[brilong]

Last year I finally purchased a projector for my finished basement and installed my Definitive Technology 5.1 system which I had purchased back in 2002. I have the ProSub 80 and I believe I need an upgrade. I've recently added Buttkicker Advance BK4-4's to my home theater chairs using one channel of an INUKE 3000DSP (this amp is awesome).

1. Your budget. I would like to spend under $1,000 if possible on subwoofer since I'd also like to improve my front stage (specifically my center speaker).
2. Size requirements/limits. I'm open to most suggestions. I've read about the PC-2000 cylinder subs and wonder how that might integrate into my environment.
3. Room dimensions. 3,330 ft^3. See the attached drawing. This is not a dedicated home theater and I have a 37-inch-wide hallway exiting the rear of the room (with a very low ceiling due to a soffit).
4. Primary uses. 90+% home theater. Mix of day-time, family night, and night-time when kids are in bed.
5. Listening habits. I would personally like to listen to movies louder than most of my family members (more like a movie theater). I get complaints when watching an action movie that the house is rumbling or vibrating even in my second floor bedroom.
6. Appearance requirements. Once again, I cannot have a behemoth of a sub taking up huge amounts of the front stage nor do I have much room behind my seating due to the ping-pong table. I might be able to place a second sub underneath the soffit in a recessed cubby.
7. Timeframe. Not in a rush. I'm currently considering a DIY SI 18" or something similar. I was thinking I could power it with the second channel of my INUKE 3000DSP and if I decide to move up to two subs, I could get a better amp.

I know my ProSub 80 is severely underpowered for my room, but I wonder if buying or making a new sub (or two) would improve my WAF. As it stands now, I get complaints when I watch an action movie with the sub running slightly hot (2-3dB). Also, this sub seems to have lots of port noise between 30-35Hz when I run test tracks.

If I upgrade my sub to a higher-end 18" DIY unit or buy a B-stock Reaction Audio S-15 or something else, will I just end up shaking the whole house even worse than today? Or will I be able to run the sub(s) in such a manner as to improve my listening experience while reducing the whole-house reverberations? I've read a bunch of threads regarding building a home theater room inside a room with green glue, dual layers of drywall, etc. but I don't have the space or budget to tackle that at this time.

Thank you for any advice you can provide.

 

[wwinkler]

Anything that you purchase in the ~$1000 range will be far louder at lower frequencies and shake parts of your house more. Two Marty Subs from the DIY section are considered straightforward ported 18" subs to build. They can be driven by the INUKE 3000DSP. They will shake every unsecured thing off walls and shelves in your basement and may even shake things in the first floor of your house.

Twenty-plus years ago in a dedicated ~1300 cubic foot AV room in the basement, I used two ~8 cu ft 15" ported woofers. When I arrived home sometimes in the evening, I could hear (not that loud) the bass (cds for testing car audio applications) in the driveway that my son and his friends were playing.

 

[bgtighe23]

A DIY route will net you the best results for the money.

Since you already have the sub amp (inuke) I would build two SI 18" if it fits your budget - given your room size. I would visit the DIY sound group website and find a sealed 18" design and purchase the flat pack also.

The Reaction Audio S-15 subs are fantastic subs. They are currently $499 B-Stock (as you stated) so you could purchase 2. That will help with nulls and a little output also. They come with a warranty and free shipping, which is nice. However, the only down side is the 24hz extension. You will probably see 21hz in your large room, but not much output. Some movies require below 24hz extension, and even below 20hz.

If you do not mind going the DIY route, that has my vote. That will probably net you the best experience. And as I said, you already have the amp, which puts a big dent in the overall cost of a DIY build.

 

[brilong]

A DIY route will net you the best results for the money.

Since you already have the sub amp (inuke) I would build two SI 18" if it fits your budget - given your room size. I would visit the DIY sound group website and find a sealed 18" design and purchase the flat pack also.

The Reaction Audio S-15 subs are fantastic subs. They are currently $499 B-Stock (as you stated) so you could purchase 2. That will help with nulls and a little output also. They come with a warranty and free shipping, which is nice. However, the only down side is the 24hz extension. You will probably see 21hz in your large room, but not much output. Some movies require below 24hz extension, and even below 20hz.

If you do not mind going the DIY route, that has my vote. That will probably net you the best experience. And as I said, you already have the amp, which puts a big dent in the overall cost of a DIY build.

Thanks for the feedback. I was researching the DIY route and I like the idea of the StoneHenge 18", the MartySub or even the sealed 4 cu. ft. flat pack. I only have one channel on the INUKE available since the other one is used with Buttkickers, so I'll probably build a single sub and go from there.

 

[bgtighe23]

Thanks for the feedback. I was researching the DIY route and I like the idea of the StoneHenge 18", the MartySub or even the sealed 4 cu. ft. flat pack. I only have one channel on the INUKE available since the other one is used with Buttkickers, so I'll probably build a single sub and go from there.

All are very capable subs. Since you are planning to build one now and go from there, I would make your purchase with the idea of adding a 2nd sub later down the road. Meaning, I would get something a little more than $500 (duals being at your budget) so in time, you will be able to add more to your sub budget.

Because of your room size, I would probably go with the larger sub, the StoneHenge or MartySub if you are only planing on building one. That way you can always add that 2nd one down the road.

But to answer your original question about shaking the house...well...

 

[derrickdj1]

That is a good size room and vented subs are the way to go. Also, basements need an extra kick and the vented subs will have around 10 db more output near tuning and maybe down to the upper teens. Ten db means you will need 3 sealed subs to match that output.

I would go straight to 18 in. subs. When I moved to the basement in similar size room I lost around 10 db and a lot of tactile response due to the concrete. I use a combination of vented subs presently with excellent results.

 

[toofast68]

In that size room, IMHO 2 subs are a minimum.

 

[brilong]

Thanks for the advice. I like the idea of an 18" vented sub. I'm not sure one channel of a INUKE 3000DSP will drive it fully, but it will give me a good idea on the capabilities. I'd also like to upgrade my center fairly soon. If I do that, I could purchase an INUKE 6000DSP for two subs and power the center off the 3000DSP instead of using the receiver. I'm trying to take baby steps, but I know that's dangerous when coming to this forum for advice.

I'm also considering if I should remove that wall separating my home theater from the computer/audio closet and mount speakers behind a transparent screen. I've already been doing research on a DIY spandex screen and that seems like the direction I'm headed.

 

[KRSims]

If you step up to 18 inch subs, I think you and the family are going to be shocked at the difference in sound "quality" in your bass. Part of the issue with the vibrations that the family doesn't like is that your 8 inch sub is probably distorting quite a bit given that you are running it a little hot and you like your movies loud in a large space. Lowering the distortion and getting true displacement could solve your problems.

 

[brilong]

Sounds like a plan. I want to build a single DIY sub with the 18" SI driver (not sure why I should spend $550 on a HST driver instead of $180 on the SI). If that goes well, I might consider other DIY speakers for the fronts. I like the idea of hiding a center speaker behind an AT spandex screen.

 

[derrickdj1]

I use the I Nuke 3000 and 6000 DSP amps for my subs. DSP allows you to really get the sub and room dialed in for great sound.