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Basement is a subwoofer !


Fish

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I was looking at different subs a while back and found a really wild website.This guy was a speaker builder and turned his basement into a gigantic sub.He used cocrete,wire and stucco to shape giant horns.If any of you have seen this and remember the sites address please let me know.thanks

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I think i know which one you are speaking of... i saw it on an italian site...

http://www.royaldevice.com/custom3.htm

I thought i'd post a couple of the specs on this beast: 9.gif

* SUBWOOFER horns are built underneath the floor in a cavity of 1 meter deep. Each horn is driven by 8 x 18" (47 cm) woofers. A total of 16 woofers.

* Each horn is 9.5 meters long and has a floor mouth area of 2.2 square meters and reproduce starting from 10 Hertz FULL POWER. The real mouth area IS NOT the one on the floor. The real mouth have to be considered together with the side vertical frontal panel. The total horn is calculated onto the listening point considering the side walls and the ceiling loadings. This reduces the floor mouth that is not in open air.

* Total efficiency: more than 110 dB/1 watt/1 meter

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http://www.royaldevice.com/custom3.htm

I believe this is what you are talking about. Didn't use his basement, just built the room with a 1m space below to house the two giant horn mouths. Also didn't use wire and stucco, that's brick and other assorted masonry.

Don't think I'll every do something like that, but I won't say every. But there is a significantly higher probability I'll do an infinite baffle.

http://www.f20.parsimony.net/forum36475/ and in case you miss it on that page, here's the link to pictures of many different IB installs http://t-3.cc/users/audioworx/page100IB-Gallery.html

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Dustin,

These IB subs are very interesting,the only major drawback I see is vibration of the walls.In the ideal world the walls would be as rigid as Krell MRS cabinet walls.Then the IB would be my choice too,but in the real works the thin gypse walls and the weak 2 x 4 supporting the gypse are weak and will vibrate.

Serious reinforcements are needed to eliminate audible artifacts.Still its simple work and not too expensive(materials).

I like the first two designs and the one using SVS(TcSounds)woofers.Maybe I should go IB.I have a nice storage room that could be transformed into a sub. 1.gif

ThomasW's 12 woofer monster is something else,just imagine using SVS TV12 woofers.Or woofers like the Tumult.Absolute overboard subsonic nirvana.

1.gif

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Adire, Stryke and Parts Express all have drivers that would work really well for IB use.

In a balanced manifold arrangement the drivers cancel all mechanical forces on the wall. But if the amount of air being moved causes the walls to vibrate won't matter if it's an IB or a box sub in the room. So really in my opinion that concern of yours is a moot point.

If money isn't an issue load up on Tumults, they'll kick the crap out of an equivalent number of TV12 drivers. If money is only sort of a problem go with Stryke AV15 drivers. Use enough to get over 20L of Vd and in a moderately sized room you'll have sick levels of bass with a quality level that will put any of the subs you claim to own in second place.

If money is a big concern $400 will get you 4 of the PE 15IB drivers. And there aren't many commercial subs at any price that could compete with the output and sound quality of that setup, so you kind of get the idea of what the AV15 or Tumult IB subs could do.

The only real concern you could have is to make sure (that is if you actually do this which for some reason I just don't think you actually will) that space you speak of is large enough. The rule of thumb is a minimum of 4x the combined Vas of the drivers being used. This is not ideal however, preferrably you want 10x or more the combined Vas of the drivers.

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Yes the balanced manifold arrangement will negate mechanical forces on the wall,however most of the designs use single drivers.All serious designs use multiple drivers firing at each other.

Would I build a IB sub,yes...if I had my own house.Its not ideal in any apartament.Even one with solid concrete separations.

I have to buy my own house,then the IB is on top of my to do list.

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You have your subwoofers in an apartment ?! 6.gif Even a concrete structure has a good share of acoustic weak points (I know from designing / building them)... I can't imagine what the neighbours think of you !

1) First step, buy your self the ultimate music room accessory... a detached home... 9.gif

2) Then I'd follow Dustin's recommendations, probably with 4 AV15's in an IB and 2000W @ 3000W of power... should get you dangerously loud and flat.

IB are theoretically great... even Thomas Nousaine (the sub man) uses one.

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I stand corrected... you are right about overpowering them. I didn't run them on a simulator and so i forgot to factor in the box size(very large 2.gif )

Correct me if i'm wrong, but with 1000W they shouldn't bottom out till below 16Hz and 1250W (315W each) would get below 18Hz ?

I guess it depends on how low you want to go...

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"You have your subwoofers in an apartment ?! "

Damn right,below me I have audiophile/SPL philes so it does not bother them.Above,well nobody ever compalined.

The building is built like a bunker,thick maconry and reinforced concrete all around.A deam apartament for audiophiles.Well almost

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Maron H.,

All I can do is LOL

These kids should reinforce the sections where the woofers are installed.You just dont cut holes and mound woofers and think it will all go as planed.Damn some people are slow

Before I do such work the wall will be greatly reinforced and a 3/4" thick sheet of plywood will be used,the frame will be souped up to 2*8 from the lousy 2*4' in the wall.You dont build a tank around a car.The frame and the "plating" has to match.

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