Best Value vs Performance Subwoofer (1 Viewer)

[Matthew Will]

Hello,
I'm building my own electronic drumset this summer and would love a subwoofer that can really kick out the bass. I need something musical but still has enough oomf to be heard when backing up a band. I havent figured out what I want to do as far as highs and midranges are considered but I'd like to start looking into subwoofers. One thing I'd really like is if the sub comes with its own amp. My budget is less than 400. What is the cheapest possibly subwoofer that I can get that still kicks out the bass?

Would building my own sub be the best option? If that is the case then where I should I look for parts and speakers? I checked out partsexpress.com and I'm not sure if the speakers are quality. The ones that are decent are 250-350 bucks by themselves. What are some configurations you guys can come up with? Thanks ahead of time. Matt

 

[Martice]

Do you have your own tools? If so, you can't beat a DIY sub based on the Adire Audio Rava model specs. Do a searh on Adire Audio Rava on this site to see what has been said about this sub and then go to Adire Audio and look up the Rava so that you can see how it looks and read the wonderful reviews on the unit. If you don't have the tools for DIY, the finished price for the Rava is hard to beat.

Good Luck.


*** If I'm correct, I think Kyle at Acoustic Visions has the best prices for the driver and pre-cut MDF panels.

 

[Matthew Will]

Do I have tools? Lol. My basement is like a machine shop. Full size band saw and drill press. A whole workbench full of tools. I can do DIY. What would I do as far as giving power to the adire sub? Matt

EDIT - Actually I just found the Rava on Acoustic-Visions with the amp so that explains my power question. Is it possible to do better though because I looked at the unassembled kits on acoustic-visions and they were cheaper with a Shiva subwoofer. How would going to a 15" subwoofer be? How much power would you suggest? Any other configurations you can suggest? Thanks. Matt

 

[Martice]

Here's the amp of choice for that particular driver.

Sub amp

Good Luck and don't forget the pictures.

 

[Frank Carter]

Hey Matthew,

Nothing can beat the price/performance ratio of a DIY sub. I was going to pretty much give the same recommendations Martice gave but I wanted to recommend the the 15" Adire Audio Tempest. It can displace 40% more air than the Shiva(used in the Rava) and only costs $25 more(available at the same place).

Check out Adire Audio's site for enclosure suggestions. A search in the DIY section here will bring up tons of info as well. If you haven't been to the DIY section already, check out this link:

http://members.tripod.com/~terrycthe...um/page12.html

Patrick Sun's site is probably the most detailed. It helped me alot in my two DIY experiences. Good luck.

Frank

 

[jeff lam]

Umm, Sounds to me you want a pro audio type sub??? If you will be using this during live music you will need a pro audio cabinet and amp rack.

Really for this application you wouldn't need anything that is tuned really low. Maybe 30Hz and up is what you will need.

A Pro bass amp/cabinet combo would be good for this I would imagine.

Exactly how loud are we talking?

 

[Matthew Will]

Well it would be nice to be loud but I don't need that intense volume just yet. This is something to be used to jam with my band while practicing in my basement. I'm sure with 250 watts and a 15" tempest this could be useful to even perform a live gig in small bars or something.

What is the difference between pro audio and home audio? I understand I won't need to tune the subwoofer as low but are there any other differences? Matt

 

[Dustin B]

Does the $400 include cabinet construction and finishing materials?

With some hunting you should be able to find a good quality used pro amp pretty cheap. Then buy two of these drivers ($150 each):

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...=290-570&DID=7

And put that work shop to good use and build one of these:



http://www.prosoundweb.com/lsp/

You'll go a little over budget, but you'll never be wanting for output with one of these.

 

[Matthew Will]

I think that might be going a little overboard for now. Maybe when I build an extreme DJ system I can do something like that. That is definently a sick looking enclosure and probably puts out some extreme bass. Yes the 400 includes the building materials. Don't forget to consider that I'm going to need to fit this thing in a dorm room. Matt

 

[Greg_R]

If this is for basement use then a typical DIY HT sub will be fine. If you plan on playing in larger venues (small clubs, etc.) you will want something like the LabHorn (Dustin's suggestion). I recently built one for a friend and the output is impressive (think 4-8 stack of pro drivers). Fitting this in a dorm room may be a challenge...

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Another good unit to consider is the Hsu vtf-2. I've seen them used

 

[Mark Seaton]

Hi Matthew,

I would suggest looking for either a used prosound amp or one of the various 250w plate amps available. Now start looking for a deal on a pair of healthy 12 or 15 inch drivers and put them one over the other in a tallish box with 2 to 4, 3" or 4" ports. You will want to tune it in the upper 20s. Realize that you will also need a full range speaker on top of the sub, as there is a lot more that comes off a drum set than just bass. With the box tall enough for a pair of drivers, it will be perfect as a stand for the full range speaker.

Plain and simple, a home sub could be easily damaged under this usage, and is very unlikely to deliver what you want. Without doing any looking yet, my suggestion would be to use a pair of the LAB 12 drivers in a ported box tuned to 28-30Hz in about 5 cu.ft. If you later get a better amp, this would be able to easily make use of 1,000W of power, and you will be very popular in the dorm. I haven't looked, but I know Parts Express also has some other 12" drivers that while not quite as beefy, are a bit less and would work just fine. If you went with another driver, be sure it was more sensitive than the ~87dB of the LAB 12.

 

[Matthew Will]

Mark Seaton,
Well I am also currently looking into DIY a pair of mid/high speakers to mount on the rack. I shouldn't start this topic here too but I don't know what speakers to use or what size. Would it be better for me to have each speaker loaded with an 8" driver and a tweeter or two smaller mids and a tweeter?
As far as the subwoofer. I think I like the suggestion of using the Tempest subwoofer the best thus far. For what I will be using this for, a ported subwoofer just may be too large to take with me to college. The sealed 15" temppest is going to be more then 70 lbs by itself, I can't imagine how heavy a ported would be of the required size. I can also use polyfill with the sealed to make it even smaller. Matt

 

[Greg_R]

Would it be better for me to have each speaker loaded with an 8" driver and a tweeter or two smaller mids and a tweeter?

Minimizing the total # of drivers will make things easier (design and construction). I would STRONGLY suggest building a speaker kit for your first main speaker project. It's significantly more complex than dropping a few drivers in a box (subwoofers are much easier by comparison)... you've got crossover design to consider as well.