Subwoofer & Amp for Sealed 93.4L Cabinet

[Litchwa]

Hello Everyone,

I need a subwoofer driver & amp recommendation for a sealed 93.4L oak veneer cabinet (15.5"W x 28.5"H x 17.75"D). It has a 1" front baffle and 3/4" High Density Particle Board with solid oak corner blocks. There are no cut-outs yet, so I have flexibility in choosing driver size, 2 drivers versus 1, and plate amp versus external amp.

My room is very large at >3,000 cubic feet, plus it has the typical open floor plan configuration with another 2,000cf kitchen. The objective is musical extension below the mains (JSE Infinite Slope Model .6) with 8" woofer rolling off between 35-40Hz. High SPL is not a priority, since I never listen to music or movies above 90 dB.

I've looked at the Madisound NHT 1259 kit and the Rythmik dual 12" driver GR Research Servo Kit. However, if there is a better subwoofer-amp combination for this cabinet I would like to know. My budget is $350 - $650.

Thank you.

Ward

 

[lsiberian]

I'm assuming you already have a cabinet built or the materials, and tools to cut holes.

Since your budget is pretty low for driver and amp.

I suggest A Behringer ep2500 for the amp fan mod it and it should have plenty of power for your subwoofer.. If you can port the cabinet then an Infinity Perfect sub would be a good low price option.

If you want a plate amp. I think Bash is the way to go, but the Behringer will give you much more power.

 

[alexwakelin]

93.4L is a bit small for a ported Kappa isn't it? That's ~3.3 ft^3

 

[poutanen]

Just curious, but why are you picking a sub for a cabinet? Usually it's the other way around, pick your sub and then build a cabinet to match...

I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I like some of the pioneer subs. Had good luck with their 10's and 12's about 3 years ago.

 

[Litchwa]

I appreciate everyones advice, thank you.

Aaron has made an excellent point, picking a sub for a cabinet is not the smartest move. I'm using this approach because the pre-built cabinet is almost a perfect match in appearance to my JSE Infinite Slope mains. Plus I paid less than the cost of materials to build my own cabinet.

I do have access to a router and circle guide to cut the driver hole.

Ward

 

[poutanen]

I appreciate everyones advice, thank you.

Aaron has made an excellent point, picking a sub for a cabinet is not the smartest move. I'm using this approach because the pre-built cabinet is almost a perfect match in appearance to my JSE Infinite Slope mains. Plus I paid less than the cost of materials to build my own cabinet.

Ward

Ah that makes more sense! Most subs I have bought mention a suggested cabinet volume for sealed and ported, and you could use that to pick a sub well suited to your cabinet.

If you go ported, you can ultimately tune the response by changing port diameter/length. Sealed enclosures are even easier to deal with volume. I think my subs had a suggested sealed volume of 1-2 cu ft back in the day.

Since you're not looking for all out SPL, running it sealed may be your best bet. I second the Behringer amp, I'm using the cheaper A500's and they do a great job of powering a single 15" main speaker. I even had one running a pair of 18" yamaha subs and it was ok, underpowered but fine at mid volumes.

 

[WmAx]

Hello Everyone,

I need a subwoofer driver & amp recommendation for a sealed 93.4L oak veneer cabinet (15.5"W x 28.5"H x 17.75"D). It has a 1" front baffle and 3/4" High Density Particle Board with solid oak corner blocks. There are no cut-outs yet, so I have flexibility in choosing driver size, 2 drivers versus 1, and plate amp versus external amp.

My room is very large at >3,000 cubic feet, plus it has the typical open floor plan configuration with another 2,000cf kitchen. The objective is musical extension below the mains (JSE Infinite Slope Model .6) with 8" woofer rolling off between 35-40Hz. High SPL is not a priority, since I never listen to music or movies above 90 dB.

I've looked at the Madisound NHT 1259 kit and the Rythmik dual 12" driver GR Research Servo Kit. However, if there is a better subwoofer-amp combination for this cabinet I would like to know. My budget is $350 - $650.

Thank you.

Ward

Frankly, based on the limited situation you have set up, you need to go with a driver capable of high performance in a sealed space. The Sound Splinter 15" might barely fit the width of you cabinet. If it does, I recommend this driver. It will give you high linear excursion with ample power handling, resulting in the large displacement you need to make a sealed arrangement work well. The Ep2500 amp will work great, but you also need a device like a Behringer DCX2496 to shape the response of the driver/cabinet. All sealed systems in small cabinets manipulate the response to provide extended deep bass response, so this is just normal practice. There are other drivers to choose from, but not many to be honest, that will provide the large linear excursion needed. The AE AV-15x is another potential driver if you want to try for a cheaper driver that will work well with a plate amp due to having higher efficiency. The O Audio 500W amp would work with the AE woofer, and the O Audio has a parametric EQ that you can use to compensate for the sealed cabinet, also. The AE plus O audio amp is probably the best combination if you are strict about staying within your posted budget. But if you are willing to go with the outboard EP2500 plus DCX2496 combo, then the Sound Splinter driver is a more robust and proven driver that I will suggest. But the SS is not suited to the plate amp.

-Chris

 

[Litchwa]

Chris,

I appreciate your recommendations, thank you.

I just unboxed this cabinet and found that the seller provided me the incorrect dimension. Turns out this cabinet is 17.75"W x 28.8"H x 15.5"D, not 15.5"W. This is good news for fitting a 15" subwoofer.

At this point I'm leaning toward the AE driver with O Audio amp versus the Sound Splinter / EP2500 / DCX2496 combination. After reviewing the DCX2496 manual, it just appears too complex to set up. Although I like what I've read about the EP2500 with fan mod.

Even with this concern about the complexity of the DCX2496, I would give it a shot if the group here felt strongly that this combination would be a significant musical low distortion improvement versus the AE subwoofer / O Audio amp combination.

Has anyone tried the Elemental Designs eQ.2 PEQ as a simpler substitute for the DCX2496?

Thanks to everyone here, I'm feeling much better about making a good choice for my 3.3 cubic foot cabinet.

Ward

 

[WmAx]

Chris,

I appreciate your recommendations, thank you.

I just unboxed this cabinet and found that the seller provided me the incorrect dimension. Turns out this cabinet is 17.75"W x 28.8"H x 15.5"D, not 15.5"W. This is good news for fitting a 15" subwoofer.

At this point I'm leaning toward the AE driver with O Audio amp versus the Sound Splinter / EP2500 / DCX2496 combination. After reviewing the DCX2496 manual, it just appears too complex to set up. Although I like what I've read about the EP2500 with fan mod.

Even with this concern about the complexity of the DCX2496, I would give it a shot if the group here felt strongly that this combination would be a significant musical low distortion improvement versus the AE subwoofer / O Audio amp combination.

Has anyone tried the Elemental Designs eQ.2 PEQ as a simpler substitute for the DCX2496?

Thanks to everyone here, I'm feeling much better about making a good choice for my 3.3 cubic foot cabinet.

Ward

There is little question that the SS driver(really a TC Sounds driver) with the EP2500 and DCX2496 will give you higher performance in this sealed application. I can help you with set up of the DCX2496.

-Chris