[wagnerite]

hi all ! I had so much fun building a set of bookshelf speakers using Dayton 6.5 woofers and Dayton 1 1/8 silk dome tweeters, i have decided that i want to make a sub too.


the sub kit that PartsExpress offers here seem to include the 500 watt amp. my room is 11feet by 22feet and 8.5feet high. i want to build a sealed sub out of this Dayton 12 inch sub but im not sure if i need a 500 watt amp or a 250watt amp . any suggestions?


like i said, it will probably be a sealed design, used for HT and music both, any thoughts?


also saw this 250 watt amp with "BASS BOOST" ?? whats that all about? is this one better? can bass boost be turned off? do i even want bass boost?

 

[wildfire99]

Depends on your box design. If you want the dually HT/Music setup with a 0.577 Qtc, then you're looking at about 67 liters (2.35 ft3) net box volume. With that, the 250W amp is just pushing the driver to max at about 18hz. Anything more is just beating on the driver, IMO. If you want to build a smaller box, then you will want the 500W amp.


Personally, I'd chuck in $15 and go for the Titanic 15" that's on sale. I'd port it, also. I couldn't tell any difference when I plugged the ports on my 15" vented sub and unplugged it, with music.


As to BASS BOOST.... you probably do not want that, but I'm sure it's defeatable, at least with a soldering iron. It might be useful if it can be adjusted properly, but I'd rather get a Behringer Feedback Destroyer (BFD) for that. If you don't mind tinkering, you can do like I did also, and get a pro amp (with fans quieted/replaced) instead of the plate amp. About $100 less. It's like getting the BFD free.

 

[Tweak]

If you can afford the bigger amp, go for it. I can't think of any reason not to. You really can't have too much power unless you're the type to use it indiscriminately.


Also, the 500W amp you're looking at has a parametric EQ, which is very useful for a subwoofer. The 250W amp does not have this - instead it has an odd type of EQ that only has nine positions (instead of the parametric which is much more adjustable). The 250W amp does have a variable phase control, which is something to consider, however, I beleive the parametric EQ is a more useful thing to have (unless you've got a situation where the sub will be considerably closer to or further from the listening spot than the main speakers).


Wildfire99 made a good point about pro amps - you should definitely look into that. Among other things, it's really best to not have your amplifier mounted to the subwoofer itself. This would also make your volume calculations a tad simpler.


-Tweak

 

[DonoMan]

Never use bass boost on a subwoofer. It'll make your frequency response graph pretty screwed up. Bass boost is only used for amps that run full-range speakers if ever.

 

[sonytheater]

The bass Boost will boost the output around 30hz slightly. The only way I would consider it is if you were building the sub for music only, otherwise get it without it. The 250watt amp would be more than enough amp for a single 12" Dayton regardless of the encloser. I have one now that I have had for the past three years that has seen use with a single 15" Dayton DVC in a sealed enclosure, same sub in a ported enclosure, & now is running 4 15" Dayton DVC's in my IB. It has had more than enough power for any them.

 

[Johnla]

The power requirements for the Dayton DVC's and Titanic MKIII's are not quite the same. So what may work good on your DVC, may not necessarily work the same on a Titanic MKIII...

 

[Johnla]

The power requirements for the Dayton DVC's and Titanic MKIII's are not quite the same. So what may work good on your DVC, may not necessarily work the same on a Titanic MKIII...

 

[sonytheater]

I Didn't pay attiton that he was planning on using the MKIII. In that case I would probley go with a bigger amp, but still say the 250 watt could hold it's own with that driver as well.