My first DIY sub project - where do I begin? (1 Viewer)

[Tim_Stonesifer]

Sorry to have to post this, but I've done tons of searches and can't find much to help me. That said, I want to build a sonosub, but I'm a little lost. I have never done any DIY and I'm not very familiar with all of the technical language that I've been reading. So, I have two questions:

Could someone offer a link to a good website or thread giving advice to newbie DIY'ers?

I've started to dabble a little bit in the planning, but from what I've read, this is a lot more important than how I'm treating it. I've found winISD, and I'm experimenting with that, but some of it's confusing. What's important to take into account when planning? Also, the dimensions for the port and why they should be adjusted is confusing me. If anyone could help me out with this, that would be great.

 

[Patrick Sun]

http://members.tripod.com/~terrycthe...um/page12.html

 

[TimForman]

Pat- What's up with that link? It says this member has exceeded the bandwidth allocation...blah..blah..blah..

 

[TimForman]

Tim-
You could try

DIY Subwoofers.Org

 

[Andrus_R]

You begin with a table saw and a router along with a few router bits. You also need a few angle clamps, bar clamps, wood glue, saw horse, hammer, orbital sander.

Well table saw n router = mucho dinero so, call acousticvision and kyle would hook you up with a good kit.

That's probably the easiest way. I sure as hell would've gone that way had i not signed up for a damn woodworking class.

woodworking is a pain in da azz. I don't see how people like this sort of stuff.

i was forced to build a kitchen cabinet in that class lol. Counter top, special solid wood faces, hinged doors, drawers, carcass and the whole bit.

Rabbats, dados, cope and stick, joiners, planers, edgebanders, chopsaws, vix bits, sand 120 150 180, blah blah blah blah, I ain't never going back. *coughs* up woodball.

 

[Patrick Sun]

It seems the first link I posted is back in business.

 

[Tim_Stonesifer]

Thanks for the sites guys. I've seen both of them before, but I've dug a little deeper into them now that you recommended them and they're very helpful.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

Hey Tim, just post your budget for the driver and the amplifier, and your taste for bass.

You could also post your room dimensions and whether the size of the sub is a factor.

By saying "taste for bass", I mean: what will you use the sub for? Will it be primarily home theater and rock type music, or will you listen to "string" jazz bass and instrumentals. Are you into "slam" and impact type of bass that can knock your socks off, or bass that's smooth and relaxing. Or are you into boomy bass :frowning:

Or are you into bass that's in between.

Either way, there's probably a box design and a subwoofer out there for you, i'm sure people here will have suggestions that'll meet your needs.

Two popular 15" drivers on this forum are the Tempest, and AV15. There are also 12" counterparts to those as well which will fit in smaller boxes.

If you say what type of bass you're looking for then ppl can suggest box designs. By box design, I mean the top 2 factors which is the internal volume and the port size. (Stuffing can be added later on)

 

[TimForman]

Chris,
You forgot the kind of bass that causes structural damage.

 

[Tim_Stonesifer]

Right now, I'm looking at a budget of around $300, give or take a bit. Less money would be better, but to have a better sub, I'm willing to pay it. The sub will be used primarily in my dorm room, which is about 13' x 20'.

As for my taste for bass, I'll be using it mostly for watching movies, but I will also use it for music a bit - mostly rock and classical. I like the low rumbling, but that jazz bass does sound really tempting So, how about bass that's in between, but leaning towards the low rumbling.

Up to this point, I really like the idea of a sonosub. I'm not great at woodworking, so building a regular style sub out of wood seems kind of daunting. A sonosub seems like it will be a good start for a beginner. Am I right about this? I'd like to keep this relatively small since this will be in a dorm, so probably not bigger 3.5' high and 2' wide. I've also been looking around at drivers, and the Shiva is the one that I'm leaning towards. It seems like that is a safe bet. What kind of advantages would I have in using a bigger driver like the Tempest?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Just to ease you into this process, figure out what height you'd need to get just over 5 ft^3 (of internal enclosure volume) for a 24" wide sonotube enclosure, and just use a Tempest, and make yourself a sealed subwoofer.

Later on, if you wanted to extend the bass a little deeper, re-use the Tempest driver and builter a larger enclosure and port the sucker (tune it to around 16Hz-18Hz) and you'll have a nice bass bargain on your hands.

 

[TimForman]

With your budget and desire to avoid building a wood box a Shiva Sono-sub would be a good choice. A Tempest tube would be larger than what you're specifying. You could build an 85 Liter tube. It would be 14" in diameter, about 3 feet long. Get the vent kit from Parts Express and cut the center tube to 8 3/8". I've never built a sealed Tempest 'tube like Pat is suggesting. I wonder about Sonotube being able to handle the pressure. Maybe I'm underestimating the stuff. If it can handle it I'm sure you'd love the sound. Nice and tight! I'd suggest a 'tube size of 18" diameter, 30" length for a sealed Tempest application.

 

[Niraj Patel]

On Adire's website, they have VERY detailed schematics for the box you need to make for various applications. I am planning on doing a Shiva vented enclosure using the Adire alignment (smallest box and its a good compromise). With their instructions in hand, you may feel a bit more secure about making a normal square box (they aren't too bad to make, just time consuming).

For Shiva:
http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/Vent...plications.PDF

For Tempest:
http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/Vent...plications.PDF

Tempest would be ideal, but its a space hog in every sense of the word. And its a bit more pricey. Just couple one of those subs with a plate amp from parts express or acoustic visions and you are good to go.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Please remember, the main constraint in this project is the cost, so that's why I suggested a sealed 5 ft^3 Tempest sonosub. The price differential between a Shiva and a Tempest shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

 

[TimForman]

That's right. You can use the Adire specifications, just apply the enclosure volume to a Sonotube. The shape is not as important as internal volume and (if vented) the port size and tube length.

 

[Tim_Stonesifer]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think that I'd like to stick to a vented enclosure. It may cost a bit more, but it's more of the sound that I'm looking for. Plus it will provide a bit more of a challenge

Tim, I like your idea, but I was just a little curious about the vent kit. I'm assuming you're referring to the 4" flared port kit? How exactly would a flared port affect the tuning frequency? I've been playing around with winISD a lot more, so I was wondering how I should compensate for it.

I haven't gotten a chance to check out the Adire links yet, but I'll do that. Also, I was at Home Depot yesterday, and I figured I'd just look at sonotube to see what it looks like. Maybe I saw the wrong stuff, but their tubes had walls that were really thin and flimsy. Is this the right stuff to use?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Just add an inch to the total length of the flared port kit (from end to end, not measured from the straight section of the tube only) that is needed for a specific desired tuning frequency for the enclosure.

For example. If, for a 4" wide port, you need a 16" long port, cut the center straight section so that you wind up with a flared port kit that's 17" long from end to end.

 

[TimForman]

I don't know about flimsy but it's only about 1/4" to 3/8" thick. It's pretty strong, just line it with thick batting and wrap something around it to keep the resonance down. I've seen some guys cut extra bracing (a circle of MDF with a hole in the middle) to put inside. Since what you're building is kinda short I wouldn't worry about that. Check some of the building supply or hardware stores (not "home improvement" stores) around your area. After a little research and some phone calls I found 8 feet of 'tube for $40. Most places will cut it for a small fee.

 

[Patrick Sun]

If you go vented, and a Tempest driver, you're looking for at least 8 ft^3 needed for the internal volume of the enclosure.