Looking to build a high output music sub (1 Viewer)

basically need a sub that'll pound really hard with music at parties. I'm more concerned with the music application than the HT part. I'll be powering it with a Crown XLS-202 amp that I have which will give it ~400w continuous at 8ohms and, clearly, more at less resistance.

Still, I'd like to leave the option open to switch to a higher power plate amp in the future, so it'd be nice to get a relatively efficient sub. So - really all I need is the driver itself.

It'll probably need to be at least 12", a 15 might be better suited for my application though, since I want it to fill a relatively large room with a lot of bass.

I have Selenium speakers right now so it'd be cool to get a Selenium driver to match, but it's not particularly important to me. I was looking at the following:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=264-388
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=295-469
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=295-420

but I'm not sure if they might be more HT oriented than I want. I'm looking to keep this around $200-$250 for the driver.

I also looked into getting a prebuilt unit, something like this:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...fer?sku=606064

would probably do the job nicely. Do you think that's a better route to take than building my own in a custom box? It's a bit pricier but it comes amplified, so it may be worth it to go that way...

Look at the Adire Audio Tempest, I got one about 3 years ago and its still kicking.

Adire audio makes good stuff at a reasonable price. Check out the Tempest, or if you can find one, an 18" Maelstorm. The Maelstorm's will have all the output you could want.

For party / club sound I would suggest that you look at the Labhorn. It's a bit complex to build but the driver / amp is relatively inexpensive. You will get a lot of SPL with the horn alignment...

The tempest also has a Horn Enclsoure designed by Adire Audio which supposedly increases output by 6db.

That's pretty insane considering the sensitivity is already about 90db.

You can also consider Dual Shivas for $130ea. That'll be $260 and you can set them up in either a stereo fashion, or couple them together in a corner for more output.

sounds like SPL is definitely what I'm looking for though right? If that's the case the Selenium drivers are 5-6 dB higher than the Tempest. I sacrifice a lot in the FS department but that's not so important when it's primarily a music application right?

Also - after doing some more looking it seems like I should be really careful about underpowering a sub. If the amp isn't beefy enough it'll clip the highs and not give me the output I'm looking for, and it could also damage the driver right? The Crown amp I already have can only do 500w RMS (thought 400 earlier) - that bodes well for the Tempests which are a bit lower power handling than the other drivers I'm looking at.

I'm having some trouble finding them though, anyone know where they're hiding?

Also - what are your thoughts on this driver for my application:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...86&ctab=4#Tabs

or the Soundsplinter, I hear a lot about them and they look pretty beefy.
http://www.acoustic-visions.com/~aco...rivers/SSRL-p/

Another vote for the Tempest here.... great sub at a great price. You will get all the output you want with the Crown amp... Tempests are considered fairly under rated power wise.

In a horn setup, 96 db sensitivity will get hella loud (to 123 Db @ 500 watts).

diyaudio has me looking towards an 18" driver - specifically hte Peavey low rider
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=294-301

It's got some pretty impressive specs - though I'm not sure what kind of cabinet to build for it (does it lend itself to a horn? How can you tell?)

Greets!

Not a very compact one (relatively speaking) if tuned low, though a PA style compression loaded or scoop style midbass horn could have as much as ~37% eff., so up to ~108 dB/W/m over a fairly narrow BW. A large corner loaded TL high SQ and gain, but again, its high Vas will mean a very large Vb by most folk's standards. You can sim it in Hornresp to get an idea.

Bottom line, these are optimized for the recommended factory cabs, which are all about high SPL in what passes for 'sub' duty in PA apps, with little regard for SQ.

GM

I'm not too concerned about the cab size. I think I'd basically be making one of these:
http://www.directproaudio.com/produc...2&from=froogle

Nailed it right there. But again, if this is a "party sub", then I doubt anyone is going to notice... however, if you ever intend on doing any critical listening with this, dont waste your time.

How about a 4 sq.ft. footprint, chest high, 7th order, tunable, 13 hz. response capable box that will accommodate 1,2,3, or 4 woofers as your needs require? 14 tuning options. yadda-yadda. The feature that hooked me; removable top and bottom so you may change driver configurations at will. Plus the design can excel using inexpensive, no name woofers and unremarkable amplification. Check out the white paper. Builder forum too!
http://decware.com/hwk15.htm

Labhorn forum:
http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/f/3/0/

These are frequently paired with Selenium speakers for live sound reinforcement. Seriously, I can't think of a better option for your budget...