best biggest baddest sub driver out there? (1 Viewer)

hey, first post here at HTF and dang I love reading all of these posts. they make me drool. I was looking to build my own sub because it seems [after reading all these posts] that a diy will beat out most commercial subs for the money [if done right] and I want my house to shake.

I have a b&k Ref 50 and matching 200.7 amp with 2 [l/r] B&W nautalis 802's, 4 805's, and the htm2 center.

the dealer recomended [of course] the b&w sub but as I stated above, I want the best. Ive talked with a cab maker and he can match the stain on my speakers, so the next ? is, what driver and how big of a box?

I dont have to agree to any WAF [never ever heard of this anywhere] because the basement is my baby, she gets the master bed/bath

so is there only one ultimate solution?

I think the Resonant Engineering XXX 18 might be at the top. 32 mm linear excursion, XBL2, 18" woofer. It will require a HUGE enclosure.

For something more reasonably sized an Adire Tumult is probably the best bet.

Best thing to do is a DIY sub

Don't know if this is the ultimate, but it is a pretty darn good solution. It's not ported if that is what you want. Worth a look though.

http://www.diycable.com/main/product...eed3cae762fc3c

15" Adire Audio Tumult 34mm X-max One Way. Many consider it to be the ultimate driver.

http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/...ire/tumult.htm

Hope this helps.

well from what I read I want a ported right? my mains sound great for music so I really dont need any more bass while relaxing on the couch with the mrs.
Basically I came to my conclusion while watching u-571 and the depth charger scene just didnt do it for me. I wanted "my walls to fall over" style bass. I wanted my wife to beg me to turn it down. But all I got was some booms. not that my system doesnt sound good or great, but sheesh, if it explodes on TV I want to jump like the explosion is in my basement!

So would one Tumult do the trick? and what kind of amp do I need. Do I really need th 1K amp some suggest while my other speakers are only running off 200 watts?

Mike,

I don't know what your budget is, so this recommendation may not fit the bill. However, I think that this might be worth considering:

http://www.servodrive.com/contrabass.html

The Contrabass subwoofer from Servodrive represents probably the most impressive bass you will ever hear. Us DIY'ers can't really get ahold of these types of drivers. Some may argue with me on its performance, but I think that these are truly a step above everything else. Just a thought...

I don't know... the Everest is pretty imposing.

If you give a budget or any size limitations you have to work with it would help.

If I wanted "my walls to fall over" like you state I would DIY my version of the Everest mentioned above. Parts Express has some new attractively priced high power plate amps with built in parametric eq's that I would consider for amplification.

I have (2) Tumults sealed on a QSC PLX3402. The room is 27' x 20' with 9/10' ceilings and there are times I have to turn them down because the bass overpowers everything (and I am a bass freak). If the pair of Tumults were in a PR enclosure like the Everest with 2000+ watts running to it, it would be dangerous!!!!!

The XXX 18 might be able to get louder, but I do not think the sound quality would be quite as good for HT use. . .

Brian

Dangerous but fun!

Baddest single driver? Probably the Aurasound 18" monster. Expensive.

Baddest driver for the money? Well... that depends on how much space you have. If you are limited as far as how much space your sub enclosures can occupy, something like the Adire Tumult previously recommended should probably be tops on your list. Have a bit more room? Instead of one Tumult you could do better outputwise with a pair of Stryke Audio (or whatever their new name might be) AV15 drivers.

Have an attic, crawlspace, or other large area you could use for an infinite baffle? If so, you don't need the baddest single driver at all anymore. Once you remove the size restraint, your money is better spent on large numbers of competent but inexpensive drivers. The Stryke AV15 is still a good option here, and would be the most expensive option you should consider for an infinite baffle sub. Dayton DVC's are another good option.

Wow the Everest looks great!

one ?, so for better low extension, the prefered is now passive radiators then ported then sealed?
can some one explain? I understand with a ported, that the drivers can move back and forth with less resistance than sealed or PA'd. I guess Im trying to think too hard.

passives perform the same function as ports.

Pros:
No port noise
smaller enclosure (ports take up volume)
allows for "impossible porting (6"x36" port in a 20" cube for example)

Cons:
$$$

I have a DIY sub that is 1/2 the everest. I can't see anyone needed more bass than the everest could put out...unless your theater IS the size of a movie theater

would the PR's create phase problems? or does the port do the same thing?, sheesh, so much to know and learn.

BTW $ and size mean nothing to me, I just wanted something in my HT to put my own signature on. Heck if it will imress my neighbors more, the bigger the better!

The PRs have very similar phase to ports. they do have slighly more group delay though. I doubt you'll notice anything negative vs ports (except $).

The Everest will impress your neighbors for sure....the neighbors the next block over

Plus, the first time you fire it up not only will you have a great sounding sub, but you wont be able to wipe the grin off of your face because you can sit back and say "I made it myself and I kick ass"

If you have an appropriate adjacent space give serious consideration to the IB recommendation made earlier.

https://home.comcast.net/~ttriff//page2IB-Gallery.html
https://home.comcast.net/~ttriff/
http://www.f20.parsimony.net/forum36475/

With an appropriate adjacent space your output is essentially limited to what you want to spend on drivers and amps. And sound quality is such that if you achieve proper integration you might reconsider using a sub with your music listening.

"I made it myself and I kick ass" - well not really

the "D" in DIY is Designed. Im having a cab shop make it, but it will still be my creation

Dustin, I dont have the extra space to do an IB or else I would consider that option.

Anthony, what is the internal volume of your sub? so you use 1 tempest and 2 18" PR's?

I was thinkin putting one on either side of my couch as end tables. Ive see fabulous work from members here since I first started reading thru this site. So I wanted to mimic some of it.

What about the Blueprint 1803 (I may be biased, since I have two and one is for sale.) The other recommendations are solid though, you can't go wrong with the newer high-output drivers in a DIY enclosure.
JP

Not exactly related, but no discussion about "biggest baddest..." sub, can go without this one. 110 dB SPL starting from 9hz...

For some reason the first picture always remind me of the movie "Silence of the Lambs"...