Building my first (and second) subwoofer

S

sud98

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bangalore,india
Project objective: Two subs for music and movies to fill a small (15*12*9) room with around a 1 lakh budget

I have been researching on subwoofers for some time and evaluated some real quality ones like SVS and Rythmik.
The good ones come to around 1 for 1 lakh and I still need to invest in a dsp to handle my room modes.

In the end, I am looking at having atleast two of them so from a price to value ratio (ok, maybe more price :)) I am looking at building one. Since, I have the patience of a monk, but the woodworking skillset next to zilch, I am looking at the following

1. Two sealed subwoofers (with time possibly 4) of drivers 12inch and above
2. A high powered class D amplifier with DSP, else a separate DSP

Drivers
For the drivers,
Dayton Audio Ultimax 15-22 or 12-22
www.parts-express.com

Home

Dayton Audio UM15-22 15" Ultimax DVC Subwoofer 2 ohms Per CoilDayton Audio UM15-22 15" Ultimax DVC SubwooferExperience the Apex of Subwoofer DesignThe Ultimax Series of dual voice coil subwoofers, from Dayton Audio, are not for the faint of heart. Built using the latest in subwoofer technology...
www.parts-express.com

Costs plus shipping is coming to 600 USD to 500 USD depending upon which model I select. Besides that, will be duties which worst case will be around 50% so 900 to 750 USD, which is approx. 68k INR to 56k INR

Are there near equivalent drivers that I can buy locally, so I can keep the costs to around 30-40k for two drivers or lesser.

Amplifiers

1. Looking at the Behringer NX3000D at 39k
www.bajaao.com

Behringer NX3000D Portable Power Amplifier

Behringer NX3000D Portable Power Amplifier Overview:NX3000DThe NX3000D power amplifier packs 3000 Watts (2 x 1500 Watts @ 2 Ohms; 2 x 900 Watts @ 4 Ohms; 3000 Watts into 4 Ohms bridge mode) into exceptionally lightweight (7.9 lbs / 3.6 kg) and rack-mountable packages. Plus, the built-in DSP and...
www.bajaao.com www.bajaao.com

2. The equivalent would be a Crown 2502 but would have to factor in a minidsp or eqvt DSP
Option 1 is around 39k

Option 2 is 33k + 20k for minidsp so around 53k

Box
Looking at a sealed enclosure of around 3cu.ft for 12inch and 4 cu.ft for 15 cu. feet. Looking at MDF or plywood. With wood, polish/auto paint, all inclusive assuming 10k per box. This is a guesstimate so please correct me. Open to getting a flatpack if someone can ship it.


So total comes to 1.16 lakhs for two 12 inch sealed subs and 1.28 for two 15inch subs.


Let me know if I am on the correct track.
 
sud98 said:
1. Two sealed subwoofers (with time possibly 4) of drivers 12inch and above
Click to expand...

I had used the IWAI 12 inch subwoofers in a sealed enclosure.. Cost of each driver was Rs 5,500 shipped.. I went quad subs.. You may consider, if it interests you as well - https://www.iwaispeakers.com/Subwoofer/12inc_4e_200W/

For the external power amplifier, am using Sonodyne SRT 4200, 4 channel power amplifier.. Abt 60K..

Under one lac, you should be able to do comfortably Quad sealed 12 inch subs.. May be Single Bass Array ;) ..
 
Are there better drivers, as these seem to be good for around 30Hz?

The SRT wont work as the Behringer will work out cheaper, even if I have to buy two of them as they have PEQ built in. With sonodyne, I will have to still invest in a DSP.
 
sud98 said:
Are there better drivers, as these seem to be good for around 30Hz?
Click to expand...

I took the below measurement with dual sealed subs, on ceiling.. If you put that on floor, may be the output would be more.. It is capable of 20Hz (or) little more..



The SRT wont work as the Behringer will work out cheaper, even if I have to buy two of them as they have PEQ built in. With Sonodyne, I will have to still invest in a DSP.
Click to expand...

Ok. Got it..
 
Oh interesting project. I am on the lookout too, although still not decided on going diy.

Have you checked sb acoustics drivers?

audiofy.in

Subwoofers

subwoofers are now available at audiofy.in by Eight Audio International Pvt Ltd from industry-leading manufacturers like SB acoustics and Scanspeak..
audiofy.in audiofy.in

MaSh
 
MaSh said:
Oh interesting project. I am on the lookout too, although still not decided on going diy.

Have you checked sb acoustics drivers?

audiofy.in

Subwoofers

subwoofers are now available at audiofy.in by Eight Audio International Pvt Ltd from industry-leading manufacturers like SB acoustics and Scanspeak..
audiofy.in audiofy.in

MaSh
Click to expand...

Never heard of this brand.. Seems very expensive for a 12inch driver :oops:..
 
sud98 said:
Project objective: Two subs for music and movies to fill a small (15*12*9) room with around a 1 lakh budget

I have been researching on subwoofers for some time and evaluated some real quality ones like SVS and Rythmik.
The good ones come to around 1 for 1 lakh and I still need to invest in a dsp to handle my room modes.

In the end, I am looking at having atleast two of them so from a price to value ratio (ok, maybe more price :)) I am looking at building one. Since, I have the patience of a monk, but the woodworking skillset next to zilch, I am looking at the following

1. Two sealed subwoofers (with time possibly 4) of drivers 12inch and above
2. A high powered class D amplifier with DSP, else a separate DSP

Drivers
For the drivers,
Dayton Audio Ultimax 15-22 or 12-22
www.parts-express.com

Home

Dayton Audio UM15-22 15" Ultimax DVC Subwoofer 2 ohms Per CoilDayton Audio UM15-22 15" Ultimax DVC SubwooferExperience the Apex of Subwoofer DesignThe Ultimax Series of dual voice coil subwoofers, from Dayton Audio, are not for the faint of heart. Built using the latest in subwoofer technology...
www.parts-express.com

Costs plus shipping is coming to 600 USD to 500 USD depending upon which model I select. Besides that, will be duties which worst case will be around 50% so 900 to 750 USD, which is approx. 68k INR to 56k INR

Are there near equivalent drivers that I can buy locally, so I can keep the costs to around 30-40k for two drivers or lesser.

Amplifiers

1. Looking at the Behringer NX3000D at 39k
www.bajaao.com

Behringer NX3000D Portable Power Amplifier

Behringer NX3000D Portable Power Amplifier Overview:NX3000DThe NX3000D power amplifier packs 3000 Watts (2 x 1500 Watts @ 2 Ohms; 2 x 900 Watts @ 4 Ohms; 3000 Watts into 4 Ohms bridge mode) into exceptionally lightweight (7.9 lbs / 3.6 kg) and rack-mountable packages. Plus, the built-in DSP and...
www.bajaao.com www.bajaao.com

2. The equivalent would be a Crown 2502 but would have to factor in a minidsp or eqvt DSP
Option 1 is around 39k

Option 2 is 33k + 20k for minidsp so around 53k

Box
Looking at a sealed enclosure of around 3cu.ft for 12inch and 4 cu.ft for 15 cu. feet. Looking at MDF or plywood. With wood, polish/auto paint, all inclusive assuming 10k per box. This is a guesstimate so please correct me. Open to getting a flatpack if someone can ship it.


So total comes to 1.16 lakhs for two 12 inch sealed subs and 1.28 for two 15inch subs.


Let me know if I am on the correct track.
Click to expand...
Okay. I am also in the same boat. I have an 8inch active subwoofer in my stereo setup but for low volume listening levels, the woofer just doesn't move. So, my intention is to build 12inch sealed unit that can go as loud as the main speakers in the low frequencies at low volume levels without distortion. I'm unsure if the 12inch driver can fix this, but very much interested to try out DIY subwoofer build.
Also 3cu.ft for 12inch sealed, looks like a big box. Are you going to follow a documented design or trying with your own? I have recently come across an info, that its better to have long interconnects (LFE) for subwoofers, but shorter speaker cables. So, if you are planning to drive two units using a stereo amp, reduce the speaker cable length as much as possible. Or get a mono and keep it closer to the sub. I have this DIY thought going on for a while, and haven't taken any action yet, i hope you finalize the design fast and cut some wood.
You have specifically mentioned, you have good amount of time and you have enough patience to complete the build. So, its possible you make little to no compromises. Add bracing as required, 2 thin MDF braces should do and help reduce resonance. If you go heavy 15 inchers, adding a brace to support the gasket/magnet can also help.
 
How does one identify which drivers are better?

In ready subwoofers, one can see a Taga or a Bic or a SVS or a rythmik or REL and you would get tons of people having reviews. Now, each of them might have a 12 inch driver but i am sure they dont perform the same. How does one do the same for drivers?
 
sud98 said:
How does one identify which drivers are better?

In ready subwoofers, one can see a Taga or a Bic or a SVS or a rythmik or REL and you would get tons of people having reviews. Now, each of them might have a 12 inch driver but i am sure they dont perform the same. How does one do the same for drivers?
Click to expand...
I'm yet to completely understand the technical specs provided for each subwoofer driver. But my understanding is that, lower the Fs, the better. This is not the only case for a subwoofer to perform the best. But low Fs, is essentially one of the important factors along with high Xmax. Even average subwoofers have good Xmax but what matters is the ability to dig low and go loud without distortion. And check for the driver compatibility with sealed or ported enclosure, manufacturers often recommend some enclosure design, its not neccessary to completely stick to that, but as long as we measure and tune, all is well!
 
sud98 said:
How does one identify which drivers are better?

In ready subwoofers, one can see a Taga or a Bic or a SVS or a rythmik or REL and you would get tons of people having reviews. Now, each of them might have a 12 inch driver but i am sure they dont perform the same. How does one do the same for drivers?
Click to expand...

Am not a consistent DIYer.. Juz attempted once, because sealed subs was the easiest to do.. From very little what i know on DIY, it is T/S parameters of the driver and Qts number that decide whether it can be sealed or ported or infinite baffle applications..
 
elangoas said:
I took the below measurement with dual sealed subs, on ceiling.. If you put that on floor, may be the output would be more.. It is capable of 20Hz (or) little more..





Ok. Got it..
Click to expand...
22-23Hz to 52-53Hz looks like the usable freq range from this graph. Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
saikatbiswas82 said:
There's no fun.

The air displacement and respective amplification power that the op has in mind, will cost at least 3-4 times if he goes for pro subs.
Click to expand...

For high sensitivity large dia subwoofer for home applications one can very well get away with conventional plate amps...say 200W

In a home application high power amps are not required is my reading
 
oldmonk said:
For high sensitivity large dia subwoofer for home applications one can very well get away with conventional plate amps...say 200W

In a home application high power amps are not required is my reading
Click to expand...

You are wrong brother. Please start reading more and more.
 
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