Greetings all,
I'm hoping to tap into the brilliant minds of AVS for guidance on a DIY subwoofer build. My area of expertise resides elsewhere, so I apologize in advance for any seemingly stupid questions/comments. I like to think I have some knowledge, but I'm definitely not on the same level as many of you fine folks.
In 2008, I purchased my first real subwoofer - a HSU VTF-3 MK3. It was a nice upgrade over what I previously had, but I wasn't quite satisfied. In 2010, I added a HSU VTF-15H and have been running with the pair ever since. Unfortunately, I find myself, yet again, unsatisfied. Seeing as the total cost of this system was ~$2500 (shipped to Canada; 2008 exchange rate was terrible), I think it's time for me to explore other options.
My "theater" is in the basement of a bi-level home. It's not dedicated or sealed, but it's more or less a single-purpose room. Until recently, I had no acoustical treatments, however over the past month I've added bass traps to the front corners and a few acoustical panels on the front and side walls. I haven't taken any measurements, but to my ears they've made a substantial improvement to the overall system.
The room is approximately 11 x 23 x 8.5', corner fireplace in one rear corner, completely open in the other. The opening leads to a set of stairs to the upper floor and, as previously mentioned, is not sealed. Placement options will be controlled more by space restrictions than WAF (she lets me get away with just about anything).
My initial thought was a couple high-powered sealed subs up front, flanking the center, then adding a third, lower-powered fill-in sub closer to the LP at some point down the road, if necessary. I could potentially accommodate four boxes, though the two rear boxes would need to be smaller as I have less space. The fronts can be around 24" cubes, give or take a few inches in each dimension. I'll have to do some measuring before I can provide max size options for the rear. I can draw up a quick room layout if deemed useful.
I don't really have a concrete budget, but $3000 seems like a decent starting point. I'm pretty much starting from scratch and currently have no means of amplification or EQ. Being from Canada, Mach5/iST is definitely attractive as I can avoid costly shipping/duty/brokerage fees, but I'm absolutely open to other options. I'm seven hours from the border so a road trip/cross-border pickup is a nice option as well. I'll be building the boxes and those costs will be over and above the budget.
I've toyed with the idea of grabbing a JTR Cap S or two (to go with my T12s), but DIY keeps drawing me back in. All I know is, I'm tired of throwing money at subs and ending up unhappy, and I'm hoping a nice DIY system will put an end to that. I'm favoring multiples for better EQ across the room and wouldn't mind actually feeling the bass - something my system currently lacks.
At any rate, hopefully this is enough information to garner some input. I apologize for the length of this post and genuinely appreciate any feedback, suggestions, and insults you may throw at me. Please let me know if you require more detail as I'm sure I forgot something amidst my ramblings. I can't seem to find my pictures of the room so I'll have to take more tonight.
Greetings all,
I'm hoping to tap into the brilliant minds of AVS for guidance on a DIY subwoofer build. My area of expertise resides elsewhere, so I apologize in advance for any seemingly stupid questions/comments. I like to think I have some knowledge, but I'm definitely not on the same level as many of you fine folks.
In 2008, I purchased my first real subwoofer - a HSU VTF-3 MK3. It was a nice upgrade over what I previously had, but I wasn't quite satisfied. In 2010, I added a HSU VTF-15H and have been running with the pair ever since. Unfortunately, I find myself, yet again, unsatisfied. Seeing as the total cost of this system was ~$2500 (shipped to Canada; 2008 exchange rate was terrible), I think it's time for me to explore other options.
My "theater" is in the basement of a bi-level home. It's not dedicated or sealed, but it's more or less a single-purpose room. Until recently, I had no acoustical treatments, however over the past month I've added bass traps to the front corners and a few acoustical panels on the front and side walls. I haven't taken any measurements, but to my ears they've made a substantial improvement to the overall system.
The room is approximately 11 x 23 x 8.5', corner fireplace in one rear corner, completely open in the other. The opening leads to a set of stairs to the upper floor and, as previously mentioned, is not sealed. Placement options will be controlled more by space restrictions than WAF (she lets me get away with just about anything).
My initial thought was a couple high-powered sealed subs up front, flanking the center, then adding a third, lower-powered fill-in sub closer to the LP at some point down the road, if necessary. I could potentially accommodate four boxes, though the two rear boxes would need to be smaller as I have less space. The fronts can be around 24" cubes, give or take a few inches in each dimension. I'll have to do some measuring before I can provide max size options for the rear. I can draw up a quick room layout if deemed useful.
I don't really have a concrete budget, but $3000 seems like a decent starting point. I'm pretty much starting from scratch and currently have no means of amplification or EQ. Being from Canada, Mach5/iST is definitely attractive as I can avoid costly shipping/duty/brokerage fees, but I'm absolutely open to other options. I'm seven hours from the border so a road trip/cross-border pickup is a nice option as well. I'll be building the boxes and those costs will be over and above the budget.
I've toyed with the idea of grabbing a JTR Cap S or two (to go with my T12s), but DIY keeps drawing me back in. All I know is, I'm tired of throwing money at subs and ending up unhappy, and I'm hoping a nice DIY system will put an end to that. I'm favoring multiples for better EQ across the room and wouldn't mind actually feeling the bass - something my system currently lacks.
At any rate, hopefully this is enough information to garner some input. I apologize for the length of this post and genuinely appreciate any feedback, suggestions, and insults you may throw at me. Please let me know if you require more detail as I'm sure I forgot something amidst my ramblings. I can't seem to find my pictures of the room so I'll have to take more tonight.