2 'lesser quality' subs = 1 'good' sub? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Thomass]

thanks rob i had stumbled across the mounting kit on parts express earlier, thats actually why i asked the question. i just wasnt sure if they were necessary. im not going to use them. now, on a side note. i, going to need a rack for my equipment. wanted to make something myself since im such a DIYer. i searched for plans online with little success. any suggestions?

 

[Mike Thomass]

robert ok, so the amp and subs showed up today. the amp is a little bigger than expected, but not a problem i think. i turned it on to hear the fan. not too bad. looked at the inputs and realized im a dope. didnt realize until just then i need some special wires apparently (probably not too special, but cant just be simple wires). so, there are two types of inputs: balanced XLR inputs, which i have no idea what they are, but apparently i will need some special wires and i have no idea how they would connect to the receiver or stereo 1/4" TRS inputs, which i assume i will be using. so i need some cables that have a male stereo end on one end, and male RCA plug on the other (pre-out on receiver has female RCA) sound right? EDIT: apparently they make XLR adapters so i can hook up rca to the adapter and into the XLR jack. sound good? http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=240-438 so now my issue is where do i find a pair (or 2 single cables) of rca with male on both ends. i can find the set that has 3 wires, two for audio and one for video. is that basically what i have to settle on? also, im going to need some assistance setting the dip switches to the proper settings clip limiter i assume should be on for both channels low cut filter should be set to 50hz or 30hz? (may be moot depending on the filter being on or off) low cut filter on or off? stereo or parallel inputs (i assume stereo. my receiver has 2 pre outs for sub. but maybe parallel is better if i just use one pre out and split the signal? i have no idea. i may not even be understanding correctly what they are referring to when they talk about stereo and parallel) gotta start building some boxes now!

 

[Robert_J]

Rack - Google 'flexi rack'. It's shelved connected with all thread. Extremely popular a few years ago. I use RCA to 1/4" mono plugs from Radio Shack. They are about 5 feet long and cost $6 each or close to that. I'm out of town but will tell you my dip switch settings when I get back. Yes, the low cut switch is moot since you want that filter turned off. Parallel will take one input and apply it to both channels. I don't like that since I sometimes test subs and want separate controls. I take the 1 LFE channel and run it through my BFD's right channel only. I then run it via coax cable (RG-6) to the sub amp on the other side of the room. Split the signal with a Y and feed both inputs of the amp.

 

[Mike Thomass]

youre the man

 

[Mike Thomass]

going to whack a sub or two together today in case anybody was wondering wtf i have been doing

 

[Robert_J]

going to whack a sub or two together today in case anybody was wondering wtf i have been doing

Take pictures.

 

[Mike Thomass]

rob, the audio innovations page guy used fiberglass insulation to fill the sub. are there better alternatives?

 

[Robert_J]

Polyfil pillow from Wal-Mart. Under $3 and not as itchy.

 

[Mike Thomass]

depressing development: last night i noticed my dayton classic 8's are falling apart. not the box i built, but the actual woofers. the speaker has some type of cardboard gasket around the perimeter of the speaker which appears to be holding the rubber part of the cone to the bracket. it is made up of 4 segments. one of the segments fell completely off and out. i checked the other 3 speakers and they all have at least one segment that has badly loosened. they are still under warranty, and i talked to parts express and they seem to be prepared to fix/replace, hopefully replace. i will keep you all up to date. probably going to be without my speakers for a couple weeks (from no until i get them back and re-installed). damn.

 

[Mike Thomass]

Polyfil pillow from Wal-Mart. Under $3 and not as itchy.

yeah, i remember the pillow thing from when i was making the d8s. wasnt sure if there was something special about the subs that would need something different. potentially stupid question, do i cut the pillows open to get the stuffing out or just stick the pillows in there? yes, definitely dumbest question in the history of the earth

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Mike Thomass


yeah, i remember the pillow thing from when i was making the d8s. wasnt sure if there was something special about the subs that would need something different.
potentially stupid question, do i cut the pillows open to get the stuffing out or just stick the pillows in there?
yes, definitely dumbest question in the history of the earth

Robert will tell you there are no dumb questions.


While I don't know nearly as much as he does about subwoofers, I can help with the polyfil question.


I have a Sony SA-WM40 sub and it was all the rage to modify them with the polyfil. [url=http://www.nonsensicalgibberish.com/sony.html]Here's a link to one such demo and you'll be able to see what the polyfil looks like from the pictures.


Good luck!

 

[Robert_J]

Just shove the pillow in. The thin fabric helps keep the polyfil from going everywhere and has zero impact to the sound. Over at another forum guys were buying a half dozen pillows to stick in their monster subs.

 

[Mike Thomass]

rob, should i be countersinking the subs or simply flush mounting? it appears if i flush mount, i will be relying on the gasket on the speaker to seal sufficiently (does it??). if i countersink, i can add one of those window gasket things

 

[Robert_J]

Unlike flush mounting mids and tweeters, flush mounting a sub does nothing for the sound. It does give you a more finished look if that's what you are after. I've used closed cell foam weatherstripping on a surface mounted sub. It squeezes so tight that you never see it. Get some 5/8" stuff from Lowes. I can't remember which sub you picked out but if it has a rubber gasket around the surround landing, then you don't need anything. I just saw you post about the gaskets falling off the Dayton 8's. If PE won't do anything, just glue them back on. Aleen's Tacky Glue. I had to buy new gaskets for some 20 year old drivers I refoamed. $3 glue from Wal-Mart works great.

 

[Mike Thomass]

thanks weatherstripping, thats the name of the stuff. i couldnt remember. i used it for the d8s i went with the dayton 15" reference. it does have a gasket, just wasnt sure how well it would work. so youre saying if it has seal already, i dont need/shouldnt use the weatherstripping? as far as the d8 goes: so, the gasket that fell off is on the face. it appears that it played a part in keeping the rubber surround affixed to the bracket. the rubber surround does have adhesive but when the cardboard gasket thing came loose, the surround also came loose. air can travel through. anyway, i could re-glue it as you noted, but the part that fell out was found by my bulldog who thought it would be fun to chew. so i got to ship at least that one back. might as well ship em all. sucks i have to pay shipping to get warranty coverage. maybe i can negotiate that out.

 

[Robert_J]

From the looks of the picture, the gasket doesn't cover the entire mounting surface like these - http://psicaraudio.com/products-page/platform-2-subwoofers/ See in the picture of the 15 and the 18 how the gasket covers both the edge of the surround on top as well as wraps around under the basket mounting flange. The paper gasket on the 8 doesn't have anything to do with holding down the surround. The surround probably came loose which caused the gasket to fall off. Shipping for the warranty does suck but PE will stand behind their product. I've been ordering from them since the 90's and the few times something dies on me, it is always replaced.

 

[kelttu0436]

I got mine at hometheatergear.com. I did alot of research and seems to me that atlantic technology has the best speakers and subs, i have been really happy with them so far! ANyone else find a good site to order and get it fast?!

 

[Mike Thomass]

just an fyi to anybody who may care but didnt already know: i noticed the amp i bought from parts express (ep2000) for $299 a few weeks ago is now on sale for $249. i checked with parts express and they have a price guarantee policy thing so they will be crediting me $50 on my next purchase, which is cool. price guarantee window is 30 days, so i noticed just in time.

 

[Mike Thomass]

From the looks of the picture, the gasket doesn't cover the entire mounting surface like these - http://psicaraudio.com/products-page/platform-2-subwoofers/ See in the picture of the 15 and the 18 how the gasket covers both the edge of the surround on top as well as wraps around under the basket mounting flange. The paper gasket on the 8 doesn't have anything to do with holding down the surround. The surround probably came loose which caused the gasket to fall off. Shipping for the warranty does suck but PE will stand behind their product. I've been ordering from them since the 90's and the few times something dies on me, it is always replaced.

rob, it looks like the 15 and 18 in those pics have a soild piece of, is it rubber? metal?(metal doesnt seem to make sense) around the edge of the surround as you say. my sub has a rubber (or whatever) gasket under the bracket that will mate with the wood surface to seal. im not sure how the pics you linked are better (not being smart, i just dont know) but regardless, i have decided to flushmount (countersink, whatever) the sub and i will add the weatherstripping. so, if i add weatherstripping, i just assumed it would essentially go between the rubber gasket of the dayton and the wood, essentially doing the same thing the stock gasket does. am i missing something or is the weatherstripping a better gasket than the stock dayton gasket? or am i not understanding how/where to apply the weatherstripping properly? btw, just a reminder, you are planning to lay those amp dip switch settings on me! (no rush, i wont be done with the box until like friday or so the earliest)

 

[Robert_J]

I didn't know the Dayton had a gasket. If it does, just use it. I use weatherstripping between bare metal of the lip of the basket and wood. Any soft material between the 2 will make a great seal. I'll get the switch settings. If I forget, I can run downstairs and grab them at any time. An advantage of working from home.