Best DIY subwoofer?

[CECAA850]

55 minutes ago, Rudy81 said:

What layout would you guys recommend?  Stacked subs one pair on each side of main area as pictured above, or spread them out across the front of the room unstacked?

Ideally one in the center of each wall.

[Rudy81]

Thanks Carl,

Unfortunately, that is not possible with these behemoth cabs.  I am looking at just two options.  Stacking two each on either side of mains or spread evenly along front of room.

[CECAA850]

13 minutes ago, Rudy81 said:

Thanks Carl,

Unfortunately, that is not possible with these behemoth cabs.  I am looking at just two options.  Stacking two each on either side of mains or spread evenly along front of room.

Spread them out then.

[CECAA850]

No way to put one in each corner?  That's the second best option. 

[ClaudeJ1]

2 hours ago, Rudy81 said:

What layout would you guys recommend?  Stacked subs one pair on each side of main area as pictured above, or spread them out across the front of the room unstacked?

Read Todd Welti's paper from JBL or see what Dr. Earl Geddes says about subs.

 

AudioScience.pdf

[Rudy81]

The only location available is up front, next to or around the front main channels.

[Khornukopia]

13 hours ago, Rudy81 said:

 

 

That looks really good. 

[Rudy81]

The stacked option basically mimics one sub with higher output.  Even with just one sub I should have plenty of output, so getting more dB is not necessarily a priority.  I was thinking that spreading them out as a 'wall' of subs would reduce the room modes better than just having them stacked.

[Khornukopia]

Have you done what I believe is called "the sub crawl", with a subwoofer placed at the main listening position and playing tones as you walk around the room to find the strongest response?

[Rudy81]

Just now, Khornukopia said:

Have you done what I believe is called "the sub crawl", with a subwoofer placed at the main listening position and playing tones as you walk around the room to find the strongest response?

Yes I have.  I know the best location for subs near the front right and left corners. 

[ClaudeJ1]

2 hours ago, Rudy81 said:

What layout would you guys recommend?  Stacked subs one pair on each side of main area as pictured above, or spread them out across the front of the room unstacked?

Definitely spread them out. It's the only way to combat the MODAL response of the ROOM. In other words, a bunch of "little subs" against walls and corners, ALWAYS beats one big sub anywhere else.

[Khornukopia]

It would be interesting to learn what you think of the sound with them spread across the front, and a picture of how that looks. I know it is not easy to move those massive cabinets, but we are cheering you on.

[RoboKlipsch]

spread will give more consistency left to right

 

if stacking height modes can be tamed if 2 could be raised up higher than just stacked, something in between, say a stand or shelf

 

subs in back or on sides provides better front to back consistency

 

nice looking speakers!

 

i would use the front corners no matter what else you decide...but that doesnt have to mean against the wall

[Rudy81]

Here is a picture of the front.  Will try spacing them out first and go from there.  I need to figure out how to feed the subs via the active xovers.  Previously I used one RSW-15 with each main and dual SPUDS for the LFE. 

[Rudy81]

It took a while to integrate the subs with the L, R & C mains as well as the LFE channel.  Integration with the main channels went well.  I thought I may not have to do more than just set the xover and integrate the subs, but that was not the case.  The current Audyssey Pro settings have the bass, particularly in LFE, boosted way too much with these subs replacing the old setup.

 

I will have to run Audyssey Pro again with the new subs in order to get things properly balanced.  Those four 18" drivers can move some air!  Way more output than the 8" drivers in the tapped horns I had before in the LFE channel.

 

This is a slow process.....

[Rudy81]

For a while yesterday I was wondering if this project had been a colossal waste of time and money. Frankly, I just had way too much bass that I could not tame. 

 

Today, I started by carefully looking at all my active xover settings.  Turns out I had a LF shelf on most of the mains and on the SPUD feeds.  So....set everything to flat, rechecked the driver integration and once that was done it was time to run Audyssey Pro.

 

After all day working on this, I am extremely pleased with the result.  The 4 subs spread out across the front sound really good.  At least some of the room modes are reduced with that setup.  Audyssey Pro still thinks my sub is too strong and trims it by -12db ( even though I had cheated and reduced the amp gain for the subs), but that is something I can fix in the settings.  I have never had bass this strong and clean in my media room.  Turns out it wasn't a waste of time and I'm really glad I did the project. The picture is the final layout. As you can see, I took the grille's off the open baffle bins to better match the Subs. I was going to build grilles for the subs, but I kinda like the look.

 

If anyone wants a pair of SPUD clone cabinets....come and get 'em. If there is interest in the drivers, we can work something out. The SPUD drivers are Tang Band W8-740P.

 

[CECAA850]

28 minutes ago, Rudy81 said:

If anyone wants a pair of SPUD clone cabinets....come and get 'em. If there is interest in the drivers, we can work something out. The SPUD drivers are Tang Band W8-740P

How much do you want for the drivers and cabinets?  I have a son in law who might be interested.  You can PM me as not to muck up your thread.

 

Glad they turned out as you had hoped!

[rockhound]

Impressive setup, very nicely thought out,congrats.

[Khornukopia]

Good job!

[Jirachi]

What are some other common DIY subs besides the Full Marty?