Jump to content

Bought the wrong sub driver


peshewah

Recommended Posts

If you want, you could make a speaker grille for the front. I would select it depending on the color or veneer you choose. If you go a dark wood, cane looks nice.

 

For a nice, and indestructible finish, you can paint with Duratex. With that, a black fabric grille would look cool. If you want it to look like a piece of furniture, then you might try your hand at veneering. A walnut veneer and a cane grille would look beautiful. 

 

Keep in mind that the excursion is about 1/2" on that driver. I allowed a full inch on the motorboard offset, so you have plenty of room for a grille that the driver can't hit.

Edited by mustang guy
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FROM YOUR PM: Did you figure the box for a 12w1 or 12w3? I have the 12w1. If you figured it for a 12w3 I can call the store I bought if from and try to return it and buy the 12w3. I thought about getting the 12w3 anyway.

Those drivers will perform almost identically in this enclosure. The main difference is the V3 will handle 275 watts before reaching excursion limits at 31Hz, where the V1 will reach excursion limit at 155 watts before reaching excursion limits at about 31 Hz.

 

Here are the response and excursion graphs for your project.

 

jldrivers1v3.jpg

 

jldrivers1v3excu.jpg

Edited by mustang guy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FROM YOUR PM: Sorry if I am bugging you. Do I need to brace the motor board? Do I need to brace the vent slot? I don't mean to offend you but do you build a lot of sub? Thank you for your time

I would put a couple 1/2"x 1/2"x 4" little blocks of wood in the center of the underside of the slot. Just use glue.

 

Here is a nice bracing example. I would use your MDF in about 3-4" widths.

 

bracing.jpg

If you can get your hands on some polyfill or fiberglass insulation, you can put that in the box to make the response a bit better. About 1/2 full would do...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing to think about is mounting the driver. If you plan on using regular wood screws, you should glue little blocks of wood behind each screw point so you have 1-1/2" thickness. MDF is not too strong for screws, and if you don't do this, you should use T-Nuts. Also, make sure the seal between the driver frame and the motorboard is air tight. See speaker gasket tape if the driver does not already have it attached:  https://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-speaker-gasketing-tape-1-8-x-3-8-x-50-ft-roll--260-540

 

Here are pictures...

 

These are T-Nuts. Available at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

 

bc66c4e5_vbattach203975.jpeg

 

If you use wood screws, the mount blocks are glued under where the driver screws are.

 

mountblocks.jpg

Edited by mustang guy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The sub sounds great. Thanks Mustang Guy. My boy loves it. At first it was rather weak, but after an hour or so it got louder. Then we turned the sub towards the corner and it sounds great. I tried to apply a primer but it turned out poorly, just too cold. I sanded it off. I am going to have to wait until Spring weather. Thanks to all who gave me some input.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sub drivers have to break in a while. This is important because the VAS and CMS parameters which this enclosure is tuned for is based on the driver being broken in. I have seen figures from 40 hours to 100 hours for a good break in. BFM mentioned 400 hours for some drivers! I think that's a bit over the top, but suffice to say, it will sound better as it is used.

 

Also, the corner loading will most definitely give the fullest bass sound, but it's not necessary. It only gives you more loudness. I figure your son wanted more bass, didn't he?  :)  I have 3 sons, so I get it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...