[Mikey89]

I have been thinking about getting a new subwoofer. I am replacing an old PSB Subsonic II that I have had since college. But now that I own a house and have other projects that pop up, I am looking at the DIY option in the hopes of saving some cash. I am confident that I can handle the actual building of the sub. I just need some recommendations for components. A buddy of mine has a DefTech SuperCubeII. It sounded pretty good to me. The problem is I dont really want to spend that kind of money. I would like to stay in the $500 range when building mine. I realize that any DIY sub would be much larger, but that is fine with me. It can be bigger than my current 12", just as long as its not monsterous. I have looked at many different drivers, amps, and box recommendations. I just want a good opinion from someone who had built one. Here is what I have to work with, $500-$550, 99.9% used for movies, my room is 13 wide X 17 long, with 8 foot ceilings. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Andrikos]

IB if you can do it. The dimensions are ZERO and you can get done with less than $500 (4 x Dayton IB 15" for $110 each).

No "ready-made" sub up to $2-3k will even touch it, seriously...

 

[Mikey89]

I looked around and found a lot of different pic of IB set-ups. I like the idea but dont know if that would work for me. It definitely wouldnt work in the ceiling anyway. I have a supspended ceiling in my basement, for ease of getting to any heating and plumbing items. I suppose it could still be done, but wouldn't think it would be ideal. My best bet would be the rear wall of the room. There is really nothing on the back side of that wall, just storage. As long as its sealed between the woofer and the listening area, is that all the matters. I am not doubting the performance of an IB set-up, but for me I think a traditional box set-up is what I will have to go with.

 

[rlj5242]

How about the DB Drive PL12D2 ? The 15" model has had some good reviews as an IB sub. Put it in a 90L box tuned to around 19hz. Power it with Nady 675w amp. If you need it, EQ it with a BFD . Even with the MDF, you will probably be under budget.


-Robert

 

[SVonhof]

How about using the NHT 1259 woofer? It is a proven driver and is $150 from Madisound ( http://www.madisound.com/nht1259.html ).


Pair that with a sub amp from either Madisound ( KG-5230 for $225 ) or Parts Express ( 500w amp for $298 )


If you want to get it done fast, buy a kit like this Titanic 12" kit and have it all assembled in an hour.

 

[SVonhof]

BTW, I would love to do an IB design, since they are very simple to do and to amplify, but the fact that I would be sending bass in every direction through my attic and into the rest of the house and to the neighbors homes really screws that idea.

 

[brickie]

Do you think concrete walls could hold all the energy of an IB setup?


brickie

 

[SVonhof]

I am sure it would hold it better than 2x4's and sheetrock.

 

[philiprst]

Before going the DIY route take a look at the Outlaw LFM-1 which is within your budget. I built the center, fronts and surrounds for my system but could not beat the LFM-1 by going DIY. It is quite exceptional value.

 

[SVonhof]

Interesting. I have not been following the Outlaw brand name much, but a direct quote from their web site:
Quote:

Dr. Hsu graciously accepted our invitation to consult with us on our subwoofer design. After much discussion and experimentation with drivers, crossovers, cabinet designs and system electronics we jointly developed our basic design approach for the LFM-1. The results of that work are as follows.

I didn't know Dr. Hsu was doing work for other companies. Well, if you look at the HSU Research site the STF-3 sub looks like the Outlaw Audio LFM-1, but with the ports moved to the back of the sub, above the amp. It also uses a 350 watt BASH amp....

Nothing against Dr. Hsu, that is for sure. He has some really nice stuff, I have been to his demos over at CES.


But, if you are going to get the LFM-1, why not spend an extra $20 and get the HSU instead?

 

[philiprst]

SVonhof,


Thats interesting. It wouldn't surprise me if the STF-3 and the LFM-1 were made in the same factory. When I bought my LFM-1 the STF-3 wasn't available and the LFM-1 included a 12ft high quality cable and free shipping. You might want to read some comparative reviews, you probably can't go wrong with either one. Outlaw was offering a great deal if you bought a pair of LFM-1s, I don't know if that is still available.

 

[SVonhof]

BTW, for anyone who is interested and available, make sure you sign up for the Consumer Electronic Show in Vegas the first full weekend of the year. Very cool to be able to walk around and see all the displays, test all the subs, projectors..... The Alexis Park Resort has been part of CES the three years I went, but that is where the high end audio and basically start-ups would go. They would have two rooms at the hotel (suites) and move all the furniture into one of the rooms, leaving the other for demos. You can see some really amazing stuff there.

 

[SVonhof]

FYI, in the November 2004 issue of Home Theater magazine, they mention the Outlaw Audio LFM-1 in the 35 must have products under $1000.


It says:
Quote:

Outlaw Audio LFM-1 subwoofer, $579 Outlaw's first subwoofer, designed by Poh Ser Hsu of Hsu Research, is a monster, both sonically and physically. The only thing scarier than one of these 58-pound lugs unleashed on a budget home theater is a two-pack for Outlaw's outlandish $999.

 

[brickie]

Man, would love to hear em..or should I say feel em.


brickie

 

[philiprst]

Believe me, it's impressive.

 

[jjdche]

Quote:

Originally posted by philiprst Before going the DIY route take a look at the Outlaw LFM-1 which is within your budget. I built the center, fronts and surrounds for my system but could not beat the LFM-1 by going DIY. It is quite exceptional value.

What DIY designs were you looking at? Did you compare any designs to the LFM-1?

 

[BigguyZ]

Secrets of home theater hi-fi had a review of a DIY sub that I'm interested in. But I have a LOT to do before I get to the sub in my system. Reciever, the rest of my speakers, maybe even DIYing an amp....

 

[kgveteran]

What are your expectations of your sub. Before you spend $ you should get a game plan on what it is going to be doing.Try to set a goal of at least SPL level at a given frequency.Go to a couple stores and bring a test disc to see where you are with your listening.Do you listen louder or a little softer (80db). You will get great suggestions from everyone here but you need to classify you listening taste first. Then you can move on to a design that will give you the sound you are looking for.Good luck.

 

[Tedd]

The NHT 1259 suggestion is an excellent one! It is often used with ribbon speakers. Here's a pic of mine, that I built, based roughly on Sean Collin's design.


He has an excellent website at:

http://www.hogheaven.com/diyaudio/su.../NHT1259s.html


I varied from Sean's design in that I beefed up the walls, and used DuPont Holofill II as dampening.

 

[Tedd]

my idea of a well built subwoofer cabinet...