MichaelShaffer Posted September 28, 2003 Share Posted September 28, 2003 I want a DIY sub that sounds good for music, is that possible? Would a 15" Tempest be capable of sounding good for music and not being boomy? Also, would a 15" be too big to go with my Klipsch RB-35s (8" bookshelf speakers). My main goal is something fast and tight.. if I made a Tempest sub could it sound better for music than a VTF-2? Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted September 28, 2003 Share Posted September 28, 2003 Sure thing,as with all subs if the design is good and material used well you will have a very musical sub. 1.The woofer should be used in a cabinet with the proper volume and porting(if ported) 2.The cabinet must be braced where it may resonate. 3.The amp should be EQ'd as needed to create as flat a freq.response as possible in the room the sub is being used.All subs need an EQ.No sub will be flat in room.This is why the best subs come with parametric EQ's and some even have an electronic EQ processor to take care of the dips and bumps in the response after desired placement is found. This way you will not have any audible and irritating BOOM. Remember a sub with no EQ is not flat,does not matter if you use a POS Sony WM40 or the SVS B4-Plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manuel Delaflor Posted September 28, 2003 Share Posted September 28, 2003 It can be as good as anything commercially available at a really small price (relatively speaking). The trick is to do it right, you need to do the proper calculations and take care of resonances, that's about it. About the EQ, I agree with ears to some extent. Another way to do it right is to calibrate your system using an RTA, the phase control on the subwoofer and playing A LOT with location to find the best, flattest possible sound. I don't use an EQ and my system is almost flat down to 21Hz, the biggest peak I have is about 3dB at 50Hz, not perfect, but still really good (I have to mention that I have a dedicated room, just for my stereo system, this way my speakers and my sub are placed where they sound best, not where the wife wants them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 ---------------- I want a DIY sub that sounds good for music, is that possible? ---------------- Yes, definitely... ---------------- Would a 15" Tempest be capable of sounding good for music ---------------- Yes again... ---------------- and not being boomy? ---------------- Yes, tempest is a nice driver... I would use the "adire aligement" if the room is available as it will give you a very flat responce, with great extension. Also, like already mentioned room resonance is the main culprit in making a sub "boomy" ---------------- Also, would a 15" be too big to go with my Klipsch RB-35s (8" bookshelf speakers). ---------------- You don't have to run you sub "hot" (louder than the mains)... if you balance it with your RBs... it'll blend right in and keep up with the larger peaks you may have. Crossover you RB35 into the tempest and they be relieved of their bass duties, sound cleaner and go louder. ---------------- if I made a Tempest sub could it sound better for music than a VTF-2? ---------------- Although I haven't heard the two side by side... firepinch has, and voted for the tempest hands down. Said it went lower, cleaner and more powerfull... basically a better sub for a lot less $. Look up his thread with "tempest sub" in the title... Good luck... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Something else that will make it sound better is taking lots of pictures of your build process and sharing with your Klipsch buddies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mlstrass Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 I would go to the Adire website and check out their Tempest alignments, hard to go wrong with advice directly from the source. I have a ported dual Tempest sonosube that's tuned to 17Hz, but it's still very tight and accurate when playing music. The Tempest is around 97% as fast as the Shiva I believe, specs are on the Adire site. It's a great sub... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 I think it gets down to a issue of value. If you build a $1,000 sub with parts and plans designed by professionals (all the Adire stuff) - you will probably get a $3,000 subwoofer - however, a so-so 12" woofer in a 'box' will probably sound like a woofer in a 'box', not a subwoofer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 ---------------- On 9/29/2003 10:48:56 AM m00n wrote: Something else that will make it sound better is taking lots of pictures of your build process and sharing with your Klipsch buddies. ---------------- Hey Moon, I'm doing that with my Stryke AV15 sonotubes. You can definitely build a musical DIY sub. If music is your main concern, then you should consider building a sealed subwoofer. The different DIY subs I've had in my system sound better than most commercial subs I've heard. Now my dual vented AV15's are quite simply the best bass I've ever heard. The main cause of what makes a sub boomy or not is your room. A sub eq can make a HUGE difference in teh perceived "musicality" of a subwoofer if used correctly. After using and eq for my subs, I now consider it a necessity. I use a Behringer Feedback Destroyer and it only cost me $120. I think you should work this into your sub budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Frankie like I told the people before and again...EQ EQ EQ and proper use of the EQ is key to get good bass.As rooms vary too much and some who have a quite flat bass response are few and most will not be as favored. I started using the EQ too,an I am no EQ fanatic(remember the gorgeous smiling EQ preset?). With a well dialed EQ any peaks and dips are gone and the sonic satisfaction goes way up. Today most true High End subs ship with parametric EQ's and some even have electronic EQ's to even out the response(the new Velodyne 1812 and HGS replacements use this trick).Just for this reason I may buy the new HGS18 replacement,besides it will complement my HGS18. Take even a basic sub and adjust the parametric EQ well,the boom is gone,definition back.Unless its a WM40(here even a green elf will not help) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurdy_gurdyman Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Here are some interesting links to a very clean type of subwoofer, the most natual sound I've heard so far. These OB subs have far less room interation then other types. http://www.diysubwoofers.org/dipole/ http://home.swbell.net/taama/john.html http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmitglied.lycos.de%2FMundU%2Faudio%2Fdipolsubwoofer.htm&lp=de_en&tt=url http://www.euronet.nl/users/temagm/audio/dipolesub.htm Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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