New Speakers

[Flint]

I could help you design and build an IB sub where you vent the rear pressure waves from your basement into the room above the theater and thus keep the bass in your own townhouse. It would be no more loud than a regular sub to your immediate neighbor and from a distance the bass from front and back would partially cancel each other out and be quieter than a traditional sub.


What people often miss is that with IB subs, the sound propagated out of the building is a combination of the front wave and the rear wave, at relatively equal SPLs, thus they cancel each other out and make the community bass noise much quieter than with a box sub. So, if you are generating a loud 100dB plus boom in your theater with either type of sub, the IB sub will actually be quieter to the neighbors.

 

[Snake Doctor]

I could help you design and build an IB sub where you vent the rear pressure waves from your basement into the room above the theater and thus keep the bass in your own townhouse. It would be no more loud than a regular sub to your immediate neighbor and from a distance the bass from front and back would partially cancel each other out and be quieter than a traditional sub.


What people often miss is that with IB subs, the sound propagated out of the building is a combination of the front wave and the rear wave, at relatively equal SPLs, thus they cancel each other out and make the community bass noise much quieter than with a box sub. So, if you are generating a loud 100dB plus boom in your theater with either type of sub, the IB sub will actually be quieter to the neighbors.

I appreciate the offer, but I live in a townhouse and share common walls. My neighbors are on the narrow minded side and most likely wouldn't appreciate a nice deep rumble, going through their ceilings. Just sayin.

Has anyone built a nice sub? I don't know that I would be capable of doing it, but it is way in the back corner of my mind. But, most likely I would be much better off purchasing one.

 

[TKoP]

Has anyone built a nice sub? I don't know that I would be capable of doing it, but it is way in the back corner of my mind. But, most likely I would be much better off purchasing one.

I've done it and I'm sure flint has done it too. Pretty easy to design and build. And it should be better than what you can buy. The hardest part is the aesthetics.

There are some tools you'd need to do it right, e.g., a plunge router and some sort of jig to make the hole for the speaker. After that, it's not too hard and the tools are common.

Here is the build I did link and a pic of the final product..

 

[malsackj]

Very nice !

 

[Flint]

Yeah, I have built dozens of subwoofers and assisted others with their builds as well. I even posted plans for enclosures using one of the now unavailable Titanic subwoofer drivers from Parts Express. I believe a few did build subs to those plans.

The trick is patience and care to detail. In general, it isn't difficult if you have some basic woodworking skills.

 

[Snake Doctor]

Yeah, I have built dozens of subwoofers and assisted others with their builds as well. I even posted plans for enclosures using one of the now unavailable Titanic subwoofer drivers from Parts Express. I believe a few did build subs to those plans.

The trick is patience and care to detail. In general, it isn't difficult if you have some basic woodworking skills.

So what would be the tolal cost to build a subwoofer? Would it have all of the bells and whistles the big boys have?

 

[TitaniumTroy]

I too live in a townhouse, and it's also a duplex. My used (paid 1K) sub is from the old days of SVS, Ultra PB Plus 2. I definitely run it with the level lower than reference level, but still sounds good to me.

I was watching the 1981 HiDef version of Excalibur recently, that movie soundtrack has some really low bass in it. Must have been some kind of low frequency synth.

 

[TKoP]

Yeah, I have built dozens of subwoofers and assisted others with their builds as well. I even posted plans for enclosures using one of the now unavailable Titanic subwoofer drivers from Parts Express. I believe a few did build subs to those plans.

The trick is patience and care to detail. In general, it isn't difficult if you have some basic woodworking skills.

So what would be the tolal cost to build a subwoofer? Would it have all of the bells and whistles the big boys have?

It all depends on how much you want to spend on the driver -- they go from "not too bad" to "selling a kidney on the black market" expensive. And there are all kinds of plate amps you can buy to power the sub. Madisoundand PartsExpressare the two main sites for finding the parts you'll need.

As for the parts you'll need, you can get away with just the following:
Subwoofer Driver
Plate amp
3/4" MDF

There are some other things that would help:
Some sort of feet (I used these)
Black screws (like these)
Gasketing Tape (like this)
Port Tube (I went with a flared tube that has better performance than just a "straight" tube. Here's one)
Stuffing (like this)

All that being said, you could get a sealed cabinet with a 12" driver for maybe $200-$225. Obviously spending more would give you better results - maybe doubling that to get an appreciably better subwoofer and plate amp.

 

[Snake Doctor]

I too live in a townhouse, and it's also a duplex. My used (paid 1K) sub is from the old days of SVS, Ultra PB Plus 2. I definitely run it with the level lower than reference level, but still sounds good to me.

I was watching the 1981 HiDef version of Excalibur recently, that movie soundtrack has some really low bass in it. Must have been some kind of low frequency synth.

Does the sound or vibration bother your neighbors? That is one of my main worries, well that and getting a sub that is really outstanding. (if that animal exists)

 

[Snake Doctor]

Yeah, I have built dozens of subwoofers and assisted others with their builds as well. I even posted plans for enclosures using one of the now unavailable Titanic subwoofer drivers from Parts Express. I believe a few did build subs to those plans.

The trick is patience and care to detail. In general, it isn't difficult if you have some basic woodworking skills.

So what would be the tolal cost to build a subwoofer? Would it have all of the bells and whistles the big boys have?

It all depends on how much you want to spend on the driver -- they go from "not too bad" to "selling a kidney on the black market" expensive. And there are all kinds of plate amps you can buy to power the sub. Madisoundand PartsExpressare the two main sites for finding the parts you'll need.

As for the parts you'll need, you can get away with just the following:
Subwoofer Driver
Plate amp
3/4" MDF

There are some other things that would help:
Some sort of feet (I used these)
Black screws (like these)
Gasketing Tape (like this)
Port Tube (I went with a flared tube that has better performance than just a "straight" tube. Here's one)
Stuffing (like this)

All that being said, you could get a sealed cabinet with a 12" driver for maybe $200-$225. Obviously spending more would give you better results - maybe doubling that to get an appreciably better subwoofer and plate amp.

I didn't know you could get a sealed cabinet - I am not a carpenter or a fix it kind of guy, when I try I just screw things up worse. But, I am beginning to think I just may be able to pull something like this off. Just thinking.

 

[TKoP]

A sealed cabinet gives a more gradual roll off of the bottom end and is generally tighter sounding.
A ported sub gives you a flatter response down lower.

Here is a graph I found

Building the box isn't terribly hard -- I'd say cutting out the driver hole is the hardest part. If you can do that you can do the port hole too if you think you'd want a ported sub.

 

[Snake Doctor]

A sealed cabinet gives a more gradual roll off of the bottom end and is generally tighter sounding.
A ported sub gives you a flatter response down lower.

Here is a graph I found

Building the box isn't terribly hard -- I'd say cutting out the driver hole is the hardest part. If you can do that you can do the port hole too if you think you'd want a ported sub.

I understand speakers, at least I know what I like when I hear it. But, port hole and ported sub as apposed to a sealed cabinet? Roll off of the bottom end - flatter response down lower?

This is why I have a sub I spent $200 on 20 years ago. But, I have kick ass speakers, which I understand.

I maybe a lost cause with subs. I go to big box stores and their speakers sound like clashing, rumbling, noises that do not add to the overall enhancement of either movies, TV, or music. Yet, you guys, who's opinions I respect, say as good sub adds a lot to all of the above.

But, to spend good, hard earned money on something I can't hear or understand is very scary.

 

[Deleted member 133]

Comment regarding listening to subs in big box stores: they will always sound horrible because they will never be set up properly. That does not mean that a specific sub might not do ok in another environment, when properly set up. They won't sound fantastic - given the price point(s) they're trying to hit. But they will almost always make a positive contribution to most of the systems that you will hear alongside them in those same stores - again, when they've been set up properly.

For the same amount of money might you be able to build something better, or buy something better from an online manufacturer? You bet. But I can guarantee that if the same big box store had a few of those subs set up in their listening "room(s)" they would sound pretty crappy as well - again because they would not be set up properly. (Or if they ever were properly set up and calibrated, they'd last only a few minutes before some other sales person and/or customer would come along and "improve" things!)

Jeff