Building my own sub? (1 Viewer)

[keoni]

here is the low down.

1) I love woodworking
2) I love home audio.
3) I know nothing about building subs or anything else.

I am going to need a sub and would love to build my own. Only problem is I have absolutely no clue what I am doing. I have seen partsexpress has finished subs, sub kits, DIY supplies etc. Is there a notable difference between the 10 inch Dayton premade sub and the 10 inch MK III kit? It says that you can assemble these kits in an hour, but what about a know nothing such as myself? I would love to be able to have all the guts and instructions ready to go and just need a cabinet which I could craft myself but I am not sure if such an option exists. I am assuming the MDF is the preffered building material? Can you make sub cabinets out of other materials or no? Thanks for any info, I am just getting into this.

 

[GrahamT]

DIY seems like a good route for you. If you want to learn more I suggest The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook by Vance Dickason. The DIY kits are fool proof but usually come in flat packs or preassembled boxes, Dickason has designed kits aswell. You will probably get more satisfaction from building your own box though. You can go with the Shiva and the plans from www.adireaudio.com if this interests you. MDF is an excellent choice because it is very dense, strong, smooth, takes paint well and is cheap. You can make cabinets out of other materials from aluminum to granite to solid wood.

 

[Rory Buszka]

If you are experienced in woodworking, head on over to the DIY and Advanced Projects forum. They should be able to set you up with a design that you could build. You can save a lot of money if you can DIY.

 

[PaulDF]

Ditto... DIY Forum all the way. Look around, follow other projects, and you will learn a lot. Download box simulation programs and model some box/driver/amp configurations. You will learn a lot there as well. When you finally decide on a plan, build a sweet cabinet and be the envy of your friends !

 

[JakubH]

Its very doable, and very smart. Keep in mind there is a law of inverse diminishing retruns here - at the lowest price points, its hard to DIY something better than is commercially avaialable at the price. For example, the parts to build an Adire Rava equivalent cost probably about $50-100 less then buying the Rava finished with warranty. The more money you are willing to spend, the higher the returns by a long shot.

For example - if you build say 2 tempests in ported boxes with a 250 watt plate amp in each, you will have a stereo sub system that few commercial subs could better. And your materials costs will likely stay below $600.

The very best part of DIY is that you will learn a lot hands-on. There is a lot of BS and misinformation floating around in the 'audio' world - by getting your hands dirty and trying some of this stuff yourself, you can't help but learn some of the underlying theory along the way, which will equip you to better scrutinize technical/design information on speakers in the future. Nothing beats experience.

 

[Rory Buszka]

Get ready to experience amazing bass. Bass without boom or mud or extra "bass boost" to make up for the fact that the sub has no true extension. Bass that makes things fall off the walls. When we teach you to design a subwoofer, we are teaching you the RIGHT way.

 

[Sebastian]

I disagree 100%, you can save at least $150 to $200 DIY Vs. a commercial sub and it will sound a lot better, if done right.
For example”
Stryke AV-12 $140, pre order price if you were lucky or $175, if not lucky.
Rythmik 350W amp $155 plus shipping ($15)
Sonotube or just MDF and hardware $75 – 100
Total ~$430, using the high figures

A commercial sub that can provide the same performance, you are looking at least $600.

The AV-12 is comparable to the SVS Plus series and is definitely a step above the PCi series. Of course some will disagree, as always. The SVS 20-39 plus is $825 plus shipping and that is a good price!
I even heard some say the AV-12 can out perform the plus series if used to its full potential but you are going to need a bigger amp for one.

Just using SVS as an example because they are the best bang for your buck subs money can buy commercially.

I built an SVS clone using one of their old drivers and I only spent ~$275 including the amp