Professor.Ham.Slap Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Hey guys, I mentioned earlier about building a Tumult DIY sub. However, during my research, I stumbled across tech documents on the infinite baffle subwoofer. I've done some reading in avsforum and hometheaterforum and so far I have not been able to find a downside to this design as far sound quality and performance goes (aside from the obvious need for space. However, I'll be building the HT room in the basement, so that isn't a concern). Has anyone here had any experiance with such systems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danartdis Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Darth I have no experience with it but probably followed some of the same links that you did and I find the idea fascinating. Not only from a performance perspective but the obvious WAF advantage. If I pursued this avenue, I would have to put it in the cellar. I am not convinced I can bring myself to cutting a hole in my floor. At that point not only would I have a hole with a grate over it, but I would essentially be committed to that exact HT setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin B Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I plan to eventually have one. Over on Home Theater Forum and Home Theater Talk there are three people in particular that use them who's opinion I greatly trust. ThomasW, Rich Kraus and Jack Gilvey. All three swear by the IB design and say it is the best bass they have ever experienced (and ThomasW has a lot of experience). With the Exception of Jack, he liked the sound of the dipole sub he built better in his room. But the dipole was lacking in output ability and had a bunch of other trade offs to the point that I'm sure if Jack had to choose just one he'd go with an IB too. I'm going to eventually do it (projector and new speakers have priority for me right now) and if you can, I'm very confident you won't be disappointed with the result if you go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Like you mentioned, the biggest tradeoff has got to be the adjoining space it requires... which pretty much dictates owning your own detached home. The other tradeoff I could think of is the it's placement and fixed installation... no tweeking here... you have a nul where your chair is, you have to move the chair... That said, I'm also very intrigued by the performance possible by a IB... and will eventually go that route in my next home... To Dustin's list I'd like to also add Thomas A. Nousaine (well known subwoofer reviewer for several magazines) who also uses an IB for his personal system. Have you checked out ThomasW web page and links? worth a visit, Go for it if you can... Rob B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I've never heard an IB system, but the only thing I've seen that could be considered a downside is it's real easy to reach the excursion capabilies of a woofer. Also many people use more than one driver arranged opposite each other to cancel out mechanical forces, this can drive cost up. I sure would love to hear an IB setup. Here's a dedicated for IB questions, make sure to check out the photo gallery: Cult of the Infinitely Baffled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin B Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Still cheap in comparison to commercial. 4 Dayton IB15 drivers and a good proamp will run you $700-$800 and nothing under $2k commercial will touch it. Also don't mistake bottoming easily as a draw back. What's happening is it now takes much less power to hit the excursion limits of the driver. The amount of air moved will determine the output level. So all that has happened is you've cut your amplification costs down considerably. For the Dayon IB15, 100W per driver would be lots. So a 2x 200W into 4 ohms proamp would be oodles of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 True Also there's no need to spend money on fancy wood finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor.Ham.Slap Posted May 23, 2003 Author Share Posted May 23, 2003 ---------------- Here's a dedicated for IB questions, make sure to check out the photo gallery: Cult of the Infinitely Baffled ---------------- Yeah, that was one of the sites I did run into... I must say there is some interesting stuff going on there (although I have to say I'm not a fan of their forum layout). Hopefully by the time I need it, I'll have enough money saved for a three Tumult IB wall. Otherwise I'll probably end up going with about four Tempests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.