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robertcharles

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Posts posted by robertcharles

  1. I follow you on that. My point is that I have seen an LMS running all out and it was quite impressive. I have not even come to 2/w3 of what I saw the LMS do in the demo and I have way more than enough from the setup as is. I am trying to get set for some AB measures to see what is going on. I might need a little input.

    Thanks,

    Robert

  2. The new graph is going through a crown itech 8000. The old graph a few months back was from an old alesis. I think the crown has a built in rolloff at 8 Hz.

    I am going to use a different amp to do measures to compare.

  3. My room is 20 wide, 30 long, and 8 feet high.

    I will say, I do not really ever get excessive cone movement. I get tremendous SPL levels and the cones are always moving well within xmax. I have seen the LMS drivers going to max in a demo, and I am in no way even coming close to xmax-I do not know if I would even want to approach those levels.

  4. Yep. Unsmoothed.

    The cabinets are along a side wall. When measuring, I measured at listening position. I will measure ground plane, but this will only be on one baffleor the other. I could also measure on the side of cab with no direct driver passive radiation.

    Subs only.

    I will set the REW up and run a few suggestions if you don't mind. I really do not get any room gain. The graph looks very much like the model that I used to build the cabs.

    They are pretty much stuffed. The tuning is at 14.2 Hz.

  5. Jay,

    How big is your 5400 box and is it sealed or ported?

    Any pictures?

    I have a 5400 motor and I am trying to get a top assembly to go with it. I am looking for build possibilities.

    Thanks,

    Robert

  6. This is the graph I got when I used REW at my listening position. I Have no EQ or PEQ in place. This is the processor to amp to cabinet reading in room. I am skeptical because I have a ton of other vented subs in the room when the measurements are being taken. I wonder if this helps or hinders the look of the graph.

    Also, I will say, I am completely happy with the sound- um feel- so far. It has turned out to perform way beyind my expectations. Since that graph was made, I have added a new door to the stairway and the room is now completely closed. I wonder if that would change the look of the graph. Another thing, my cabs are on the sides of my room.

    any thoughts?

  7. Thank you. As far as how low does it go, the tune is 14.4 Hz. I have been having trouble with my computer and REW, so really accurate measures of depth are not yet available. As far as how loud. I have a cm 140 and get 129 db uncorrected with the Hulk sound gun scene with the cabs running at 8 ohms on 1 crown itech 8000 on a 120volt 20 amp circuit. I am in the process of upgrading the electrical so 2 itechs bridged on 220 volt service will be used. Right now, the one amp falls way short on the power needed. The cabs will take all of the amp and will not come anywhere near xmax. I should get at least 3 db from the power upgrade, but mostly headroom and cleaner amplification.

    Thanks,

    Robert

  8. No kidding. Custom made 2 of a kind for me. Gold and diamonds cost something and having it shaped and mounted the way I want costs money also. I splurged on a few things, but what the heck, you only live once. I don't drink, smoke, no drugs, I spend on tangible things that I get continued enjoyment.

    Thanks,

    Robert


  9. I give you "POTENTIA MAXIMUS".

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    POTENTIA MAXIMUS is a dual cabinet, opposed driver configuration LFE system. Each cabinet is 18.10

    cubic feet internal volume with a system tuning of 14.4 Hz. This project was an evolution of LFE

    design and implementation. It started as a small build utilizing existing drivers and amps and evolved

    into The grandest system that I personally or physically could assemble. Each cabinet consists

    of approximately 8.5 sheets of MDF and Oak Ply. I feel that the melding of these materials gives extremely

    good build qualities. The ply adds strength and durability, while the MDF allows for superior machining and

    it is extremely consistant and nondirectional in structure. Each cabinet including the grills weighs in at

    approximately 1000 pounds. The drivers and PR's alone in each cabinet weigh roughly 225 pounds- a true heavyweight.


    All of the panels are minimally 1.5" thick and the 2 baffles are each 2.25" thick. The granite was applied in the

    same fashion as each panel. The entire surface was epoxied and the entire granite slab was bolted to the cabinet and

    became part of the system. Thus, adding 1.25" of thickness to the top plate and the base. It also added over 245 pounds

    to the system. With the drivers configured as they are, the cabinets take up the bare minimum of floor space,

    and results in a cabinet that neither vibrates or rocks due to the movement of the PR's in the system.

    Newton really had something with those laws of motion.


    The system consists of:

    1. 4- 18" TC Sounds LMS 5400 Active Drivers capable of delivering 32 liters of displacement
    at 38 mm xmax.

    2. 8- 18" TC Sounds Variable Mass Passive Radiators (VMP's) capable of delivering 76 liters
    of displacement at 45 mm xmax.

    3. 2- Crown ITech 8000 power amplifiers. Each amp is capable of delivering 8000 watts into an 8 ohm
    bridged load on a 220 volt service.

    4. 1- MIC2200

    Special thanks is in order to the following people.


    1. NEO Dan. Dan has been instrumental in the development and ultimate production of this system.

    2. Michael Hurd Mike's knowledge of paint helped transform this behemoth into something special.

    3. My parents My parents gave me an unobstructed place to assemble this project which would have not been
    possible otherwise.


    4. My Nephew Mike helped me in varying aspects of assembly and final assembly of both units. Helped greatly
    Mike in mounting drivers and PR's.

    5. My brother Mike helped me in assembly and moving. He also supplied many of the clamps used in assembly.
    Mike

    6. My brother Helped in assemblly of grills. Also responsible for designing and manufacturing the badges for
    Barry each cabinet.

    7. My friend Helped in many aspects of assembly and also responsible for helping move cabinets to my home.
    Keith

    8. My friend Helped in many aspects of assembly and moving cabinets to my home. Also helped apply granite to
    Joe the cabinets.

    9. Big Rob He is bigger than me! Helped to move cabinets to my home.

    10.Bossobass Supplied magnets to me for grill application. Thanks!

    11.Kyle Keating Helped with various technical aspects of design and assembly.

    12. Ilkka Risannen Tested the LMS 5400's and shared his thoughts of the drivers with me and offered design assistance.

    Thanks also goes to all at the AVS forum and the Home Theater Shack. Thanks for all the suggestions and assistance!!

    I have been asked many times about how much did this system cost. I have gathered all of the numbers that I have and

    here is the list to the best of my knowledge.


    Total cost of build.

    1. 4 - 18" LMS drivers $ 3600.00

    2. 8 - 18" VMP's $ 2400.00

    3. 2 - Crown ITech 8000's $ 6000.00

    4. 1 - MIC2200 $ 100.00

    5. 4 - granite slabs + finishing $ 1100.00

    6. 2 - custom designed logos $ 3600.00

    7. 12- sheets Oak Ply $ 540.00

    8. 5 - sheets MDF $ 100.00

    9. Paint, primer & supplies $ 500.00

    10. Bolts, cap screws & washers $ 185.00

    11. Grill cloth and materials $ 85.00

    12. Tung oil finish and stain $ 110.00

    13. 36 Pillows @ $4.50 $ 175.00

    14. Internal wiring and connectors $ 15.00

    15. Epoxy for granite application $ 32.00

    16. Electrical upgrade $ 575.00

    17. Inwall Speaker wire runs& Neutriks $ 225.00
    and wall plates

    --------------------------------------------------

    Total material cost $19337.00

    The big question seems to be, "Is the total system worth what I paid, let alone the time invested in it."

    To this statement, I say, "Absolutely!" Of course I could have gone with much cheaper drivers or sealed or ported and

    eliminated the PR's, and, I did not need the Itech amplifiers at all. I could have used MDF for the top and

    the base instead of granite, I could have not had the badges made, I could have used canned spray paint, I

    could have used cheap spandex for the grills-as a matter of fact, I could have eliminated all the grills entirely.

    Instead of all of the I could haves, I can say "I did." I actually did this project as planned from beginning to

    end with no compromises. I took my time and waited for the things to come together. I am very pleased with the results.

    I have absolutely no regrets and the outcome was exactly as planned. Could I have achieved the same level of performance

    using a different system that was more cost effective? I am sure I could have gotten a lot more drivers and a lot more amps

    for less money, but on an apples to apples comparison, I would be hardpressed to beat this setup. I definitely think

    I made the right choice as far as drivers goes. These things are absolutely phenomenal.


    For me, the project was totally worth the effort. It has gained me many new friends, allowed me to utilize skills that I was

    not sure I possessed, taught me many valuable lessons for later projects and allowed me to spend over 2 years working on a

    hobby that I completely enjoy. The actual building process was as much fun as the listening and tweaking process.


    Now, as far as "How does it sound?" All I can say to that is it has exceeded all of my expectations. The sound and

    overall feel is phenomenal. The total output is extreme to say the least. Overkill? I say to this, "No!" I just consider

    it as headroom. I like my system to sound powerful as it is cruising along. As a matter of fact, before this addition, I

    was running things at 5 channels with no LFE. I loved the sound, and now it is just that much better for me. As far as bass

    goes, I got what I was looking for. It is visceral- to say the least. Movies that we have seen many times before are now

    even better. With test tones, I feel that the house is actually undulating back in forth- just like when you see the videos

    of earthquakes. It feels like I am riding a boat in a real bad sea.

    My plans are to get the system as complete as possible before having some sort of GTG, so that people more knowledgable

    than me can give a totally non biased opinion of the LFE setup.

    I thank all of you guys for the support and help in the last few years, and I hope to see and hear from any and all who wish

    to know anything I can offer about this build.


    Thanks,

    Robert Pizzolato

  10. It's going to be bolted to the top and bottom and siliconed to each panel. The tops and bottoms are oak ply not mdf. Remember, the boxes are laminated with oak and mdf. It Is a trial and error situation. Any thoughts?

    Thanks,

    Robert

  11. By the way, this project was not initially supposed to be this complex. At first, I was going to just build a 15-20 cubic foot box for 4 15 inch woofer I had just laying around. Well, after 5 or more years of "um uh well maybe um", it evolved into what you see above, and 2 crown Itech 8000's- of which I have no idea if I need all that power. However, that is another story. Anyhow, the configuration of the drivers had to be like they are because of placement and size constraint. Also, the Passive radiators were taken into consideration in order to eliminate rocking. I went through many different configuations, and this one seemed to be the most ergonomic, efficient and visually pleasing to me. I hope it all works out and they perform admirably. I tried not to cut corners once I got going, so hopefully, functionality will be high.

    I'm hoping for mid january as a finish date. We will see.

  12. I was planning on a 10-14Hz high pass for the LFE channel. I don't know whether or not I have a pre-xover. I have large and small speaker selections and crossovers for each.

    I am eventually going to have "subs" on every channel and an LFE also. Hope this helps

  13. I am a little confused. I thought that the passives were frequency driven. The passive will move tremendously while the driver will move minimally at tuning. How then does the pressure inside the box effect the passives?

    Thanks,

    Robert

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