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Building a powered subwoofer


superedge88

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I'd like to build my own subwoofer, I love to tinker, so I thought this would be a fun subject. A lot of the kits that I find in google searches are old kits that are not offered anymore. I am looking to spend less than $300 (not including the wood for the box) Is there an advantage to building my own powered subwoofer? Can I actually come out ahead in the end and have a better sounding subwoofer than if I had spent the same amount of money buying a prebuilt one? I am not a highly skilled wood worker, so if it is much more than building a simple box then I am screwed (don't have many tools) For reference I have a Klipsch SUB-10 right now and would be wanting a subwoofer that is more powerful and accurate than that.

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$300 is a very limited budet. Here only a little plate amp applies.

This said you can get surprisong performance still,I would get Mach 5 Audio new MJ18 revision 2 driver. For around $150 you have a great driver,now for ~150 you should be able to find a nice plate amp,the canadian made Bash 300 would be ok,or better an O Audio(check the best pricing)would be better as it has a PEQ built in(big advantage).I would go sealed(quite compact ~5cu ft) or ported (on the large side as EBS is the way).

An 18" with a solid 15mm Xmax(each way) beats the little Sub10 with total ease. Sealed you have a great sub,ported you have a large monster that will stomp a Sub10 or Sub12 with utter ease(output). I would gos sealed,simple to build and with the O Audio plate amp the PEQ will be there to flatten the frequency response.

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Also a reminder...

DIY Cable sells the X series sub drivers,unless I am mistaken they have the 12" and 15" on special,amazing buy. Longer throw compensates for smaller piston area.

Just to keep you informed on the various roads you can take to reach the goal.

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If you do decide on sealed remember that the big hardware stores can make the cuts for you (I think a buck a cut after the first 2) if you don't have the tools. You'll just need drill and a jigsaw minimum to make the hole cut for the driver and amp. They'll be off a tiny bit based on the skill of the employee and without a router your edges may be slightly off...but it'll do in a pinch.

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If you do decide on sealed remember that the big hardware stores can make the cuts for you (I think a buck a cut after the first 2) if you don't have the tools. You'll just need drill and a jigsaw minimum to make the hole cut for the driver and amp. They'll be off a tiny bit based on the skill of the employee and without a router your edges may be slightly off...but it'll do in a pinch.


I recently had a staff member at a lumber yard cut some plywood for me. I wanted some 15" wide pieces with a nice straight cut. When I got them home and took a closer look, I soon saw that I had a bunch of 14-7/8" pieces with a wavy cut that were basically scrap. Don't expect any kind of precision for your $2...
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  • 2 weeks later...
I would agree at that price point a home built sub would be a viable way to go. I have an existing subwoofer, a 12" DVC subwoofer from parts express and a BASH 300 plate. These came in well under $300 total, I bought a sheet of MDF for the cabinet for about $30. IMHO this unit blows away any thing you hear from the big box stores.To calculate the cabinet size you will neet to use one of the several speaker designers on the internet. I use Box Plot, you enter the speaker parameters, and it gives you a recommended box size along with port diameter and length. If you want your MDF cut to specification, another option is to contact a local cabinet maker. For a price they would be willing to make the proper cuts and they would be much more accurate than the local sales person at the big box hardware store. Another option is to purchase a hand held 'skill saw', and use a straight edge for making the cuts. That way you can 'measure once and cut twice', as I often do.

I am currently in the process of making a 15" sub for my 2 channel system. Would any one in the forum be interested in a play by play with pics of the build?

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  • 2 months later...

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