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Ideas for sub enclosure designs (1 Viewer)

PhilMays

Stunt Coordinator
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Jul 1, 2003
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several years back I toyed with building a set of speakers. I bought a speaker design book and read it. At the time I was not able to move forward with the project.

I now have a new home a set my theater up in it. My old sub has become extremely "thin" (KSW-15) as the room is about 40 X 50.

I have toyed )in my mind) with building two subs and would like to see some neat enclosures to get some ideas.

Does anyone know a website for this or have some thought?

Thanks for the help

Phil
 

PhilMays

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
53
Thanks Ryan. That's an idea I have never heard of. Seams like it would be very dominant. My first reaction was "wow, that's neat...it'll never work for me". However after thinking about my area I do have a place for it. Unfornunantly the Master bedroom is over that space and I'm sure my wife would shoot me.

Any thoughts fr box enclosures?

Phil
 

chuckg

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
921
You've got a 2,000 square foot home theater? Holy smokes, maynard!


If you troll the "member's home theaters" section of this site you may find some good ideas. There's everything from tubes to boxes to built-ins to infinitely baffled.
 

Ryan Schnacke

Supporting Actor
Joined
Feb 5, 2001
Messages
876
Chuck is right, there's already a lot of good examples out there. I mentioned the infinite baffles because, if you can do one, it would seem to meet your needs - lots of woofers to fill your extra large theater with sound, unique enclosure, and they're just so darn cool.

For box subs, you'll first want to decide what your performance goals, aesthetic goals (maximum enclosure size) and budget are. Then you can move on to woofer(s) selection and enclosure type (sealed, vented, passive radiator, dipole, horn, IB). We can help you figure this part out.

But generally speaking, there are only a few hard rules for building a sub enclosure:
It should be the right size for your design
It should be sturdy (use appropriate materials and brace well)
It should be well sealed
For a ported sub it should be given appropriate port area

Otherwise, you've got a lot of freedom to play with shapes and decorative or stealthy finishing options.
 

PhilMays

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
53
Thanks guys!

The basement area with the 2000 sq ft is actually shared with a bar and an are to the side for the kids to play. I gave that number (may actually be larger) as that is the volume that the sub needs to fill.

We bought this place about a month ago and frankly my equipment does not fill the volume like the area it was in before. I am trying to find ways to "fill the void".

One thought was to get a 200wpc amp as my 150 wpc amp has to work harder. However, it is not overheating and sounds really nice so I think the sub may be the answer. I am running Klipsch reference speakers all apround so effiency is not a problem.

Anyway, I'll hop over to the other are and take a look-see.

Thanks for the help. I believe I will still proceed with building a sub as I have wanted to "just cause" for quite some time.

Phil
 

chuckg

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
921

In order to double the perceived loudness, you will need TEN times the amplifier power. Ouch! More is more, but not that much more. In order to really pump up the volume, you need bigger drivers in your speakers. The job we do in our homes with 4 inch to 8 inch "woofers" is done with 15" woofers in large theaters -and with amps that aren't really that much bigger than our home systems.

If you don't want to fill the entire 2k sq ft with sound, you might consider subdividing the basement real estate, though that takes plenty of work and cash.


I think you've got a great opportunity for an infinitely-baffled sub with several drivers. IB subs are fairly simple to build, since you don't need to make a pretty cabinet. You just need plenty of air space on the "back side" of the baffle.
 

Kyle Richardson

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 1, 1998
Messages
1,073
The first thing you need to do before picking enclosure designs and styles is to set a budget. You will also need to know what you expect out of the subwoofer(s) in terms of performance. This will also help you (and us) know if your budget will allow the right equipment to meet your performance goals.

With those two parameters known we can help pick some drivers and amplifiers that will fall within your budget and perfomance goals and then we can get down to the basics of enclosure designs based on those particular drivers and amps.
 

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