Small DIY sub to match AV/1s for music (1 Viewer)

[Shane Morales]

Eventually, I will get some GR Research AV/1s. But first I'm going to build my first DIY sub. I want it to be a good match for the AV/1s. It will be a music setup, 2 AV/1s and 1 sub.

What kind of DIY sub would be a good match for the AV/1s? I'd rather it be smaller than larger and the amp for the sub should be able to power the AV/1s; the amp doesn't have to built into the sub. I'm not as interested in playing loud as I am in it sounding really tight at medium volumes.

And, finally, I'd like the cost of the parts to be between $300 and $400. If at all possible/feasible It'd be neat to have a colored sub driver - yellow, blue, silver, etc. Dumb, perhaps, but I really like the way it looks.

 

[Brian Tatnall]

Nice 10" with XBL^2 ought to be a nice start and is around half your budget for the driver. Seems like a decent start to me. No fancy cone though, but there is always spray paint. DIYers have more fun.

http://www.creativesound.ca/details.php?model=SX10

 

[george king]

Shane,

Great minds think alike. I am in the process of doing just what you want to do. I have 3 av-1s, and am building a sub.

For music you want a sealed sub. I am building one based on the 12" Titanic mkII driver, a PE 250W amp, and a 2 cubic foot box, stuffed with 2 lbs of polyfill. This should get me a Q of about .65 which would be good for music and HT.

You could get all three of these from PE. Or you might want to look at the Adire Audio Shiva driver, or, if money permits, the Stryke AV-12.

Hope this helps.

 

[Shane Morales]

2 cubic foot box! Man, that's a bit bigger than I'm hoping for. Really, I need something much closer to 1 cubic foot, but certainly that's too small for an AV12 and suchlike. Maybe the enclosure could be taller and thinner, but still be 2 cubic feet? I definately have some space issues, the most pressing of which is that this sub would have to easily fit in the trunk or back seat of my Acura TL. No, really, I'm not kidding. This would be my travel sub which I'd cart around to my pals' places, all of who are poor souls and don't have subwoofers of any kind (a moment of sympathetic silence, please).

Maybe I could attach handles on it?

 

[Brian Bunge]

Brian,

I should have one of those XBL^2's arriving tomorrow from Adire!

Shane,

This little 10 will work great in a 14" cube. I think it will be great for the money. It needs a little boost down low to get decent extension, but that could be easily accomplished by moding one of the PE 150W or 250W amps.

 

[Brian Tatnall]

Brian,

If for some strange reason unknown to man you don't enjoy that driver; send it this way. I envy you.

Shane,

For what your sub desires are I doubt better timing could be on your side. Listen to the Brian's :wink:

 

[Brian Bunge]

Brian,

I was discussing this driver with Dan Wiggins on the phone last week when he said, "Let me send you one to play with."

This will be a test mule for a new completed sub that I'll probably be offering so there's little chance I'll be letting it go.

 

[Kyle Richardson]

No, its not too small for the AV12MkII. A 1 cu ft enclosure will yield a Q of .7 which is ideal for a mix of music.

 

[Shawn Solar]

I do 1 cube for my sealed av12. I have two but I love them. I have a bp1503 also and I prefer my av12's. Its a little lower Q than .7 but I find it perfect for my music needs. I have them with my av2's. I was going to do an LT but my room has a dip after 25hz so there wasn't much point.

 

[Brendan_Lewis]

You could also go with a Peerless XLS 12. They have very small enclosure requirements.

 

[Rory Buszka]

If you don't want to buy a separate amplifier to power the sub, Parts Express has some Dual Voice Coil subwoofer drivers in 8", 10", and 12" sizes that should be able to hook in between your reciever and the AV-1s with a pasive crossover. In a vented box they should be ok.

 

[ThomasW]

8", 10", and 12" sizes that should be able to hook in between your reciever and the AV-1s with a pasive crossover.

This is not a good idea.

The cost for good quality parts for a stereo passive XO is going to be virtually as expensive as one of the low buck PE plate amps. And the plate amp won't trash the damping factor of the amp like using the large inductors will.