My Infinity Kappa Build

[lsiberian]

You need to cover the rockwool with some fabric to prevent fibers getting in your subs vent pole. I will second the vote against t-nuts. I've found hex head screw to be the best mounting hardware for a sub. Never use a powered screwdriver around a speaker. Always manually tighten. You don't want to slip and take out a surround.

 

[pmcenaney]

Thanks for the tips guys, I wrapped the roxul in cloth after I took the picture. And as for the tee nuts, I'll see what I can do tonight as I'm hoping to finish the boxes later tonight.

 

[pmcenaney]

So I finished putting together one of the boxes last night, and unfortunately couldn't finish the 2nd one as I ran out of long clamps to hold the top on the 2nd box... But they're both coming along nicely. I'm hoping to get the top on the 2nd box today and hopefully some of the finishing touches on the 1st one. More pics to come soon!




EDIT: I ended up using 11 clamps on the box in the 2nd picture (not in the photo)

 

[pmcenaney]

So I've got one speaker hooked up now. It sounds great! Going to finish the 2nd one in a couple hours.




To anyone who would be interested/has the know-how, I'd like some help with placement of the speakers to get the best sound out of them. I could make up a diagram of the room they're in if that would help.

 

[lsiberian]

So I've got one speaker hooked up now. It sounds great! Going to finish the 2nd one in a couple hours.




To anyone who would be interested/has the know-how, I'd like some help with placement of the speakers to get the best sound out of them. I could make up a diagram of the room they're in if that would help.

A measurement MIC with REW is the best way to determine this one. If you don't have that your best bet is with dual subs for even response is on opposing sides with mid-wall placement. This gives the most room correction assuming your room is a rectangle.

 

[pmcenaney]

A measurement MIC with REW is the best way to determine this one. If you don't have that your best bet is with dual subs for even response is on opposing sides with mid-wall placement. This gives the most room correction assuming your room is a rectangle.

What's the learning curve using REW? I've got the software already but I don't have a mic yet. Also, a couple other questions:

Since its coming from the sub output on my receiver, should I still have my amp filter switched to "subwoofer"? It also has high-pass and full range modes. It seems like I'm mostly only getting sound in the very low range, whereas my other powered sub seems to pick up a lot more sound in a slightly higher range.

Once I've got some more money put together I plan on getting an equalizer as well. What are some suggestions for something on a budget but still of good quality? And should I have the eq hooked up between the subs and sub amp, or between my receiver and amp? Is it possible to use my equalizer on all my speakers at once or do I need one for low, and another for mid/highs? Sorry about all the noobie questions haha, but I appreciate all the help I've gotten so far!

 

[pmcenaney]

I almost forgot... More clamps! Can't wait to hook up the 2nd one tomorrow! After some play time with them, it's on to staining/finishing.

 

[pmcenaney]

In case anyone's wondering about the amp, I'm very pleased so far with the IPR-1600. And at $249 on sale and only 7lbs, compared to the other amps with similar power, I'm very happy with it. For my setup I can get 900watts RMS x 2 channels with it. Since the drivers are rated for 400watts there's more than enough power there for me.

 

[pmcenaney]

So I've got both subs hooked up now, for now I need to have them both placed on the back wall, about 12-14 feet apart due to the layout of the room. But I'm really impressed! Watching the depth-charge scene in U-571 with my volume at 45/70 was intense. At it's peak my chandelier was shaking and I knocked some pictures off the wall! Now I just need to bring myself to unhook the speakers long enough to stain/etc.

Thanks for all the tips guys!

 

[pmcenaney]

So I've got one box sanded/trimmed. Gonna start the 2nd one soon and then it's on to stain and finally start building the front covers.



I've also finished my A/V cabinet for the amp, etc. got the glass mounted and I'm really happy with how it turned out!

 

[lsiberian]

What's the learning curve using REW? I've got the software already but I don't have a mic yet. Also, a couple other questions:

Since its coming from the sub output on my receiver, should I still have my amp filter switched to "subwoofer"? It also has high-pass and full range modes. It seems like I'm mostly only getting sound in the very low range, whereas my other powered sub seems to pick up a lot more sound in a slightly higher range.

Once I've got some more money put together I plan on getting an equalizer as well. What are some suggestions for something on a budget but still of good quality? And should I have the eq hooked up between the subs and sub amp, or between my receiver and amp? Is it possible to use my equalizer on all my speakers at once or do I need one for low, and another for mid/highs? Sorry about all the noobie questions haha, but I appreciate all the help I've gotten so far!

Be careful with an EQ in a ported sub. Do you have a Subsonic or High-Pass filter for frequencies below tuning? Minidsp has a simple cheap mic if you need one. It's 75 bucks and comes with everything you need.

Your amp shouldn't be doing any filtering of any kind. Run it straight through.

 

[pmcenaney]

Be careful with an EQ in a ported sub. Do you have a Subsonic or High-Pass filter for frequencies below tuning? Minidsp has a simple cheap mic if you need one. It's 75 bucks and comes with everything you need.

Your amp shouldn't be doing any filtering of any kind. Run it straight through.

No filter other than the one built into the amp. I've got it switched to subwoofer mode (low-pass) it also has full range and high pass settings on it. After some playing around, it's not missing any sound anymore, not sure what that was all about. Do u think an EQ would be advisable for my setup? I'm just looking for the best sound I can get here, and like I said, I'm new to this...

 

[lsiberian]

No filter other than the one built into the amp. I've got it switched to subwoofer mode (low-pass) it also has full range and high pass settings on it. After some playing around, it's not missing any sound anymore, not sure what that was all about. Do u think an EQ would be advisable for my setup? I'm just looking for the best sound I can get here, and like I said, I'm new to this...

Yes you should use a high pass filter. You should be running full-range the filter is at 100hz. The minidsp can do eq an a high pas filter. Just be careful if you eq around tuning because you can overdrive the sub. You can get a mic too.

 

[pmcenaney]

Yes you should use a high pass filter. You should be running full-range the filter is at 100hz. The minidsp can do eq an a high pas filter. Just be careful if you eq around tuning because you can overdrive the sub. You can get a mic too.

Ok, so I'm not too sure about the different eq's and the minidsp, but for the mean time (just running my subs and their amp) I'm assuming I leave my sub amp set to "subwoofer" (or low-pass mode), since, high-pass cancels out any bass, and full-range sounds the same as low-pass but I'd imagine it's geared more towards if I was running PA speakers. I take it from your post you're saying that once I'm running an EQ I should set my amp to full-range? I don't know anything about minidsp though, do I need hardware for it, or is it all software? In your experience, for my setup should I be running an equalizer, or just the sub amp set to low-pass mode?

Sorry, I was just a little confused by your post.

 

[pmcenaney]

So I've got one box finished, gonna start staining the 2nd one tomorrow, then all that's left to do is build the front covers and enjoy them. The picture doesn't do the finish on this justice, I'm extremely happy with the way the finish turned out!

 

[pmcenaney]

Sorry for the bump.

...In your experience, for my setup should I be running an equalizer, or just the sub amp set to low-pass mode?

Sorry, I was just a little confused by your post.

Also, new pictures. Both subs are finished. I'm debating on whether to make covers for them or not, as I kind of like the look without them!

 

[Natrix]

The best way to find where to place your subs is to do the crawl test. Put a sub where you sit and play bass heavy music and crawl around on the floor noting how the bass sounds in each spot. Put them where you noted the bass sounds the best.

Your receiver will do the low-pass x-over for you so you don't need to use any of the settings in your sub amp, just run it full range. I'd recommend getting a miniDSP to use for a high-pass filter and EQ. You'll definitely want a high-pass filter at the very least so you don't have to worry about over excursion by sending to much power at frequencies where excursion is maxed out. Around 20hz will do. The bonus with the miniDSP is if you can get measurements from your room you can EQ the peaks. But as lsiberian stated you'll want to be careful about boosting the signal especially with the really low frequencies. The general rule is not boosting any more than 3db. If they're placed well they shouldn't require a lot of EQ'ing.

I use a Dayton omni mic with REW, but if I had to buy one right now I'd get the miniDSP mic as it is plug and play and will be less expensive because it doesn't require any kind of interface.

Welcome to the most rewarding, but most difficult thing to do in home audio which is getting good bass.

 

[pmcenaney]

You'll definitely want a high-pass filter at the very least so you don't have to worry about over excursion by sending to much power at frequencies where excursion is maxed out. Around 20hz will do.

Ok that makes sense to me. Like I said, I'm quite new to this. But from what I understand, the high pass filter will likely extend the life of my drivers? Is it considered a "must-have" though? Funds are quite limited right now, but I also don't want to blow my subs! Haha. I also thought the goal was having a flat response? Won't a HPF prevent that from happening? In the specs for my subs the frequency response is rated for as low as 23hz, would 20 on the HPF still be ok? Sorry for all the questions lol, I just want to get these dialed in without wrecking them! Although I'm really impressed with them so far! I've done some playing around with them on a tone generator and tried all the way down to 1hz where they just move very slowly, is this going to risk smoking the voice coils? (ie. should I avoid playing with extremely low frequencies/high excursion at all costs)

 

[weng]

nice build pmcenaney.

i am interested in getting the peavey IPR 1600 DSP. does the DSP function of this amp equivalent to the miniDSP, most importantly the HPF or subsonic filter?

does the IPR 1600 amp needs a bump box (art cleanbox or samson) to increase the voltage output of the receiver's sub preout? this is a common issue i have read when using a consumer product (RCA) with a pro product (XLR), not enough voltage from the cosumer to drive the pro amp into full capacity. did you use an RCA-XLR off the shelf cable?

will the IPR 1600 power these 2 subs with ease, a JL12W7 (single 3-ohm) on one channel and the other channel with Kappa 12d VQ (dual-4, config to 2-ohm) in a simple kappa cabinets?

 

[pmcenaney]

@weng I would assume you'd have no problem at all powering those subs with the 1600, I have mine set to about 3/4 gain, and never turn my receiver past 3/4 volume, and there's still lots of power to go. I'm afraid I'l smoke my subs if I crank it any higher on a movie with some nice LFE. To answer your other question, I have mine hooked up with standard RCA to XLR adapters with no problems. And the built in filter seems to be functioning perfectly, I get no unwanted noise through my subs, everything is in the low range, if that's what you're asking.