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12", 15", 18"... don't know where to start (1 Viewer)

JerryT

Auditioning
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Mar 24, 2004
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3
I am new posting here, but I have been reading up on a lot of the past posts. I am also very new to the DIY idea of making speakers, so go easy on me. :)

I am currently moving into a new home that I will be building a HT room in, and am thinking about making a new sub to add to what I currently have. My system now is running a Denon AVR-3200, great reciever but I will probably upgrade to a Rotel soon, and mostly Energy eXL series speakers. My Sub is a Energy ES-10, and sounds great, but I have heard what an 18" sub sounds like and would like to see if I can get the deep bass that you feel more then hear. There are a lot of ways to make subs, and I have seen a dual-8" Carver sub that was about a 1/4 of the size of mine that put it to shame, so I know that size is not everything. What I am thinking is I want something that I can add to my room that will give me clear and rich sound for music, but the booming vibrations of movies.

The room that I am going to be building is about 8'x14'x23'. This is all in an unfinished daylight basement with concrete on two sides of the room. So there is some play in room size if need be.

The Shiva and Tempest seem to give the best bang for the buck, but I am wondering about an 18" sub. Other then the large size the enclosure, is there any real down side to building an 18" rather then a 12"?

Thanks for any help..

Jerry
 

Wayne Ernst

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
2,588
If you're considering an 18" driver, look no further than the 18" Blueprint driver.

18"
Blueprint


Most people with rooms of your size would run a 15" Tempest with the Adire EBS alignment and a 250 watt plate amp. That combo at approx. $300 would put most sub-$1,000 subs to shame.
 

ThomasW

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 6, 1999
Messages
2,282

Yeap they play loud and sound quality is a joke.

Like car motors, with loudspeakers it's all about displacement. Move more air get more sound. Have more displacement and get lower distortion.
 

GrahamT

Supporting Actor
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Sep 13, 2003
Messages
556


I have the same room size and the EBS Tempest sub with 250W plate amp. It is huge but very efficient with no port noise.
 

JerryT

Auditioning
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Mar 24, 2004
Messages
3
If done right, should I just go for a 12, or maybe a 15, rahter then trying to fit a 18? It seems that most people are extreamly happy with the Shiva and Tempest drivers.

I am also wondering how low you are able to get the 12" drivers to? From what I understand when it comes down to it, the 18 just plain moves more air, so you can get the feel and low sound that you just cannot get from a 12".
 

ThomasW

Senior HTF Member
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Nov 6, 1999
Messages
2,282

Any driver can play low. There are tiny little headphones that have output at 20Hz. Getting significant loudness is the issue.

A single 12" driver might be fine for for a small room where modest output is ok. For home theater a 15" or more is frequently a better choice.

The thing to understand is that people frequently and quickly get upgradeitis with regard to subs. They start off with something nice, then realize that for a little extra they could have had something much better.

Compare the price between a Tempest and a Shiva. Then compare the Vd (swept volume). You'l see that for not much more money you get a lot more displacement.
 

Owen Bartley

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 11, 2002
Messages
487
Listen to ThomasW. Upgradeitis is a serious concern. About a year or so ago, I was where you are, thinking about building my first DIY sub, and after doing a lot of research I was pretty sure I wanted a Shiva. Then after a little convincing, I went with the Tempest and have never regretted it for a second.

A Tempest is a great start, since it only costs a little more than the Shiva, but provides you with some really serious output. To make any significant upgrade from there, you'd have to put a lot more money into drivers and amps, so for me it was the perfect price/performance peak.

Now I would love to build a Tumult, (upgradeitis!) but the Tempest is really quite fine to last me a few years still, or until I move into a new house.
 

michael-e

Agent
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
37


I doubt that the tumult would exhibit increase many Db over a tempest because it has almost the same efficiency and only 3db more power handling(approx)

The only good part would be a light wallet and low distortion
:)

Personaly i find 120db rather good.Attaining this spl down to 30hz is a good start.(my current aim)

To 20hz is the next step ,with increasing costs!

the distortion amounts is an important issue
which is why ive chosen basshorns to 30hz,below there its unsuitable for practical sized boxes.

link
 

JerryT

Auditioning
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
3
Thanks for the info guys.

I guess my next big issue will be how to 'tune' a sub to a certian frequency. I have a pretty good understanding on how it works, but having not done it yet, I am still a bit lost.

There are lots of specs that don't seem to make much sence to me like xmax, Q, etc... Can someone direct me to a post or something that can help me with all the details?
 

ThomasW

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 6, 1999
Messages
2,282
It's probably a good idea to look at the free plans on the Adire website if you're going to get a Tempest. That way you don't need to reinvent the wheel just to build a good sub.
 

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