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Lilmike's Cinema T-6

66K views 198 replies 61 participants last post by  fourpe 
#1 ·
Here is the T-6.




This is a ~6 cubic-foot tapped horn that can use 8" or 10" drivers. It provides solid performance to 30 Hz. Not much below that - I chose small and loud, so I had to give up low. No bracing, no fancy cuts, and it is quick to build.


As built, mine are 23 7/8" wide, 35 7/8" long, 12 3/4" deep. The design is very flexible - you can run the mouth out the side, like mine, out the end, like the Insubnia, or out the bottom, whatever best suits your placement. The cabinet can be made thinner and use smaller drivers (The Exodus Anarchy works well, as does the Tang Band W6-1139SI).


Here is the 1W 1M groundplane compared to the model:




And - per Bosso - here is a "proper" compression plot measured at 1M groundplane, at 1, 4, 16, 64, and 128 watts.




Mine are built with Tang Band W8-740C drivers, because I had some. The Apex Junior Super 8 also works well, as do a number of other drivers. I'll start that list in the next post.


I've attached a set of instructions, a cutlist, the sketchup files, and a pair of models, one with an 8, one with a 10.


Yes, this looks like the tapped Insubnia. I decided there was too much wood left over after cutting the parts for one of those, and wanted to see how much sub I could get out of a single sheet of 1/2" plywood. So - I made a sub as large as I could and still have it all cut out of a single sheet.


It turned out pretty good. I am currently listening to a pair, loaded with 8s, and I really don't find them to be lacking. I'd have used 10s if I had them, but as I have a number of 8s, buying more drivers was not an option. As it is - I am able to exceed 115 dB at the couch above 30 Hz with the pair.


I strongly suggest running a highpass between 25 and 30 Hz with these. The Tang Bands are at their limits at ~128 watts, and made some noises before that during sine-wave sweeps. I've not noticed any complaints during movies or music though, and I have run them plenty loud.


A good 10 (TC Epic, Kicker CompVX, or similar) will add 6 dBs to what the W8-740s can manage.


Edit 11-1-2011 Added "tarted" version, fixed errors in cutlists.

 

Cinema T-6 Instructions.doc 446k . file

 

Updated T-6 Cutlists.zip 12.154296875k . file

 

T-6 Sketchup.zip 86.9599609375k . file

 

t-6 models.zip 0.75390625k . file
 

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#2 ·
This post will serve as the list of drivers that are known to work in the T-6.



Drivers that have been actually tested and verified:

Tang Band W8-740C 11.75" internal width (This thread)
Apex Junior Super 8 11.75" internal width


Suggested drivers based on modeling follow (in no particular order):


8s:

Dayton Classic 8

Tang Band W8-740C

Apex Junior Super 8


10s:

Kicker 2010 Comp VX 104 (Dual 4)

Kicker SoloClassic 10 (Dual 2)

Alpine Type R 10 SWR1043 (make the cabinet 10-5/8" wide internally)

TC Sounds Epic 10

JBL GTO1014 (make the cabinet 10-5/8" wide internally)

Fi X-10

SSA DCON-10

Dayton Classic 10 DCS255 (100 watts)

Sundown Audio E-10 (Dual 2) - full width
 
#6 ·
And here it is...


I will have to build one of these "official" T6's to compare to the early model I built with my daughter. Thanks for that Mike.


They sound awesome. And no, I don't really miss the lower freq's much even when I have something on that I know has great bass. They have been fun with music. So I will have to give another one a go and see if there is much reason to change them out. Perhaps the prototype can go to my kids room for use with their kiddie theater.


If you are tight on space this is a great sub.
 
#7 ·
Mike, I like the way you've gone to the trouble of documenting it so that others can just build it as well. Great work!


One thing that would be interesting to see, is one of these against the same driver in say a sealed or vented box, max SPL.


Also interesting to note that the sim worked pretty well. How did you get your sim into REW?
 
#10 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulspencer /forum/post/20900717


Mike, I like the way you've gone to the trouble of documenting it so that others can just build it as well. Great work!


One thing that would be interesting to see, is one of these against the same driver in say a sealed or vented box, max SPL.


Also interesting to note that the sim worked pretty well. How did you get your sim into REW?

Regarding the comparisons:


The W8-740 is an 84 dB driver at a watt per Tang Band's specifications . A sealed or vented box with the driver as a direct radiator will produce that 84 dB with a watt, provided the cabinet loading allows it.


The T-6 makes ~92 dB at that same watt in above 30 Hz. That's an increase of 8 dB, which is pretty significant. When I model the driver in a ported cabinet with a 30 Hz tune, I get about 86 dB at a watt, and the driver reaches excursion limits/thermal limits at 128 watts, same as in the T-6, which yields about 108 dB at a meter.


When I was pushing things, I've measured peak SPLs of 117 dB 1M groundplane at ~25% THD from one T-6 loaded with the W8-740C. Though I was definitely into power compression at this point, the driver was not complaining.


For plotting, I export the SPL from HornResp, then import it into REW.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Flanery /forum/post/20900712


And here it is...


I will have to build one of these "official" T6's to compare to the early model I built with my daughter. Thanks for that Mike.


They sound awesome. And no, I don't really miss the lower freq's much even when I have something on that I know has great bass. They have been fun with music. So I will have to give another one a go and see if there is much reason to change them out. Perhaps the prototype can go to my kids room for use with their kiddie theater.


If you are tight on space this is a great sub.


If I recall - you got the "fixed" plans, so there should not be any differences between what you built and what I've posted, other than the options for a side mouth and 10" driver.


Seriously - two T-6s more than replaced my Shiva tapped horn. They get a few dB louder and play much cleaner (cause I really did not design the Shiva cabinet correctly...that's what's next on my list....). Sure, they leave the 15 to 25 Hz range on the table, they're 8s, something had to give. They do the rest well enough to where I really don't miss it. Of course - my room response is considerably flatter with a pair of subs in the right places, that has helped a lot too.
 
#13 ·
No more "F"s, only "T"s.



Next on deck is a proper tapped horn for the Shiva, and other drivers like it, cause we might not see any more Shivas. After that - probably a proper 15" home theater tapped horn. I have an idea or three I want to try with the 12" version. If any of them work, I'll probably incorporate something similar into the 15" version. If not - I know how to revise plans..... At least plywood is not too expensive.


I've had my T-6s done for a while, just did not get the documentation done till yesterday. I've been listening to the T-6s for over a month now, I am still enjoying them. They are a nice size, and a pair will get plenty loud.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by LTD02
i like how you employ the different expansion rates in order to smooth response.


something about the fold appears to have brought a little bit of the upper bass swing back.
Thanks.


Some of the dip that is centered at 90 is a result of the side-firing mouth, which shortened the L45 distance a bit, increasing the depth of that dip. My model is of a conventional end-firing design. Compared to the options for placement with the end-firing mouth, I'll take the dip being a dB or two deeper, and enjoy the easier integration into my room. With the new mains, I'm crossing at 80 anyhow.


The longest dimension in this fold is about 80 cm or so, which is short enough to not really affect anything in the sub frequency range (~1/4 wavelength at 100 Hz or so).
 
#16 ·
So Mike, of the drivers you have mentioned, which would be the "ultimate"?


Really thinking about using these to supplement my dual opposed..
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Audiophile34 /forum/post/20903323


So Mike, of the drivers you have mentioned, which would be the "ultimate"?


Really thinking about using these to supplement my dual opposed..

Ultimate? That's a different project all together. This one was about bang for the buck, and efficient use of a sheet of plywood.....


I have updated post two with a few more drivers based on my models.


If I had it to do again and had to buy drivers, I'd let budget be my guide....


Cheap as possible? Apex Junior 8s if they're still available. This cabinet was initially designed for them, and they do work well in it. The Dayton Classic 8s (DCS205-4) don't look too bad either.


Bang for the buck? Hands down, I'd go with a decent car-audio 10. Kicker's CVX-10, Fi X-10, SSA DCON-10, JBL 1014 or Alpine SWR 1043. With a street price of ~$130 shipped for any of these if you shop, these are pretty hard to beat.


Most performance? TC Epic 10.
 
#21 ·
so would I be correct in assuming that i could use the kicker cvx 10, and wire the dual vc four ohm in series I would get eight ohms. So if I built 2 and wired both horns toghther in parallel, I would be at a final impedance of four ohms, correct?
 
#22 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CZ Eddie /forum/post/0


So being just slightly larger and higher tuned than your Exodus 25hz tapped horn, I'm guessing it's capable of slightly higher SPL?

Assuming the $40 Apex Jr. woofer is used?

The T-6 is actually over twice the size of the Insubnia. It puts about 6 dB on the Insubnia at a watt, and the Apex will take about twice the power, so the T-6 is considerably louder.
 
#23 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Audiophile34 /forum/post/0


so would I be correct in assuming that i could use the kicker cvx 10, and wire the dual vc four ohm in series I would get eight ohms. So if I built 2 and wired both horns toghther in parallel, I would be at a final impedance of four ohms, correct?

Yes.


The average impedance will be a bit higher due to the loading the cabinet provides.
 
#24 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Audiophile34 /forum/post/20906586


so would I be correct in assuming that i could use the kicker cvx 10, and wire the dual vc four ohm in series I would get eight ohms. So if I built 2 and wired both horns toghther in parallel, I would be at a final impedance of four ohms, correct?

Yep.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lilmike /forum/post/20906657


The T-6 is actually over twice the size of the Insubnia. It puts about 6 dB on the Insubnia at a watt, and the Apex will take about twice the power, so the T-6 is considerably louder.

Wow, it doesn't look twice the size on paper.
 
#26 ·
So I decided to build one of these for my first diy subwoofer. I have a couple questions. Is 1/2 Baltic birch or MDF sufficient? Everywhere I have read they say to use 3/4 for larger enclosures. I have read that 1/2 may flex? Or is that only for subs with larger drivers?


And also when you install the driver to the hurricane nuts do you need to make a circular seal with silicone or something? Thanks.


Edit: one more question. Is a high pass filter necessary for this build? If so, which one is recommended?
 
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