Where to get subwoofer amps?

Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
I want to build a subwoofer. Easy to make a good box, find a good subwoofer for a decent price, but where does one go to get a good subwoofer amp, more than 300 watts. I considered pro amps, but would hate to build a trigger function, and most of the ones I look at dont have auto on function. I want to build something like the JTR captivator or SVS SB16 but cant find an amp powerful enough.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
How much you want to spend? You can use a smart power strip as an alternative, that's what I do with my diy sub amps (I use Crown XLS1500s, no trigger option at all, altho I would have to build one with the XLS gen 2 amps if I wanted to use it as it's a bit different from the usual trigger type). Auto on is just one of those things that often ends up being a problem for many sub plate amps, tho. What driver are you going to use?
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
I was looking at the Dayton UM18, 2 of them, unless recommended something else. Love the sub I have now, paradigm studio reference sub 12 but didnt go dual (didn't know better back then) and can't find any on the used market. Was looking at the jtr captivator s1 and the svs ultra sb16, but dont really feel like spending $4000-$5000 for them.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I was looking at the Dayton UM18, 2 of them, unless recommended something else. Love the sub I have now, paradigm studio reference sub 12 but didnt go dual (didn't know better back then) and can't find any on the used market. Was looking at the jtr captivator s1 and the svs ultra sb16, but dont really feel like spending $4000-$5000 for them.
Why sealed?
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
Every ported sub I've heard I always heard port chuffing when pushed to the upper limits, and always heard sealed are more accurate, but not as much SPL, plus if I were to build, I'd have no idea about port tuning.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Every ported sub I've heard I always heard port chuffing when pushed to the upper limits, and always heard sealed are more accurate, but not as much SPL, plus if I were to build, I'd have no idea about port tuning.
Just need to build an appropriate box based on the t/s parameters for either type, you can use software like winisd or bass box pro (or follow a proven design). How do you plan to choose the right box volume even for just a sealed box? What eq will you use?
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
The EQ part is what I don't know that's why I was looking for a sub amp just to run a crossover, The way I have my paradigm configured now is just plugged in to the LFE input with the crossover on bypass
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
The EQ part is what I don't know that's why I was looking for a sub amp just to run a crossover, The way I have my paradigm configured now is just plugged in to the LFE input with the crossover on bypass
Not sure what you mean by that. The sub amp wouldn't provide a crossover to your speakers necessarily, altho some have that capability. You don't use an avr? Generally with a sealed sub you're going to need to eq the low end, something like a miniDSP 2x4 added to a basic amp, or an amp with dsp built in.
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
Ooo sry, yea I have a Yamaha cx-a5000 with a adjustable sub eq on it, but I mostly use the through setting on it with the front and center speaker crossed over @60hz
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Ooo sry, yea I have a Yamaha cx-a5000 with a adjustable sub eq on it, but I mostly use the through setting on it with the front and center speaker crossed over @60hz
Through setting of what? That Yamaha lingo? I'd continue to rely on your pre-pro for a crossover rather than the sub, tho.
 
S

sterling shoote

Audioholic Field Marshall
My sub amp is just a stereo power amp in bridged mode, which is continuously on. Works great, delivering about 560 watts to the 15 inch ported 600 watt sub. If I was in need of an amp for my sub I'd get a Crown like the one Lovinthehd uses. And, BTW, I suppose I've never heard "port chuffing", since I don't even know what it is alluding to.
48837700336_201e0f16d6_k.jpg
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
I've never heard "port chuffing", since I don't even know what it is alluding to.
I guess I've never heard it either but the speed of the air exiting the port has to be kept below the point where it is audible. I think the number is 18 and I think the units are meters per second, maybe feet. Either way, bigger and longer points fix that.
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
Every ported sub I've heard I always heard port chuffing when pushed to the upper limits, and always heard sealed are more accurate, but not as much SPL, plus if I were to build, I'd have no idea about port tuning.
The boxes for the ported subs that you heard were not well designed. I would suggest that you get the BassBox 6 Pro software and if you follow their recommendation for minimum port area, you shouldn't have any port chuffing problem.

Personally, I have been using two 4" port tubes for 15 inch subs and I've never heard any port noise on the enclosures I built. Of course, if you intend to drive your subs at extremely loud levels sometimes beyond their power ratings, there may be some chuffing, but if you build cabinets by following recommendation with a serious speaker building software and operate them at reasonable home SPL, that shouldn't be a concern. If you want to be really safe and can build a bigger enclosure, you could use two 6" tubes with one UM18 for instance. That would require long tubes that take more space within the box with resulting increased box dimension. Don't forget to use adequate bracing and plenty of glue for good results.

Sealed subs are not more accurate than a properly designed ported sub. As a matter of fact, sealed subs are not as efficient as the ported type and they also have more distortion at high levels. In addition, they can't reach the low frequencies which the ported one will unless they are heavily EQd with the resultant distortion. If you have the room space, go for the ported design with subs that are designed to be used in a ported box.
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
And I sit pretty close to my sub it's only about 6' to 8' away from me, Which is probably why I noticed the port chuffing more than people that sit further away.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
And I sit pretty close to my sub it's only about 6' to 8' away from me, Which is probably why I noticed the port chuffing more than people that sit further away.
What sub is it you're basing your chuffing experience on? At what sort of frequencies did it do this particularly and how loud are you listening? Did you try turning the sub so the port doesn't face you? That might help some...
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
I had a klipsch sub 12, a svs pb16 when demonstrated, I just don't wanna risk it and buy a ported sub or build a ported sub and have that issue
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I had a klipsch sub 12, a svs pb16 when demonstrated, I just don't wanna risk it and buy a ported sub or build a ported sub and have that issue
Just as long as you know by driving a sealed sub really hard down low you can also get issues....you had a PB16 and returned it? Hard to know which Klipsch as they're model numbers are confusingly similar over time. I bought an RW12d several years back for $300 and while I can get it to chuff, it's not been used in my main system but briefly, and in the systems I have used it in I just don't crank it up to where that's an issue. Just what kind of spl goals do you have?
 
Hunter21

Hunter21

Audioholic
I want to reach the minimum LFE requirements for decibel levels which I think is about a 113 DB, But I want something for the scenes like in black hawk down when the helicopters are taken off actually feel it in the air, I know it's a bit of a dilemma But I wanna sub that hits really low and loud and I know a ported design is better for that, But I can't stand port chuffing.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I want to reach the minimum LFE requirements for decibel levels which I think is about a 113 DB, But I want something for the scenes like in black hawk down when the helicopters are taken off actually feel it in the air, I know it's a bit of a dilemma But I wanna sub that hits really low and loud and I know a ported design is better for that, But I can't stand port chuffing.
LFE channel is 115 dB on its own without adding in redirected bass with bass management. BHD has the famous f'g irene helicopter scene that has content in the 6-7 hz range and I doubt you're going to get there at any significant spl with only two sealed UM-18s. You can see what the UM-18 did in Josh Ricci's sealed box test at data-bass.com, tho (and keep in mind he's using an extremely powerful amp) https://data-bass.com/#/systems/5c33a5b266ac500004a8d4f2?_k=bgq717

ps On that note you might check out SpeakerPower amps.....but they're pricey.
 
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