tankhokie Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Just got the RF3, RC3, RS3 II system up and running and it sounds...ohhh . I however want more LFE to my movies and have two 12 sub drivers laying around that I am thinking about producing a DIY project (while the old wallet gets a breather). So here are my 2 q's: I am probably going sealed, what would a passive radiator do for me if I built two boxes w/driver and radiator in each vs. one box with two drivers or two boxes with just one driver in each? What is the deal on buying used theatre subs? Anyway thanks for the help and once the wallet catches its breath, I will probably knock it out again with the RSW 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin B Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 What are these two 12" drivers? Without proper T/S parameters it's very difficult to determine what should be built for the enclosure. A passive radiator does the exact same thing a port does. Just in a different way. In general the only reason to go with a passive radiator is when the driver is designed to work in an enclosure that is too small to fit sufficient porting in. How much porting is required is dependant on how much volume the driver can displace. What the passive radiator or port will gain you is delaying roll off. You can maintain the subs' output level to a lower frequency before it falls off. The trade off is once it starts to fall off, it will fall off twice as fast as the sealed enclosure (when a port is used; PRs fall off even a little faster). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankhokie Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 Here lies the problem, they are older drivers that were used in car audio back in the day...and I can't find the specs on them to match the cabinet. I hooked them up in the enclosure that rode in the trunk of my car for years and they sounded good if cut at 80, anything higher and it was boomy and I begin to lose pictures on my mantle. My thought was play safe w/a sealed box and let it ride, but I hate to dirty up the superior sound of the reference series. I just don't want to toss a lot of money at a mid-level sub when I know the inevitable RSW12 is on the way some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin B Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Well if building the box doesn't scare you. And I assume you have the amplification already in place for the 12" drivers you were going to use. What would that amplification be anyways? There are several drivers in the $100-$400 range designed for home use that in a well built enclosure will easily be able to compete if not vastly surpass the RSW12. Let me know how you were going to power the 12" drivers (8 and 4 ohm wattage values as well as how many channels would be useful) and then I'll tell you what drivers I think would work best with the available power. If you don't mind large enclosures, even if you buy the amplification and the driver, you can complete a sub for ~$400 that should easily compete with the RSW12 (it will even destroy the RSW12 in the last octave). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankhokie Posted October 22, 2002 Author Share Posted October 22, 2002 the amp that I am using is a Luxman ? not sure of the power rating (older too) it is just a "block amp" and the subs are 4 ohm MTX competition series...cant find the model # but I am sure it is on the back of the magnet, just haven't pulled them out of their box. The amp will handle those fine but will break if forced to drive any other speakers...so it is perfect for the job of driving the subs. I was amazed at the sound of the RSW 12 and wonder if I can get the same out of a DIY box w/the MTX. I can't discern the difference between quality of bass, all it is to me is either boomy or not, and loud or quiet. So am I right in assuming that w/o the right specs, the box I may build would lack certain freq ranges and drop off sooner than desired??? Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin B Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Without T/S for the drivers it's a craps shoot. You may get lucky, you may not. If you are willing to build several enclosures you will be more likely to find one that works well. The other thing you can do is measure the drivers yourself. I'm not versed on how to do this, but basic T/S parameters aren't hard to measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankhokie Posted October 23, 2002 Author Share Posted October 23, 2002 Good point, I have been reading up on SVS Ultra's vs. the reference series subs. I think I may try out the measuring myself and see if I can't build something that will work. The only missing piece is the equipment to measure the box's freq range...any suggs? If the box is too far lacking, I may start seriously looking for a store bought sub. It is interesting to read all the threads on SVS Ultra's versus RSW's. I think between either one, I can't go wrong...I just wish I could hear an SVS in a showroom like the RSW before making the decision. Know of any places or are they all online sellers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin B Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 There is only one online retailer of SVS. And no stores. The only way to hear one besides eating the return shipping is to find someone local to you willing to demo (unless you deside to keep it). This site may or maynot help with that: http://www.audioenvy.com/default.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankhokie Posted October 24, 2002 Author Share Posted October 24, 2002 Nice, just too bad nobody near me has signed up for a demo. Thanks for the site. Oh well, gonna have to get out the tools and get to building. I'll post some pics if it is worth seeing...if not, probably eat the s/h and test drive a svs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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