Sealed sub build

[LHD]

I decided to build the statements for new mains. Before I do I'd like to knock together a quick sub as my first project. I'm trying to keep this short and sweet and definitely not trying to thread spam. Forgive me if I sound needy.

I should have all the equipment I need for construction by Tuesday and hopefully will knock the construction out entirely next weekend. The box I picked was apparently designed by Neo-Dan and there are a couple detailed pics here . Since I'm at work I cant view the pics to calculate the volume due to internet proxy restrictions. I found that thread last night and it is very similar in size and shape to my current sub, which is very appealing. I'm currently planning on running it with either an EP1500 or 2500 depending on power requirements unless something more interesting is posted. I'm aware of the fan noise associated with the EP line and can deal with that later. I have leftover polyester batting from a treatment project that I'd like to use as stuffing if it makes sense.


My requirements are:
*Must be 18" driver.
*Enclosure must remain sealed.


My goals are:
*Either match or exceed my current sub in output and extension for similar price.
*If not able to match or exceed, be inexpensive.
*A driver thats appealing to the eye.
*Higher SPL in the 20hz-50hz



So I'm looking for suggestions on drivers to get me going in the right direction. With the myriad of drivers available I figure the experts here can push me in the right direction and I'll toss the specs into winISD and evaluate from there. Currently the eD driver that I'm setting as the benchmark goes for ~$250 so I'll base my CBA on that. IE if I can get 10% increase in performance for 200% the price, I'll probably go a different way. I'm not opposed to paying more for a nicer driver but only if I can justify the added expense.

19ov.2
Qts: .369
Qes: .37
Qms: 7.5
Fs: 26.00Hz
Re: 3.5
Vas: 228L
Mms: 307.0g
Bl: 22.10T*m
SPL: 90.5dB
Sd: 1200cm²
Xmax: 22.0mm
Voice Coil: 62.5mm

Magnet Width: 8.200"
Cutout Diameter: 16.375"
Mounting Depth: 9.625"
Weight: 42lb
Total Height: 10.600"
Displacement: .10 ft³
Outside Diameter: 18.375"

[ThomasW]

Generally speaking we try to discourage the use of larger drivers having poly cones. The goal is to have the cone made from the stiffest material possible, this allows the cone operation to be linear = pistonic.

Poly is one of the least stiff materials available. Better drivers have metal cones, composite plastic cones or pulp cones reinforced with epoxy impregnated kevlar (like the Maelstrom-X in the link you posted).

I know of no $250, 18" drivers to recommend

[LHD]

I know of no $250, 18" drivers to recommend

Like I said, I'm not opposed to paying more if the results are worthwhile. I dont want to buy an $800 driver for negligable increase over my baseline.

Is the maelstrom a serious upgrade over what I have?

[ThomasW]

Is the maelstrom a serious upgrade over what I have?

If we're comparing a 12" powered MTX to a Maelstrom-X, the difference would be similar to comparing a Ford Escort to a Ferrari Evo.

[LHD]

If we're comparing a 12" powered MTX to a Maelstrom-X, the difference would be similar to comparing a Ford Escort to a Ferrari Evo.

:lol: Ha. Sorry, I should have clarified. I have retired the MTX in favor of an A7s-450 which uses the 19ov.2. Thats why I set it as my baseline. The eD sub is very nice but there's always more. I know I don't have to explain that to this crowd.

I'm shocked you remembered the MTX though. :T




ETA: its also why I picked the Neo-Dan box. Its similar size to the eD (22"^3) and I can raise the WAF by keeping things symmetrical.

ETA2: I see that Adire audio is no longer with us and they've taken the Maelstrom with them. I see there is one on ebay but I'd be hard pressed to buy something with almost no support. What is comparable?

[ThomasW]

The Maelstom-X is not an Adire Audio product it's sold by Kevin Haskins.

[LHD]

So Thomas, would you put the Maelstrom-X in a 6.5cf sealed box or would you seek a different driver?

[DeathMonk]

The opinion around here is the Maelstrom-X is one bad mofo. I don't think you could go wrong there.

[ThomasW]

I'm not aware of a better driver for the money. And the link you posted has the box designed for a Maelstrom-X

[LHD]

The opinion around here is the Maelstrom-X is one bad mofo. I don't think you could go wrong there.

Thats what I'm looking for.

I'm not aware of a better driver for the money. And the link you posted has the box designed for a Maelstrom-X

Done.

[LHD]

How would you drive them with the EP2500? They're a 3 ohm speaker and the amp puts out 1200 watts per channel into 2 ohms.

I gotta say, I've kinda got the bug to build 2 and drive them with both channels.

[shame302]

not sure about WAF but have you considered dual 15s.

for a friend of mine i built a pair of those cubes (that drawing) for tempest x subs. they are powered by the ep2500 and are just awesome. they did need a sub sonic filter, something mine needed as well below 20hrz but they are prett linear , sound super with both HT and music and at the price point would be an incredable bargan that would be very hard to beat.

i started with one powered by the bash 500 plate amp. my buddy bought me another driver for my building efforts and im running both or them now off of the plate amp with suprisingly great results. i was planning on the ep2500 but i dont need it.

Kevin is a decent guy and he will take care of you.

[LHD]

not sure about WAF but have you considered dual 15s.

for a friend of mine i built a pair of those cubes (that drawing) for tempest x subs. they are powered by the ep2500 and are just awesome. they did need a sub sonic filter, something mine needed as well below 20hrz but they are prett linear , sound super with both HT and music and at the price point would be an incredable bargan that would be very hard to beat.

i started with one powered by the bash 500 plate amp. my buddy bought me another driver for my building efforts and im running both or them now off of the plate amp with suprisingly great results. i was planning on the ep2500 but i dont need it.

Kevin is a decent guy and he will take care of you.

Why go for two 15"s instead of two 18"s?

[Blktre]

Kevin Haskins told me the Tempest X wont be back till at least Feb. 09 with a slight redesign. Price will also be raised 15% from current pricing. Fwiw....

[NateTTU]

This is the same sub I plan on going with my statements ht. I had the oppurtunity to speak with Kevin, Will, and Dan and this sounds like a really great option for those looking to get a small sealed sub. I'm very exicted to get started, now all I have to do is wait until the Mal-X gets back in stock and ships.

BTW, to anyone that wishes to buy the Mal-X have Kevin post it on ebay for you so you can take advantage of the current live.com 25% cashback offer. I got mine for $305 shipped to here in TX.

How would you drive them with the EP2500? They're a 3 ohm speaker and the amp puts out 1200 watts per channel into 2 ohms.

I gotta say, I've kinda got the bug to build 2 and drive them with both channels.

I'm not sure what your really asking but I spoke with Will, the guy whose thread is mentioned in the fist post, and he is powering his sealed sub with a XS900. That amp provides a little more power than the EP2500 does (bridged) and he says the amp always gives up before the sub. So apparently this thing can drink tons of power so I wouldn't worry about over powering, but rather not giving it enough power.

Nate

Edit: Does anyone know of a good quality RCA to XLR cable? Apparently the people over at AVS say the monoprice gives out a slight hum.

[mike93lx]

i got some xlr to rca cables at a local Guitar Center for short money that have worked out well. I believe a 2M cable was under $10.

[LHD]

Kevin Haskins told me the Tempest X wont be back till at least Feb. 09 with a slight redesign. Price will also be raised 15% from current pricing. Fwiw....

I'll call them tomorrow and see if I can get more info. The website still says they'll be back this month. I'll post here what I find out.

This is the same sub I plan on going with my statements ht. I had the oppurtunity to speak with Kevin, Will, and Dan and this sounds like a really great option for those looking to get a small sealed sub. I'm very exicted to get started, now all I have to do is wait until the Mal-X gets back in stock and ships.

BTW, to anyone that wishes to buy the Mal-X have Kevin post it on ebay for you so you can take advantage of the current live.com 25% cashback offer. I got mine for $305 shipped to here in TX.



I'm not sure what your really asking but I spoke with Will, the guy whose thread is mentioned in the fist post, and he is powering his sealed sub with a XS900. That amp provides a little more power than the EP2500 does (bridged) and he says the amp always gives up before the sub. So apparently this thing can drink tons of power so I wouldn't worry about over powering, but rather not giving it enough power.

Nate

Edit: Does anyone know of a good quality RCA to XLR cable? Apparently the people over at AVS say the monoprice gives out a slight hum.

Fantastic info. I'll try that ebay deal too.

[LHD]

I spoke to Kevin today. What a great guy. He said he has an order being delivered at the end of the month but its most likely already spoken for. Another order will be following it sometime in Feb. He agreed to post an ebay auction for me since I'm in no hurry to collect them. He was full of info and eager to share.

[shame302]

Why go for two 15"s instead of two 18"s?

awesome performance for half the cost.

18s them selves are almost 2 times the cost of one tempest.

each 18 mealstrom is going to have to be run by its own ep2500 (they like 2k w) so 2 of those where as one will power 2 tempests sufficiently.

[eyekode]

The Maelstrom-X can be put in a very small ~4.3 ft^3 box sealed (which is really odd for an 18" that plays low!).

But if you are building a 6.5ft^3 box you should consider porting or doing a passive radiator design.

Without a doubt this is a better driver than you currently have but if you want significant SPL changes you need to port the box.

Or run both your existing sub and the new one sealed. Just swapping them out you may be underwhelmed with the difference.

[LHD]

awesome performance for half the cost.

18s them selves are almost 2 times the cost of one tempest.

each 18 mealstrom is going to have to be run by its own ep2500 (they like 2k w) so 2 of those where as one will power 2 tempests sufficiently.

Hmm. I really wanted a set of three 18s. Since it will be some time before the Maelstroms are available I have time to decide.

The Maelstrom-X can be put in a very small ~4.3 ft^3 box sealed (which is really odd for an 18" that plays low!).

But if you are building a 6.5ft^3 box you should consider porting or doing a passive radiator design.

Without a doubt this is a better driver than you currently have but if you want significant SPL changes you need to port the box.

Or run both your existing sub and the new one sealed. Just swapping them out you may be underwhelmed with the difference.

I've been agonizing over whether to build my statements sealed or ported. I generally prefer the sound of sealed but there's always the peformance of ported. I saw a design in the original statements thread that had a pair of sealed statements mounted on top of a pair of sealed subs with reportedly very good results. I was all set to go that route but now I'm second guessing it.

How difficult would it be to slot port that 6.5cf box? Should I just find a new box design? Dan's box was the perfect size. Id really like a front firing box that digs down to 20hz.

ETA: Just found Dan's original 18" driver box thread with the slot ported model. Looks like I'll be building 2 of those and some ported statements ala Mark's double port design.

[shame302]

if i had to build the statements again, id probably build them sealed. with a sub they just dont need the low end extention. i was actually thinking about making mine sealed but in reality, i doubt one gives up much to the other. they sound amazing.

[LHD]

if i had to build the statements again, id probably build them sealed. with a sub they just dont need the low end extention. i was actually thinking about making mine sealed but in reality, i doubt one gives up much to the other. they sound amazing.

Oh now dont tell me that. :P


As of right now I'm going to build them ported. I can always seal the ports if I dont like the sound. The extra cabinet volume seems to not make a difference.