DIY Sub? (1 Viewer)

[Dave.P]

So I've got this older sub sitting here on the floor not doing anything. I start pricing subs that are specifically made for HT purposes and think, "Hey, maybe I could use this sub..."

Any tips, hints, suggestions, on how or if I should even attempt this? The sub is a 15" Kicker Competition C15a 8ohm. It sounded great in my truck when I had it in there, so I figured it sound just as good in a HT.

Anyone have plans for an enclosure as well as an amp/crossover combo that would work well?

Thanks!
Dave

 

[john aprile]

Is it worth it?

 

[Dave.P]

I dunno....that's why I asked.

 

[Dave Milne]

Dave,
Do you have the specs for this driver? My driver database doesn't have C15a. I tried some sims with the C15c, though. This driver has the following basic params:

Fs 16.11 Hz
Qts 0.519
Vas 740 L

Not surprisingly, the box design program comes up with some wacky numbers when trying to use this car driver in "traditional" home sub alignments. But I've seen worse:

45 cubic feet (!) vented (B4) with F3 = 12 Hz

8.3 cubic feet sealed (Qtc 0.707) with F3 = 30.6 Hz

The latter might work... although 8 cuft is a darn big sealed box and 30 Hz isn't world class. You might want to think about a smaller sealed Linkwitz Transform (LT) alignment, since the driver sensitivity (89.7 dB) and power handling (500w) are not bad.

I think about 2.5 cu ft sealed with LT would be quite a nice little sub...

 

[Dave.P]

I wish I did have the specs. That would make life so much easier. I suppose I could contact kicker and see what they say. I think when it was being used in it's intended environment, it had an enclosure about 3cuft in size. It rocked, but then again, It was in a MUCH smaller space than a room in a house.

My other choice on this would be to just buy a sub. I was considering the SVS PB1-ISD. What would you do?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Yes, the cabin gain from being placed in a car helps in its low end performance in a smaller space, unlike a room in a house.

 

[Dave Milne]

DIY will give you more performance per dollar - if you're up to building a box (or sonotube). Besides, it's fun!

I would get the specs from Kicker or one of the car audio forums, build a box in the 2.5 to 4 cuft range, snatch up one of the 500W PEplate amps and enjoy a sub that will easily outperform any commercial subs under $1000. If you don't like the result, or want to upgrade, you can replace the driver with an AV15 or a Brahma or Blueprint driver from acoustic-visions.com.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

"Um, honey ... we need to move the couch and chairs out of the family room so I can install my subwoofer now. As you know, due to the size, the furniture will not fit back into the family room when finished, so I've just purchased some beanbag chairs."

 

[Andrew Pratt]

You're likely better off trying to sell the driver and buying a more traditional driver like the ones mentioned above.

 

[Dave.P]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I got hooked on the PE site and started looking through there. I ended up spending the better part of my day browsing through all the neat stuff they've got there.

I came across the Vance Dickason "Home Theater System" and the 12" Titanic MKIII subwoofer kit.


I think a DIY would be fun, but are the pieces parts included in these kits worth the money? I don't mind spending the time and effort to get them all assembled, but I want great sound as well as something I can say, "Yeah, I put all this together..."

Maybe it'll impress the ladies.

Thanks!
Dave