Upgrading Subwoofers

[Pogre]

I prefer crimped too. I'm okay at soldering, but crimping for me would be a lot easier and probably less messy, so I'll put those on my list.

I can get a 1" bit no problem, if not the borer. I'll look into museum putty or something similar too, to seal it up airtight. Would silicone caulking or something like that work? Or is the putty to help with a better finish?

I think I like the first style connector. Will I need only 2? What type of cable do I need for them?

Didn't think about the feet. What you linked looks just fine to me. Added to the list.

The Duratex, I saw a couple pics of subs in the customer gallery... I'm sure you do nicer work. Have any pics you could post?

I'll just go with wood screws for the baffle. Elmer's wood glue and I are old friends. I've worked with it plenty of times.

There's a Joanne Fabrics nearby, but 5 bucks for the cloth you posted isn't exactly expensive. Added to the list.

I would definitely like to go with magnets when I build a grill for them down the road. That'll probably be last. After I get them finished, up and running. I'll keep a mental bookmark on using 1/2" magnets. I like countersunk also.


Okay then. I think I have a pretty good start and an idea of what to do now. Thanks for the help HD. I'm looking forward to getting started. I read these things weigh over 80 lbs each. Some of the finished ones look very nice. I don't think it will put my wife out at all if I finish them right.

 

[lovinthehd]

52 lbs for the flatpack and 30 something for the driver....subs can get heavy I usually install the driver after I move the box into the room to make it easier on the ol' back. I don't think I took any pics of the duratex now that you mention it. It's black, really black. I'd thin it more the next time for a smoother finish, too. I'll check or take one and shoot it to you....

The museum putty is something I bought for other reasons, works great for a variety of things, including putting on the backs of picture frames that might vibrate from the subs...and its very easy to remove (like fitting it for testing before finishing) not sure caulking would be as easy to work with, but that and several other things I'm sure would work. There's a bit of a gap even with the 15/16" bit I've been using lately, and more so with the 1" before that, to fill. I tried a 7/8" spade bit initially and that was too small.

I buy reels of 250' 12g speaker wire so just attach the speakons to that; I use one at each end but you could go bare wire at the amp end, but I like the secure connection of the speakons at both ends (they lock into place).

One thing to think about, is the 3cft sealed box the one you want? It'll lower the f3 a little with a 4cft box. Or did you consider a ported box? While parts-express only sells a few of the flatpacks the same flatpack manufacturer sells a few others, including some ported boxes, available at diysoundgroup.com. They don't get the bundle with the driver pricing and the boxes may or may not work with the UM-15 driver (I didn't look)....just a thought before you finalize....

 

[Pogre]

I saw the f3 is 35 hz and it made me a little uncomfortable. I'd consider ported. I'd like to find a ported version of that flat pack. Built just for the UM15.

 

[Pogre]

I found 2 other boxes on diy.

http://www.diysoundgroup.com/4-sub-flat-pack.html
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/cube15.html

Neither one specify the UM15, but the ported one can be tuned, right? That's gonna add 60 bucks with the speaker thouh and I'm not sure about the slot design.

*Edit: I see the first one is cut for an 18" sub.

 

[lovinthehd]

I saw the f3 is 35 hz and it made me a little uncomfortable. I'd consider ported. I'd like to find a ported version of that flat pack. Built just for the UM15.

There was a father son team over on avsforum, squiers007 (the son) I think is his handle, who made custom flat packs but they cost a fair bit more, too. A ported for the UM-15 driver I think calls for a pretty large box for best response, like 11 cft I thin?; nice thing about sealed is that they are smaller and you can make up for the low f3 with some equalization as well as the help your room provides....

Oh, as to the number of clamps, I've got plenty so don't really have a handle on minimum number....several times I've had 6-8 clamps on a box at a given time but I didn't have cnc cut panels with dados either....

 

[Pogre]

I do prefer sealed and am trying to keep costs down, so I'm back to the combo pack. I'm getting the iNuke 6000, so that'll help with the eq'ing, right? I don't need sub sonic frequencies necessarily. It's mostly for music.

 

[lovinthehd]

I found 2 other boxes on diy.

http://www.diysoundgroup.com/4-sub-flat-pack.html
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/cube15.html

Neither one specify the UM15, but the ported one can be tuned, right? That's gonna add 60 bucks with the speaker thouh and I'm not sure about the slot design.

*Edit: I see the first on is cut for an 18" sub.

Ported ones are tuned by using particular box size and port dimensions specifically designed with that driver's T/S parameters, so tuning for different drivers could be an issue (some drivers are fairly similar though). Slot ports are just different from using tube style ports...more about the port air velocity the specific box/port combo produces. You might also just contact Erich at diysoundgroup to see if he has anything else in the works or in the warehouse....

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Salk sound does custom enclosures and finishes too, although I don't know what they cost.


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[Pogre]

I really like the Dayton UM15 flat pack, but an f3 of 35hz doesn't sit real well with me. What I like most is the cost. Are there any pre cut, ported combo packs for a good 15" sub that would be around the same cost? I'm not married to any particular brand.

If I can tune the UM15 lower with eq'ing I can live with it. I'm not going for anything below 20hz, really. It would be nice, but not necessary. If I can get down to the mid-low 20's I think I'd be happy. I also want to have a smooth blending with the crossover point at around 80hz.

I mean, surely they're going to out perform and play lower than what I have now, right?

 

[MrBoat]

I really like the Dayton UM15 flat pack, but an f3 of 35hz doesn't sit real well with me. What I like most is the cost. Are there any pre cut, ported combo packs for a good 15" sub that would be around the same cost? I'm not married to any particular brand.

If I can tune the UM15 lower with eq'ing I can live with it. I'm not going for anything below 20hz, really. It would be nice, but not necessary. If I can get down to the mid-low 20's I think I'd be happy. I also want to have a smooth blending with the crossover point at around 80hz.

I mean, surely they're going to out perform and play lower than what I have now, right?

In room should be more like 20. The 12 I have models at 36. I can guarantee it is going quite a bit lower than that with the room gain.

The cabinet fits the Dayton RS that has an O.D. of 15.29". The Ultimax is 15.28". It will fit, with just a slight bit more of wiggle room. Should not be noticeable difference visibly.

Worst case scenario, curiosity gets the best of you and you attempt a self built ported version in the future. Once you see how the box goes together, your skills will have advanced to where building your own box from scratch will not seem so far fetched. The build centers will cut up your MDF for you too, don't forget and you would still be miles ahead with regard to cost, discounting your labor, of course.

 

[Pogre]

That makes me feel better. I'm getting a pretty beefy amp with dsp so I should be able to dial it all in. I think that does it. Soon as I get my finances figured out I'm gonna start ordering stuff.

 

[MrBoat]

That makes me feel better. I'm getting a pretty beefy amp with dsp so I should be able to dial it all in. I think that does it. Soon as I get my finances figured out I'm gonna start ordering stuff.

A sheet of MDF is around 30 dollars. I can almost guarantee that once you get hooked by the DIY bug, you will start conjuring up options of building your own enclosure from scratch just to experiment with the driver.

 

[Pogre]

I've built boxes from scratch with a sheet of mdf for car subwoofers. They were super simple though. Two unbraced 1 cubic foot boxes for a pair of 10" woofers. I can see myself learning more and possibly building my own ported boxes somewhere down the line. That would work as a pretty nice upgrade pretty cheap.

That is another plus with gong diy. There's some flexibility with your components, and as you get better it gets easier and cheaper.

 

[MrBoat]

I've built boxes from scratch with a sheet of mdf for car subwoofers. They were super simple though. Two unbraced 1 cubic foot boxes for a pair of 10" woofers. I can see myself learning more and possibly building my own ported boxes somewhere down the line. That would work as a pretty nice upgrade pretty cheap.

That is another plus with gong diy. There's some flexibility with your components, and as you get better it gets easier and cheaper.

The best part of it is, tuning is your worst case scenario. With a factory offering, you're either stuck with it, or sending it back and then having to start over. Plus you get a separate amp which opens a whole lot more future possibilities, even if you outgrow the 15. Also, you can mount the face baffle temporarily and give it a test drive before you put a lot of work into finishing so you won't have a whole lot of work into it if it turns out to be a dog somehow.

 

[lovinthehd]

Nice thing about having your own amp and driver like Mr Boat says is you can change box fairly easily; and that amp is suited for a ported box as it can apply the generally needed HPF to protect the driver below its tuning point. I still wouldn't worry about the f3 (f10 is 20hz I think I saw for the 3cft box); keep in mind these are not in-room response, but rather anechoic. Sort of the nature of sealed subs, everyone deals with it, even the commercial guys (plate amps for sealed subs have some dsp applied to flatten response). I have a similarly high f3, but you wouldn't know it. Making your own box of course gives you more options.

ps As far as the flatpack sources go, these are all I'm aware of...Denovo does both diysoundgroup's and parts-express' and then there's that squiers007 guy....but am sure there are others like in various car stereo places that regularly make boxes, or even a local cabinet/furniture guy (and some have their subs finished in automotive shops with nice paint jobs).

 

[Pogre]

I'm gonna stick with the Dayton flat packs for my first time out. It'll give me some confidence for more involved future projects and I know I'll be blown away by them. If I get bit by the bug again I'll have an easier time with it and it'll be far less expensive upgrading them.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I'm gonna stick with the Dayton flat packs for my first time out. It'll give me some confidence for more involved future projects and I know I'll be blown away by them. If I get bit by the bug again I'll have an easier time with it and it'll be far less expensive upgrading them.

That's a great choice. You definitely will be blown away, and will learn a great deal.


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[Pogre]

Man, can this be done in my garage? Lol

 

[MrBoat]

Man, can this be done in my garage? Lol

View attachment 20055

I built a Kawasaki H2 triple, two stroke motorcycle from hell in my bedroom, from a basket case to a show stopper in under a year. Painted it Porsche black metal flake from Imron. The color through the clear coat looked bottomless. It's all in the sanding/prep. The details with the latter is what escapes most people with regard to how their paint comes out. There are some more user friendly techniques out there, albeit with a learning curve.

I painted this boat with a brush and a roller via the "roll and tip" method. You could not tell it had not been sprayed by a pro. The photo does not do it justice. In the event that you're interested in this method, the materials used, I can at least give you direction to some other options.

 

[lovinthehd]

Man, can this be done in my garage? Lol

Maybe not if the kids are running into the garage to get their toys much

I've not been brave enough to try a finish like that yet, and would probably start small like this guy did.