Anyone tuned a DIY sub in the 24-25hz range? (1 Viewer)

[KyleGS]

The majority of the DIY subs I've seen or read about on this forum have tuned to b/w 15hz and 20hz (shiva, tempest, PE drivers, etc).

A lot of people try to build the subs to match or better the performance of some of the great subs currently offered by the VERY popular SVS and HSU.

But a vast majority of the owners of the SVS's opt to leave the tuning (if available) in the stock 25hz configuration and many prefer this setting due to increased output. Many agree that the 25hz tuning reaches deep enough for 95% of the movies and music available.

IF this is the case- why don't more DIY'ers tune similarly?

Has anyone tuned higher; say in the 25hz region?
How was the extension? Boominess? etc?

Just curious...

 

[michael-e]

1)Its a matter of choice -15hz maynot be a priority.

2)Its a matter of response of the speaker,what happens when you tune it higher

You may notice with the (for example)shiva,tempest that tuning higher produces a peak in the midbass.

This is due to the t/s specifications
www.diysubwoofers.org

try
winisd online
then

winisd pro

Subwoofers are all about choices and compromises. If you would prefer more higher output of higher frequency,you must model it up to see how it reacts

Cheers!

 

[KyleGS]

I've been crunching numbers in the WinISDs since I was in diapers.

I imagine the SVS drivers such as the ISD driver would model very similarly as the Shiva. Therefore the freq response should be similar given similar alignments. People seem to like the stock tuning on the SVS's.

The 25hz tuning on a Shiva, for example, gives a 1-1.5db hump. I doubt this would be too pronounced as compared to the way a room chops up a freq response. Also my room has quite a boost @ 20-25hz as opposed to the typical 40zhz boost.

I just wanted some feedback to see if anyone has tried a higher tuning on the DIY units.

 

[Arthur_King]

It may also be a feel based on what people have liked before. What im getting at is most people who are putting a Sub into their HT probably want that impact in the 25-45 range, but really have no NEED for the sub to be strong 25 and below. Generally these subs aren't slouches when it comes to sub 20hz, but they certainly dont hit low teens like some of the Hot-water heaters around here.

Since SVS and HSU and such, although being diy-like and enthusiast friendly companies, are still selling to a general (although smaller than say BOSE) market, they probably want to appeal to as many people as they can. And to me, that means 25-29hz tuning with lots of ~40hz impact.

Daffy Arthur King
With the Brain of a duck

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

I've got one of the original 25-31PC's and I still absolutely love it. I think its got the combination just right. The smaller size. The greater output across the audible frequency range. The better protection against bottoming (thanks to higher tuning and rumble filter). What's not to like? It rocks my 6000+ cu ft living room.

At some later point in time I decided to make my own sonosub. I used a 12" Dayton DVC (Shiva clone) and PE 250 watt amp. It's about 3.6 cu ft tuned to 21Hz or so. It was meant to be an approximation of an SVS 20-39. I thought I'd find that some of that great sub-bass that I had been "missing". But what I've found is that I actually prefer the 25-31. It has a nicer sound in the audible region and still provides all the tactile response I could want.

Now I'll admit I'm not a tactile junkie. I don't need 4 pairs of buttkickers pushed by a Crown K2. One of my HT buddies has shakers in his couch and I find that cranking them up anywhere above a very moderate setting seems unnatural. But I certainly do appreciate a woofer that can "move you".

What I found during my experimenting was that my hearing just starts to drop off around 35Hz and by 30Hz its definitely less audible. Somewhere between 25-28Hz is probably my audible threshold ... and there's plenty of tactile stuff going on there.

If I had my DIY sub to do over I'd clone the 25-31PC that I've got. The bigger, lower tuned sub didn't really add anything and the extra height made it more obtrusive than I expected. Even though it's only a few inches.

 

[Javier_Huerta]

Here's a true-life story that happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

My cousin came to my home, and I was eager to show him my new DIY 12" woofers. They are tuned at around 19 Hz, and deliver a very strong, "dry" sound with no overhang.

We played the Blue Man Group DVD-A, "TV Song". The one with the 5 feet tall drum. When the drum is hit, the entire room pressurizes... it's funny. You can feel your eyeballs vibrating at reference levels. But whenever there's "normal" music (if you can call BMG's music "normal"), the subs do a disappearing act. They are there, they just don't have that underdamped feel a commercial sub has.

My cousin remarked I should add some more bass to my sub. When I told him he had just felt very low bass, he said he meant "the boom".

I guess I could have "the boom" if I tuned my subs in the 30-25 Hz range. The question is, would I sacrifice the extra accuracy and overdamped control of my sub for some "bloom"?

I think not... but I guess some people would rather have their sub sounding like that.