Adire Shiva would also rock your HT for $250 or less (assuming you can hunt up a spare amp).

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

The best (home theater)application for those large "bassbin" type of subwoofers tend to be very large HT rooms, where you are going for a very cost effective way to get strong bass down to the 30hz...and maybe 25-27hz range with some EQ work.

Every now and then you'll see great deals on something like the big JBL or CV bass horns...something in The $250-$500 range. Match a $200-$300 pro amp(like the QSC rmx850), and maybe an EQ like the Behringer feedback destroyer($99). And for $500-$800ish you can have absolutely killer output from about 30-35hz and up. Of course $500-800 can buy you a standard HT subwoofer that will extend down to the 20hz range(and possibly below). But these choices won't have a chance of running with the "bassbin" >35hz..

Tom V.
SVS

 

[Az B]

Of course $500-800 can buy you a standard HT subwoofer that will extend down to the 20hz range(and possibly below). But these choices won't have a chance of running with the "bassbin" >35hz..

Tom V.
SVS

I don't know if there's a market for it, but for those of us who have large rooms, accepting wives, and a thirst for deep, powerful, room filling bass, we sure could use a large cabinet subwoofer for HT use. I realize the majority of the planet wants small and unobtrusive, but I'd bet there's a few of us who could care less about what it looks like and want high SPL, low frequency bass.

 

[Westrock2000]

As stated before most PA speakers have a Fs (there natural resonance, and reasonable idea of how low they will go) that is usually higher than there "home audio" counterparts. While its common to see 12" Home Audio drivers with Fs's in the 20's (Hz), you will see even many 18" PA drivers barely make it to the 20's. Then you must add in that bass is made by simply moving a large deal of air. So Xmax (how far a speaker cone can move in one direction) becomes very important. Many 10" or 12" PA drivers have low Xmax's (like 3-4mm), where as even budget home audio drivers can go to 6 or 8mm. Now volume is a product of cone surface area and excursion, so a 18" PA driver with 4mm of excursion will certainly move more air than a 10" with 8mm excursion due to the increased surface area. However you will soon realize that both will go just as low and the home audio one will require 1/2 to 1/4 the box size.

If your looking for a good quality Subwoofer that doesn't break the bank, I would suggest the Dayton 12" woofer, there only $30 each. I have one in a ported 3.0CuFt box (18x18x18), and it does pretty good considering the price. The Dayton line from PartsExpress is pretty darn good, and there new RS Aluminum 10" looks like it would make a knock out sub for the price.

 

[dreadstar]

Here is the question that's been burning in my mind..... Can I go to my local "PRO-AUDIO" shop and buy a "concert" subwoofer and a P.A. amp and use it in my HT.????

I can't see why I couldn't but, I would hate to burn up tons of $$$ in the attept!

I have found GOOD subs to be very costly, but required for real HT enjoyment.

Any info is greatly appreciated!

As other members have stated buy a DJ sub is not the way to go for HT.
If $$ are tight check ebay and www.recycler.com for yamaha SW-150 and SW-160 these are dual 8" subs in a tall about the size of a full tower computer case they provide decent bass in an unobtrusive case. and can be had for under $100. Another option. I built a 12" sub in a sealed enclosure for my roomates setup. using a JBL crossover speaker level and a JL audio pro driver. Reciever to sub. sub to bookshelf speakers and it sounds really good. added just the right amount of bass to his setup. total cost for that was $30 for the box and crossover (aquired at surplus electronics store) and the driver was out of my car. i replaced it with a dual bandpass 8"

People sell blown amplifier subs all the time. If you happen to have an extra amp you could use it to power one.