Virgin DIYer - Is there such thing as too much?

[Methost]

I have never built a speaker. Ever.

But the idea of constructing my ulitmate sub sounds great. If I am going to go through the trouble of building something myself, I want something that will make the people 3 blocks down call the police.

I have no idea where to begin. I was thinking about something with (2) drivers. Either 12" or 15" from parts express. Paired with their 1000w amp. Can this bee too much sub for my 2500 cu ft room?

What about firing direction? How does one decide if they want a down firing sub or a front firing one?

Sizing - What size enclosure? Hell, what's in the enclosure? is it just a hollow box? Or are there some baffles in there that I can't see in mine? What size ports?

Is there a DIY sub guild somewhere on this site that I have missed?

Any advice for this DIY speaker virgin would be most welcomed.



John

 

[jeffsg4mac]

If you have never built a speaker then I would suggest getting a kit to start with. Check out Madisound.com they have been in the business for a long time.

 

[marrypoppins]

Good questions, having too much is a myth if you find it seems like too much you can turn it down. I think you will love 2 strong subs in that size room and find that it is just enough. I personally own 2 Dayton Quatro's in a room about that size and am very pleased. I would not just limit yourself to Dayton though there are many great subs out there ill give you some links.

Now for your other questions. It really does not matter the firing direction, down sounds the same as forword. The design of your sub is entirly up to you but if you need some help download a program cald winISD pro it will help you with port size projected readings and such.

Here are some helpfull links to get you started.

Infinite baffle- http://home.comcast.net/~infinitelybaffled/page2IB-Gallery.html

GREAT DRIVERS
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/ very popular as of lately

http://www.soundsplinter.com/ the rl-p15 rocks

http://www.ascendantaudio.com/products.html always great subs

http://www.************.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=245&GlobalSearch=3&cat_id=49&sm=2&hs=s&filter=home+subwoofer&start=1 Quatro is the best sub for the money and for me prefered over the TITANIC

heres some ideas

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=18218

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=646455&page=1


Hope this helps

 

[Methost]

Why would someone choose a vented design over a sealed design? What is the difference in performance?


Thanks for the links guys ... you've sure got my head spinning. I like the idea of building a couple 15's or 18's in to a piece of furniture like an ottoman or something.

 

[WmAx]

Why would someone choose a vented design over a sealed design? What is the difference in performance?


Thanks for the links guys ... you've sure got my head spinning. I like the idea of building a couple 15's or 18's in to a piece of furniture like an ottoman or something.

A vented design will, for all practical intents and purposes, output about 2x the maximum SPL output at low frequencies compared to a sealed equivalent.

BTW, if you want to go overkill/ultimate, I recommend absurdly high performance woofers instead of the typical woofers as you suggested or as linked in a previous post. I recommend something such as the JL Audio W7 or Adire Tumult. Note that you will need to use very high power amplifiers for these drivers.

Using this approach, there is no reason that you can not build ultimate/showoff level subwoofers easily equaling those costing several thousdands of dollars each.

-Chris

 

[Methost]

A vented design will, for all practical intents and purposes, output about 2x the maximum SPL output at low frequencies compared to a sealed equivalent.

Then why would anyone use a sealed design if vented puts out twice the volume with the same power?

 

[Spiffyfast]

Then why would anyone use a sealed design if vented puts out twice the volume with the same power?

the box has to be larger

 

[WmAx]

Then why would anyone use a sealed design if vented puts out twice the volume with the same power?

Spiffyfast is correct. Also, some [wrongly and with no perceptual research to back up the claims] people claim that sealed boxes are of higher inherent audible sound quality as a broad, unqualified claim.

-Chris

 

[MBauer]

You have received some good advice

A kit is the way to go, unless you have some hands on experience with electronics and woodworking? Building speakers is not tough. Choosing drivers, designing and building crossover networks is a little more challenging and to have the loudspeaker sound real good and be accurate, well - thats tougher. Its also why so many people build kits

Madisound, Parts Express, other links have been posted.

 

[bmccord]

Just a side question, would the Dayton 1000w RMS plate amp power the Adire Tumult 18" sub? I know the 1kW amp is a beast but that driver is just sick....

 

[Methost]

A kit is the way to go, unless you have some hands on experience with electronics and woodworking? Building speakers is not tough. Choosing drivers, designing and building crossover networks is a little more challenging and to have the loudspeaker sound real good and be accurate, well - thats tougher. Its also why so many people build kits

Madisound, Parts Express, other links have been posted.

I guess I don't understand what a crossover network is. I mean I know what a crossover is. But I guess I assumed that there was a crossover built in to the plate amp.

I have not seen any kits that I really like. They all just make subs that look like the Xsub I already own. I did consider buying a second Xsub 12" driver, and a 1000w plate amp from parts express, and building a custom down firing ported cabinet to house it.

Can someone explain the flaw in my thinking?

 

[jaxvon]

I guess I don't understand what a crossover network is. I mean I know what a crossover is. But I guess I assumed that there was a crossover built in to the plate amp.

I have not seen any kits that I really like. They all just make subs that look like the Xsub I already own. I did consider buying a second Xsub 12" driver, and a 1000w plate amp from parts express, and building a custom down firing ported cabinet to house it.

Can someone explain the flaw in my thinking?

A crossover network is the LCR circuit in a normal speaker. Most plate amps have a variable crossover.

As for your thinking, the flaw is opting for the 12" Cadence driver to use with the 1000W amp. If you want to use a 1000W amp, then you need to buy a serious driver that can handle that power, something like an Adire Tumult driver.

 

[Methost]

As for your thinking, the flaw is opting for the 12" Cadence driver to use with the 1000W amp. If you want to use a 1000W amp, then you need to buy a serious driver that can handle that power, something like an Adire Tumult driver.

What about a pair of 12" Cadence drivers? I was thinking I would add a second to the mix. Would that amp power 2 without stressing them out?

All of these questions are hypithetical. I am no solid plans yet and am still just toying with the idea. But is does certainly sound like something I would like to do as my next HT tweak.

 

[jaxvon]

Why two drivers? If you're building your own sub, don't settle for a budget driver! Buckeyefan1 said that he has bottomed out his Cadence, which means that it can't handle the power of the amp fully. Even if you have two, a 1000W amp is going to be too much. The 1000W amp isn't the problem, it's your driver choices.

 

[Methost]

Why two drivers? If you're building your own sub, don't settle for a budget driver! Buckeyefan1 said that he has bottomed out his Cadence, which means that it can't handle the power of the amp fully. Even if you have two, a 1000W amp is going to be too much. The 1000W amp isn't the problem, it's your driver choices.

Ok. I see where you are coming from. The choice of that driver was just because I already own one. But your right. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

Perhaps a pair of the Daton 15" subs, paired with that 1000w amp then.

 

[marrypoppins]

Coming from someone who has done many diy subs definitly look into the rythmikaudio sub with the survo kit, it holds impressive results down to 10hz or one of the soundsplitter subs. I have heard both and they sound and look beautiful. I have not heard a single complaint from someone who choose Dayton subs including myself if thats what you get I can promise a smile on your face. By the way a sealed sub will sound more clean and is more common for music where a vented enclosure goes lower but you usually end up with a larger box.