Building my first sub

[augmont]

I'd like to build a sub to cause I like to build things and I feel I can do it for less while adding some WAF finishes to the sub.

My goal is to have a sub primarily for HT (95%) that's tuned to 20hz. My family doesn't like it loud but I'm trying to convert them.

I'd like to keep my budget for the driver and amp around $400. I'm not that concerned with the cost of MDF, port, supplies as the finish is yet to be decided by my wife. I'd like to build a taller sub as linear real estate is mucho valuable in our current setup. The size of the driver i thought would be good is was 12". I looked at TC Sounds and eD but don't know enough to know which one is better.

Is it possible to build a sub with those goals at a cost of $400 for driver and sub? What driver do you recommend? I thought of a BASH amp but read somewhere about the one or two resistors needing to be replaced (probably need to read a little more). I don't know enough about the Dayton, eD, or Rythmik amps to comment on.

I'm not at all opposed to copying someone else's as my passion is in the construction end of building a sub.

[augmont]

I'd like to build a sub to cause I like to build things and I feel I can do it for less while adding some WAF finishes to the sub.

My goal is to have a sub primarily for HT (95%) that's tuned to 20hz. My family doesn't like it loud but I'm trying to convert them.

I'd like to keep my budget for the driver and amp around $400. I'm not that concerned with the cost of MDF, port, supplies as the finish is yet to be decided by my wife. I'd like to build a taller sub as linear real estate is mucho valuable in our current setup. The size of the driver i thought would be good is was 12". I looked at TC Sounds and eD but don't know enough to know which one is better.

Is it possible to build a sub with those goals at a cost of $400 for driver and sub? What driver do you recommend? I thought of a BASH amp but read somewhere about the one or two resistors needing to be replaced (probably need to read a little more). I don't know enough about the Dayton, eD, or Rythmik amps to comment on.

I'm not at all opposed to copying someone else's as my passion is in the construction end of building a sub.

Anyone?

[ThomasW]

You budget is in the no-mans-land between cheap and OK. If you could bump it up a little you could have something quite nice.

IMO eD doesn't make anything worth considering, and PE really doesn't have anything that's price competitive.

The TC-Sounds TC-1000 is probably the 'best' driver in your price range.

Personally I wouldn't buy any plate amp, I think they're a bad long term investment. If that's all you can live with then buy the most powerful one you can afford.

The reality is that subs should be designed to the size of the room, distance to the listening position and desired output level, not a fixed budget....

[JasonB]

The reality is that subs should be designed to the size of the room, distance to the listening position and desired output level, not a fixed budget....

Ahhh, it would sure be nice to enjoy this hobby without the constraints of a budget.

For anyone building a powered sub on a budget Parts Express has a very good price on their 500 watt BASH amp right now.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-752

That and a TC sounds TC-1000 12" would be well under your budget and should provide pretty good performance.

Jason

[augmont]

You budget is in the no-mans-land between cheap and OK. If you could bump it up a little you could have something quite nice.

IMO eD doesn't make anything worth considering, and PE really doesn't have anything that's price competitive.

The TC-Sounds TC-1000 is probably the 'best' driver in your price range.

Personally I wouldn't buy any plate amp, I think they're a bad long term investment. If that's all you can live with then buy the most powerful one you can afford.

The reality is that subs should be designed to the size of the room, distance to the listening position and desired output level, not a fixed budget....

I totally forgot that I have a Crest CPX 1500 at my disposal. Would that work?

If this amp does work, I'd like to maximize it's power. What driver(s) would you recommend?

CPX1500

Specifications:
Power Rating 8 Ohm Stereo: 300 Watts
Power Rating 4 Ohm Stereo: 500 Watts
Power Rating 2 Ohm Stereo: 750 Watts
Power Rating 8 Ohm Bridge: 1000 Watts
Power Rating 4 Ohm Bridge: 1500 Watts
Distortion: <0.01 SMPTE-IM
Output Circuitry: Class AB
Current Draw: 7.0 Amperes
Weight: 45 Lbs
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Input Impedance Unbalanced: 10 k ohms
Cooling: Dual Speed Fan
Input Connectors: XLR, TRS, Barrier Strip
Output Connectors: 5 Way Binding Posts (MDP) & (3) Speakon
Rack Units: 2 U
Crossover Frequency: 150 Hz
Input Impedance Balanced: 10 k ohms

[ThomasW]

I totally forgot that I have a Crest CPX 1500 at my disposal. Would that work?

You bet.... :T

Now how big of an enclosure can you live with?

Do you want a 'tube' sub or a box sub?

Ported or sealed?

[Dennis H]

Okay, now we're talking! That Crest is way better than most plate amps. You could buy a 12" or 15" TC2000 and an optional but recommended Behringer EQ and still be under budget. The 15" can move almost twice as much air as the 12" and only costs a few bucks more so it's a better choice if you can find room for it.

http://www.tcsounds.com/tc2000.htm

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?Partnumber=248-656

[PoorboyMike]

I'm currently using a TC12 OEM (very similar to the TC2000) in a 3 ft^3 (net) box tuned to 18hz with a 30" long 4" PE port kit. I'm powering it with a 500w bash amp. The output is similar to my sealed 1503 sub and it sounds pretty darn good to my ears. If I had to pick between the 2 of them though, I think I would go with the sealed 15.

So my opinion would be, if you don't want to go much larger than 3-4 ft^3, go with the 15" TC2000 in a sealed box.

[augmont]

You bet.... :T

Now how big of an enclosure can you live with?

Do you want a 'tube' sub or a box sub?

Ported or sealed?

I like to go with a 15" driver and build a sealed box at this time so the enclosure can stay small. My current setup up doesn't allow for a whole lot of room and will need to remain behind the TV. Down the road (hopefully in a larger house), I'd like to build a bigger tube or ported box with the same driver and have it tuned lower. Is this possible?

[ThomasW]

The EBP (efficiency bandwidth product) is a good reference as to the recommended alignment for a given driver....

For decision is the EBP useful: The Efficiency-Bandwidth-Product is quotient of fs and Qes

or you use this: X = fs/Qts

With X you can recognize the best or a good combination of the loudspeaker to the acoustic system.

X <= 40 Transmissionline (TML)
X about. 50 (40...80) Sealed systems
X about. 60 (50...100) Bandpass-systems
X about 100 (80...120) Reflex (vented) systems
X>= 120 for Horn systems

As one can surmise there is overlap between alignments if the driver is chosen correctly.