First DIY Sub, need suggestions. (1 Viewer)

[Morlan Liu]

This is the layout of my room.

If I take out the door to the right closet or at least make a hole and put some mesh or a grill over it I guess I can go larger. Do you think the closet will absorb all the sound? I definitely cannot put the sub outside the closet...well, physically I can but I'd prefer not to.

Take a look. Thanks!

 

[Morlan Liu]

This is the layout of my room.

If I take out the door to the right closet or at least make a hole and put some mesh or a grill over it I guess I can go larger. Do you think the closet will absorb all the sound? I definitely cannot put the sub outside the closet...well, physically I can but I'd prefer not to.

Take a look. Thanks!

 

[RodN]

Even 65L is quite small for a sub. You can have a look at the Shiva whitepapers to get an idea of size.

Vented vs sealed is something you have to decide. Just remember building a vented unit and tuning your port is an art in itself. I've gone sealed for my first project purely because it's a simple approach and I like the idea of the sub being a little more musical.

There are a lot of hidden costs with building your own when you do your first job. Things like sandpaper, drill bits, glue, rulers, screws and so - on. But even after all of that they are VERY cheap in $$$ but naturally more expensive in your time.

** Warning, once you go down the DIY bass route there is no looking back, you will be wanting to build more with larger drivers, larger amps, larger enclosures and lower bass!

 

[RodN]

Even 65L is quite small for a sub. You can have a look at the Shiva whitepapers to get an idea of size.

Vented vs sealed is something you have to decide. Just remember building a vented unit and tuning your port is an art in itself. I've gone sealed for my first project purely because it's a simple approach and I like the idea of the sub being a little more musical.

There are a lot of hidden costs with building your own when you do your first job. Things like sandpaper, drill bits, glue, rulers, screws and so - on. But even after all of that they are VERY cheap in $$$ but naturally more expensive in your time.

** Warning, once you go down the DIY bass route there is no looking back, you will be wanting to build more with larger drivers, larger amps, larger enclosures and lower bass!

 

[Jason Dalton]

I'd build the 85L. It will mesh well with your room.

vented, that is.

 

[Jason Dalton]

I'd build the 85L. It will mesh well with your room.

vented, that is.

 

[Cam McFarland]

I am building an Adire Alignment ported Tempest & I easily have $450.00 in material, not counting at least that much spent on tools to make the job easier. Just to give you an honest idea of what you are looking at, but I did get a slightly more expensive amp than "most" do.

Still figure it will be a better sub than I could buy for $900.00, of course, this still remains to be seen.

I am already contemplating my next one & have not even finished the first one yet.

The tools can always be re-used....table saw was THE BEST
investment tools wise, with many various clamp sizes next.
jig saw, sander, etc......

 

[Cam McFarland]

I am building an Adire Alignment ported Tempest & I easily have $450.00 in material, not counting at least that much spent on tools to make the job easier. Just to give you an honest idea of what you are looking at, but I did get a slightly more expensive amp than "most" do.

Still figure it will be a better sub than I could buy for $900.00, of course, this still remains to be seen.

I am already contemplating my next one & have not even finished the first one yet.

The tools can always be re-used....table saw was THE BEST
investment tools wise, with many various clamp sizes next.
jig saw, sander, etc......

 

[RodN]

The router saves my life all the time - which I bought to build the sub.

 

[RodN]

The router saves my life all the time - which I bought to build the sub.

 

[Morlan Liu]

So guys, the 85L vented is what I should build? Nobody has any comments on the 25.5 and 54L sealed?

I have all the tools, time, and money (not really but I can spend $300-350 for everything). =)

I am thinking of the Shiva 12" w/PE 250W amp. I'd just like to hear specifics on their different designs provided by Adire.

I guess I'd be willing to make the 85L even though it's a little bigger than I'd like but not too too big.

Thanks again all!

 

[Morlan Liu]

So guys, the 85L vented is what I should build? Nobody has any comments on the 25.5 and 54L sealed?

I have all the tools, time, and money (not really but I can spend $300-350 for everything). =)

I am thinking of the Shiva 12" w/PE 250W amp. I'd just like to hear specifics on their different designs provided by Adire.

I guess I'd be willing to make the 85L even though it's a little bigger than I'd like but not too too big.

Thanks again all!

 

[minhG]

as everyone has said before, only YOU can decide if one or the other is enough. the 25.5L one is pretty easy to build. if you have the time build that first and if it's not enough build the 85L vented.

the only hiccup is that ideally, if i was going to keep the 25.5L sealed enclosure--i would end up powering it with more watts then I would the 85L vented. that's just me, others may have more input here.

if you do this some suggestions:

when you build the sealed, don't go to the trouble of putting the amp in--just run a pair of binding posts.

if you're worried about getting an amp--the shiva or tempest have dual 8-ohm VC so even an older stereo receiver can drive the load.

 

[minhG]

as everyone has said before, only YOU can decide if one or the other is enough. the 25.5L one is pretty easy to build. if you have the time build that first and if it's not enough build the 85L vented.

the only hiccup is that ideally, if i was going to keep the 25.5L sealed enclosure--i would end up powering it with more watts then I would the 85L vented. that's just me, others may have more input here.

if you do this some suggestions:

when you build the sealed, don't go to the trouble of putting the amp in--just run a pair of binding posts.

if you're worried about getting an amp--the shiva or tempest have dual 8-ohm VC so even an older stereo receiver can drive the load.

 

[Jack Keck]

As a current DSL 10 owner with asperations to something more ambitious, I would be very interested in the how much difference you hear between whatever you build and your DSL 10.

Jack

 

[Morlan Liu]

Quick question, PE 250W amp with or without bass boost? And can someone give a brief explanation what the bass boost is for?

I heard of another similar amp, Rhythmik? Any one have any information on whether I should get that one instead? According to their specs they say they have made modifications that make the amp better than "others" referring to PE I assume.

Anyways, gonna be starting the 85L Shiva soon. Thanks again!

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Without a doubt it's easier just to purchase a bigger one.

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

You can find them at www.rythmikaudio.com

I really like the "extension filter" features on the A350 amp. For a 25L Shiva I think this would be THE way to go. I built a 33L sealed Dayton DVC sub and was unimpressed with its low-bass performance. But you could experiment with boosting the low end with this amp. Plus the extra power would not go to waste in a box this small.

The 250 watt amp looks very similar to the PE amps with the exception of a lower rumble filter and lower crossover on the speaker-level highpass output (but who uses speaker-level connections nowadays?)

I think you'll be very happy with the 85L vented Shiva. Lots of bang-for-the-buck there. And no boost needed. I think the PE 250 watt amp, without boost, is the best match for this sub.

 

[Peter Jessee]

Keep in mind this guy has a 10' square room. Take a look at my results with a 30L sealed DVC in a 2-car garage:

12" Sealed DVC

He's probably going to get another 1/3 - 1/2 octave extension over what I got in his much smaller room. (Let's not even talk about the nulls and peaks he's likely to see in his cubic space, though.....) The unboosted PE amp would work just fine, but the Rythmik gives much more tuning flexibility and a bit more headroom for only a few bucks more. I think a vented sub would not be needed with the room gain he's going to have, and would likely risk bottoming with the Rythmik amp. Besides, space is limited and the sealed box will fit much easier.

Good Luck!

Peter

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

I used the 33L DVC sub in my office. That's about 10 x 12 x 9 and I was still less-than-satisfied with its extension.