Blueprint 1503 Sonosub completed (1 Viewer)

[TedO]

I have finally completed my Blueprint Sonosub. Next to my SVS 16-46cs+ this thing is a monster. It is built using a 20" diameter sono tube, 6" diameter flared port and 1.5" thick end caps, basically using ThomasW's recommendation on sizing. All in all it went pretty smooth, but there are a few things I would do differently next time (if there is a next time). GET a router bit that is long enough to cut completely through your end caps from one side. My bit was only 1" tall so I had to come from both sides, making sanding the edges smooth a lot of work. Other than that everything was fairly easy.

On first impressions, the Blueprint sub has tons of headroom, hell I knocked a picture off the wall in the scene where the USS Arizona blows up in Pearl Harbor. I calibrated the sub a little HOT to see what it could do. The sub is tuned to 18hz but seems to lack power under 25hz. I will pick up a BFD and EQ it, hoping this will help tame the top end and boost the low end a little.

Bottom line (so far) is the Blueprint sub is louder than 1 SVS 16-46cs+ but Im not sure it would blow away 2 SVS's. As far as pitch, the SVS seams to do a better job at 20hz and below at moderate volumes. I will do a frequency sweep on the new sub and compare the numbers, then update this post.

Ted

 

[Michael_UK]

I would be intersted on how things go and your SPL readings, I am sure you Blueprint monster sub should be pritty damm good.

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

TedO,
now is a horrible time to compair the 1503 and the SVS. ..and that is because of that damn inductance hump.
use the BFD to bring it down. It will be night and day for you! atleast it was for me
then get back to use and let us know what you think.
What amp are you using on the 1503?

 

[TedO]

Yes I know about the hump but it will be a week or two before I get the BFD. I am powering the sub with a Crown CE2000 in bridged mode.

Do you have any numbers on the before and after the Eq'ing?
I know I have to tame the hump ,but when playing a 20hz sine wave through the sub the hump should have no effect on output. (or am I not seeing something here?)

I was just surprised how little volume I got out of the sub when I played single sine wave (20hz) through it. It seemed like it needed way too much power to reach the same level as the SVS.

Ted

 

[ThomasW]

Ted I don't have a plot of the 1503, but this is a HE-15 they have a very similar 'hump'
Nearfield (no port output) before EQ
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After EQ
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Plot of EQ curve itself
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The 1503 should have tons of output at 25Hz. I'd suspect there are some issues with the room. Also the ultra high excursion subs are much less efficient than the SVS
Do some measurements and post them. It will probably take a Behringer to set things right. I use boost @ 20Hz with all my high excursion subs

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

I don't have any numbers on this computer, but iirc, I have -10db set at 63hz (forget the bandwidth).
playing a 20hz will have no effect on the output as you say, but if you are putting the 1503 in a system and trying to cross it over, you will find that you are matching to the hump and effectively attinuate the lows.
if we assume that you are at 160L tunned to 18hz, then you should be getting ~114db at 20hz anochaic with 1000watts.
Now if you are just playing 20hz (around a null) and pump 2000watts into it (though I wouldn't do that all day long), you will hit~117 db.
Are you compairing these subs in the exact same location with the same listening position?! The 1503 with that amp will easily best the SVS in output.

 

[TedO]

Looks like I will have to order the BFD sooner than I wanted to. Gee, the wife is just getting over all the other stuff. I'll be back and post results post BFD.

Thanks for the input

Ted

 

[Chris Carswell]

Ted,
Where's the pics man???
Add a digital camera to that BFD order. 1 CC receipt is easier to hide than 2

 

[TedO]

I can't post attachments. Is there a way I can change that?

TedO

 

[ThomasW]

Ted

No one can post attachments.

Images can be linked to if first they are uploaded to a server. Then the URL of the image can be put in a post.

The plots you see above, are on my website. I then post a link to each image using commands on the 'reply' box

 

[Chris Carswell]

Ted,
Try some of these free host sites. Who is your ISP? They should have some space for you that comes with the deal.
If not, tell them you need & deserve some

 

[TedO]

I have my BFD hooked upped and started setting it up yesterday. I can't seem to improve the low end dip at 18hz. I built the sub to be tuned to 18.5hz, so I find this dip very strange. Along with that I still need to do some more work on the higer end and the spike at 28hz. Do you think I should try and bring the whole spectrum down to 75hz or will this be an impossible task? These numbers are comped for the RS SPL meter.

TedO

FREQ SPL BFD SPL
16 79.5 79.5
18 74.0 75.0
20 76.5 82.5
22 80.5 84.5
25 81.0 83.5
28 86.0 86.0
31.5 84.0 84.0
36 86.5 84.5
40 91.5 84.5
45 94.0 82.0
50 85.5 81.5
56 83.5 81.5
63 78.5 81.5
71 86.5 85.5
80 86.5 83.5
89 80.5 81.5
100 84.0 87.0
111 77.0 82.0
125 79.5 80.5
142.5 90.5 90.5
160 87.5 86.5

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

Ted, can you try and take near field measurements of both the driver and the port and let us know what you get. I can sum them myself. Just make sure that you are the same distance from both. say 3-6 inches max. Are you using Sine, Warble, or filtered pink noise?

I am asking so that I can see what is room induced and what is actually the driver. When I moved my sub to a new location, I didn't have to EQ nearly as much! ..much smoother responce (even after EQing) and it didn't have the boomy 20-40 hz that the BFD couldn't take out.

 

[Manuel Delaflor]

It would be really interesting to see those measures in a side by side comparo between your subs. I can't wait to see those numbers!
Then, all that we will ask, is a subjective comparo.

 

[TedO]

Here are my SPL numbers near field from the port and speaker.
The numbers are comp'ed. (they were measured at a lower volume than the numbers above)

Port....Speaker
113.5....103.0
112.0....103.5
112.5....106.5
111.5....109.0
110.0....110.0
110.0....112.0
108.5....113.0
107.5....114.5
107.5....116.0
106.0....116.0
103.0....114.5
97.5.....113.5
93.5.....112.0
91.5.....110.5
80.5.....107.5
82.0.....104.5
82.0.....100.5
80.0.....96.5
72.5.....94.0
87.5.....89.0
82.5.....83.5

 

[TedO]

Manuel,

It would be very difficult with the setup I have to do an A-B comparison. The Blueprint sub needs more EQ help than the SVS, and if EQ'ed, both would have to be done to maximize their output.

I could put out the raw numbers though, comped but not EQ'ed.

 

[Manuel Delaflor]

The comparo would still be interesting. By any means Im an expert, nor even an informed newbie in the DIY subs, but I found your results from the port and the driver rather strange.

If I understand correctly, the driver response should diminish WHILE the port shoud show an increment... so, the max SPL of the driver should be different from the max SPL of the port, they should overlap and not go hand by hand...

In other words, the port appears to do nothing.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Manuel,

I'm not sure what you don't understand. Assuming the Port and Driver SPL's are at the same frequencies as the above specs the response of each looks right.

The enclosure is tuned to 18.5Hz as Ted has mentioned earlier. Above this frequency, the driver has more output than the port. At 25Hz the response starts to transition from the driver having more output to the port having more. So at and below the tuning frequency the port has more output than the driver. If the first test tone is 16Hz, then the port has 113.5dB SPL at that frequency and the driver only has 103dB SPL.

Unless I'm totally missing something this looks pretty much like I'd expect.

Brian

 

[Manuel Delaflor]

OOPS my mistake, I was reading the numbers upside down (I though the Hz scale was from high to low). Now everything is right what it should be!

:b :b :b

 

[ThomasW]

In other words, the port appears to do nothing.

Given the wavelengths involved it's very difficult to separate the readings between the driver and the port. Evidence of this is the indicated 'port output' levels above the port tuning frequency. This measurement is even less accurate if using something like the RS meter with it's lack of accuracy at the lowest frequencies.

All in all it looks pretty good.

The sub sounds best when used with a ~80Hz XO point

It looks like the tuning is slightly lower than your targeted 18.5Hz but that's not a big deal.

Once you've decided on the location use cut not boost to flatten the spikes and pull stuff down around any nulls. Then use 20Hz boost to bring up the lowest octave.