Question on foam placement. I had read that there should be 5" of clearance between the nearest foam and the port (naturally, after I stapled mine in). I'm assuming this is to allow smoother airflow. Can someone verify and let me know if this will impede?
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Dual 18" End Tables
Sometime last year I came to the conclusion that my current 12" subs weren't cutting it. I had picked them up before I started to get into the hobby; while they have been decent, there's much to be desired from the BIC Acoustech PL-200.
I started my search based on some cursory knowledge of brands in the market, beginning with SVS. This led to much analysis paralysis as I then dove into Rythmik, PSA, Klipsch, and Velodyne. Head-spinning ensued. I was looking at price for power with low end grunt but couldn't justify spending $2,500 on a sub (the PB16 Ultra was looking pretty damned sexy). That's when I found you guys.
I switched gears after seeing some of the builds on this sub - dear god, ya'll create some monsters! Knowing that I couldn't build a Full Marty and expect to stay married, I decided that wife approved end-tables would be the way to go. My driver decision was made for me by a sale at PE on the UM-18 22's - first step done. After that I toiled with BassBox and WINISD to come up with a design that would keep some level of aesthetic like the VBSS end tables with as much volume as I could squeeze out. More analysis paralysis ensued. Thanks to the feedback from the sub I was able to get unstuck and settle on a slot-port design that gets me nearly 6 ft^3 and tuning around 19hz.
Lot's of lessons learned as I haven't built or designed a box since high school. I could've saved myself lots of frustration if I had done a few things - posting here for any other new builder so they can learn from my mistakes:
Anyway, here's some pictures of progress:
I started my search based on some cursory knowledge of brands in the market, beginning with SVS. This led to much analysis paralysis as I then dove into Rythmik, PSA, Klipsch, and Velodyne. Head-spinning ensued. I was looking at price for power with low end grunt but couldn't justify spending $2,500 on a sub (the PB16 Ultra was looking pretty damned sexy). That's when I found you guys.
I switched gears after seeing some of the builds on this sub - dear god, ya'll create some monsters! Knowing that I couldn't build a Full Marty and expect to stay married, I decided that wife approved end-tables would be the way to go. My driver decision was made for me by a sale at PE on the UM-18 22's - first step done. After that I toiled with BassBox and WINISD to come up with a design that would keep some level of aesthetic like the VBSS end tables with as much volume as I could squeeze out. More analysis paralysis ensued. Thanks to the feedback from the sub I was able to get unstuck and settle on a slot-port design that gets me nearly 6 ft^3 and tuning around 19hz.
Lot's of lessons learned as I haven't built or designed a box since high school. I could've saved myself lots of frustration if I had done a few things - posting here for any other new builder so they can learn from my mistakes:
1. Do not let the young kid at Lowes make your cuts - one piece out of 16 was correct; I spent my first day squaring cuts and making tradeoffs in size to fix the mess he made of it
2. Take the time to sketch it all out - I relied too much on software and made multiple faux-pas regarding build order, baffle fitment, and port length
3. Undersize your baffle cut - I was off by 1/4" from spec and ended up with hole was too large to get a proper seal; as a result switched to double-baffle design to still use that piece (probably a better idea anyway)
2. Take the time to sketch it all out - I relied too much on software and made multiple faux-pas regarding build order, baffle fitment, and port length
3. Undersize your baffle cut - I was off by 1/4" from spec and ended up with hole was too large to get a proper seal; as a result switched to double-baffle design to still use that piece (probably a better idea anyway)
Anyway, here's some pictures of progress:
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Thanks!
A bit more progress today. Decided to use threaded wood inserts for the driver mounting instead of gluing more wood blocks behind the baffle. Finished mounting the baffles, sealing the interior, and mounting all the foam. Next up is to drill for the speakon connector, some further exterior sanding, and to figure out what to do for the finish; plan was to make them stealthy end-tables but the wife just signed off on pointing them into the couch nearfield style, ditching the feet, and finishing however I want.
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Duratex is an interesting coating. After fighting two coats I finally got the dilution right and was able to get the smoother finish by doing a second pass with a dry foam roller to kill any peaks/bubbles.
For the driver mounting I'm not sure where I went wrong. About half of the the threaded inserts broke loose in the MDF when screwing in the hex-heads. This led to not being able to back them out as they were frozen tight to the screw and I had to pry the driver out, destroying the MDF. These bastards were so frozen in the inserts to the point that after they were pried out I broke the hex-heads before they would release.
For the driver mounting I'm not sure where I went wrong. About half of the the threaded inserts broke loose in the MDF when screwing in the hex-heads. This led to not being able to back them out as they were frozen tight to the screw and I had to pry the driver out, destroying the MDF. These bastards were so frozen in the inserts to the point that after they were pried out I broke the hex-heads before they would release.
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Dual 18" End Tables
If its stupid but works, it isn’t stupid.
I’d be concerned about air leaks from the damage though, so I’d at least patch the holes.
Chris
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If its stupid but works, it isn’t stupid.
I’d be concerned about air leaks from the damage though, so I’d at least patch the holes.
Chris
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Yup - soon...If its stupid but works, it isn’t stupid.
I’d be concerned about air leaks from the damage though, so I’d at least patch the holes.
Chris
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First REW sweep is in - not sure where to take it from here.
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Oh good, a quick focused read on REW - whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! 28,320 posts!!!
Seriously though, I'd read through the initial few pages before but a re-read was in order. I've got a few more sweeps to run before I start to do any serious tweaking as I was running with Audyssey on.
I think flat is a good place to start. Get it close to flat, watch a few movies and decide if you need tweaks. Those look pretty darn good, at least the SPL I don’t yet know how to read the others.
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