Looking for a new sub. please help

[whubbard]

Hi,

I'm trying to get a new sub, and see that crutchfield has a pretty sweet deal on the infinity PS212 ($300). Is that the best sub I can find for around $300...if not, please enlighten me.

Thanks!

 

[whubbard]

...im thinking of upping my budget and getting a VTF-2 MK 3 Subwoofer.

 

[agarwalro]

...im thinking of upping my budget and getting a VTF-2 MK 3 Subwoofer.

I second your decision.

 

[j_garcia]

Since you are upping the budget, why not also consider the SVS PB-10? It is a little less than the VTF-2 and will do about as well (for a 10" vs 12") unless you have a larger room. Either one is a great choice.

There is also the Dayton Reference 12" that is on sale right now for ~$500 here.

 

[whubbard]

Since you are upping the budget, why not also consider the SVS PB-10? It is a little less than the VTF-2 and will do about as well (for a 10" vs 12") unless you have a larger room. Either one is a great choice.

There is also the Dayton Reference 12" that is on sale right now for ~$500 here.

The dayton looks nice, and I'm very good at building things, (I have my own wood shop), but I just want to confirm that I will be putting it together...and It doesn't come built???

Well I've figured out I have to build it...but its looking like a sweet amp. I'm really considering getting it now (i'm wayyyy to impulsive...so PLEASE stop me ) so I can listen to it rip.

Would the nice 12 guage speaker wire I have be okay for wiring inside the sub?

Also...why not just get the Titan kit for $536? Is it better quality? I mean I'm willing to spend $36 more.

 

[annunaki]

I don't think you can go wrong with either of those kits. The titanic will be a bit louder but the reference should go a tad deeper. I did the 15" Titanic kit with the 500w amplifier (for my parents) and it sounds great in my parents 3,900 cu.ft. room.

 

[j_garcia]

If you've got the wood shop, then I'd say buy the parts which are all on sale, and build the cabinet yourself (if you don't mind an extra project) 12ga should be plenty, if not overkill.

IMO the reference kit has the better driver, but other than that they are the same parts I believe (same amp, box, etc...)

 

[whubbard]

If you've got the wood shop, then I'd say buy the parts which are all on sale, and build the cabinet yourself (if you don't mind an extra project)

For $109...I can easily put a nice box together. Is their a certain type of wood I should use?

Does anybody have some sort of plans for the box??

 

[GlocksRock]

Use 3/4" MDF for the box, or birch plywood would be lighter and possibly stronger if you want to spend a bit more on wood, but the MDF will be fine. As for box plans, I can't help you, but I'm sure someone here could.

 

[annunaki]

Are you going sealed or ported? If you want to build the enclosure that woofer will do well in either. If you want real deep bass extension and output, go ported. If you want slightly better accuracy and real deep response is not as important go for sealed. It will still play quite deep in room even in a sealed enclosure. The ported enclosure will be a bit larger though than sealed.

I can get you some designs for ported or sealed. Do you have any limitations for dimensions or WAF?

 

[whubbard]

Erm...well the box that comes standard is 3 Cubic Feet....
but i have no idea what ported or sealed means...little bit of help there???

 

[j_garcia]

I don't know if they have the plans for the box available, but I imagine it isn't a complex box. Of course, you have Annunaki here as well...just take a look at some of the stuff he has built and I don't think you will have a problem coming up with a solid design that isn't tough to build.

Sealed - inside is completely separate from outside, no air movement between the two. Vented - uses some kind of opening, or port, to allow air movement between the enclosure and the room. Vented tends to be a little more efficient and can be tuned to a desired effect more easily, while sealed tends to offer a slightly "tighter" sound at the expense of a little output and extension (less rumble). Both designs have their pros and cons, though the specs on their design suggests that it will do fairly well in terms of output and extension for a sealed design.

 

[whubbard]

Are you going sealed or ported? If you want to build the enclosure that woofer will do well in either. If you want real deep bass extension and output, go ported. If you want slightly better accuracy and real deep response is not as important go for sealed. It will still play quite deep in room even in a sealed enclosure. The ported enclosure will be a bit larger though than sealed.

I can get you some designs for ported or sealed. Do you have any limitations for dimensions or WAF?

well the box that they have is 3 cubic feet.

(I have notidea what sealed or ported means...could you help me out?)

 

[annunaki]

As for enclosures, I would suggest a ported enclosure of 4.4 cu.ft. tuned to 20hz. Dual 3" aeroports at 19" long would work perfectly. It has ruler flat response down to 20hz and have an F3 of 18hz.

A sealed enclosure of 2.1 cu.ft. would work very well with an F3 of 33hz

If you are not familiar with any of this do not fret. It is all good stuff.

If you can afford the space the ported option will work great. If not, the sealed option is no slouch either.

I will get you actual dimensions for either if you know which option may be better for you.

Here is a basic tutorial for enclosure differences:
http://www.teamrocs.com/technical/pages/boxes.htm

 

[whubbard]

Thanks for that link.
I've been looking around, and I think I might cough up a little bit more to go with an ED 350.

Yes/No?

 

[annunaki]

I think you can equal the performance of the ed350 with the Dayton driver and ported enclosure for less money. Just bump up to the 15" version for a few bucks more so you will equal the output capability. The good news is that the 15" Dayton models almost exactly the same as the 12" in a sealed enclosure at 3.0 cu.ft. For ported it is a little bit bigger than the 12". I can model it for you later if you wish.

The ed is a good sub though, just be prepared to wait about a month or so to get it.

 

[whubbard]

The thing is I don't mind spending a bit more and waiting, becuase I'm worried about not doing a good job of making a box, and the ED 350 seems to have a great box that is supported and all...

I mean...do you have any plans for a box that are layed out...so i could see how hard it would be too get right? Becuase I hear your the best at making boxes around here.

 

[annunaki]

I would not say I am the best. I am sure there are others that could maybe beat me out. I think I do well with the tools at my disposal though. Warpdrv looks like he is quite the craftsman along with a few others. Thanks for your remarks though.


I can do up some plans for you if you know what you want. (Ported or sealed). It will take me a good 1/2 hour to get them all drawn up and figured for you (cuts, bracing, and dimensions etc.) You will need to let me know if there are any size restrictions as well. It will essentially be a custom subwoofer for your room if you want it to be.

Essentially I do not want to put all the work and time into it if you are not going to use it. Finishing is the toughest part of the job especially if WAF comes into play. With the plans I can do for you construction should be a snap if you have any wood working skills. (you will need to cut everything out on a table saw and use a router or jig saw) If not, and it is your first one it may be a bit more challenging.

 

[whubbard]

Yeah, I wouldn't want you to draw all that up...especially if I wasn't going to use it. I guess I was wondering if you had old plans of your with a 15" sub...or had some general plans lying around, that way I would see 'basically' what I would have to do. Because when I look at the eD, they seem to have done such a nice job on the box, and I know that is is very important to how the sub will sound, so for me...im thinking it makes more sense to spend the extra 200 to have great sound, unless I could, for 200 less...have much better sound. Becuase it would suck to spend $400...just for me to not be able to put a good box together. Then again, if you are willing to help, which I do, and would very much appreciate, I might be willing to tackle this thing.

I also feel like I would want it sealed, as it seems as though it is 1) simpler, 2) sounds better overall?

But my woodworking skills are just find for almost anything, and I have a table saw, router, and jig saw.

 

[j_garcia]

You also have to factor in the final detail of building the box - finishing it. That can be as simple as some primer, texture and paint or you could do some veneering.

If you don't want a project, then buy the box that comes with the kit. For the price, the RS1200 kit should be as good as anything at $500. At the $500 price point though, you have the HSU VTF-2 Mk3 and the SVS PB-10 ($429) which are also solid subs.