Quick question on cheap sub drivers

[Moejoe]

Hi guys,

Sorry, a really boring one I know. my question is probably better suited in a different forum but everyone here has been so helpful on my other project. I'm in the middle of building some overnight sensation mtm/mt's for my parents living room and need to sort a subwoofer out.

I'm looking at keeping it as close to 200gbp as possible I know this is going to be bargain bucket build, but they dont want anything fancy.

The choice for plate amps here in the UK is pretty slim for low end, pretty much the only one thats realistic is the Monacor SAM-300D (250W).

There's also not much choice for driver's to keep it in budget. an 8" dayton reference RSS210, The Dayton classic series and the DVC series from 8-12" or Monacor SPH series 8-12".

The room is approx 12'x12'x9'deep, I would be looking at a max volume of 100L but preferably a bit smaller. I'm thinking maybe 10" ported or 12" sealed.

The use would be 50/50 HT and music however my dad listens to quite frankly terrible music far too loud so this needs to be considered.

Do you guys have any advice for me on driver choice for this? Is this even worth it at this price range or would I be better off looking for some second hand, out the box sub?

Hope you dont mind helping me out and I greatly appreciate any advice.

[IslandHydro]

. . . .

[knifeinthesink]

might be of interest:

http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk/peerless-sls-830668-diameter263mm-667-p.asp

google the tarkus speaker, and linkwitz' pluto for info about use. Im sure you can find more if you search. Not a lot available at this price that I'm aware of although I haven't been following recent developments.

[Moejoe]

Thanks for the response guys. in terms of size I did say 100Litres but that would be absolute tops, I'm looking at about a 40x50x60cm box. And loud is more important than deep though I would like to get down to about 30Hz. (not sure this is realistic with cheapy drivers).

I am aware of the tarkus, I so very nearly built them for myself as they look great fun but I wanted a surround sound system so I'm building a set of khanspires/in-khanneoto's instead. Isnt that peerless driver more of a woofer than a subwoofer though with a freq range of 40Hz-2000Hz?

I'm happy to play about in unibox and find an enclosure that works for me, I was just wandering more if anyone had experience with the Dayton DVC or Dayton Classic series subwoofers and could comment on them? Also which would be more appropriate, 10" ported vs 12" sealed. I would guess that 12" sealed would be preferable for SPL over Depth?

Thanks again, I greatly appreciate the input

[BobEllis]

Efficient, deep or small, pick two. You may find a 12" slightly more efficient than smaller drivers. If you want loud and deep, consider a bit of EQ - lots of plate amps have some built in. Safer sealed than ported but...

You might also look at used pro bass drivers. My first sub was based on a JBL-2245H, which normally tuned was good to the mid 30s, but in a big (250 L less bracing and BIG port) box tuned to 24 Hz and 6 dB of boost was pretty flat down to the mid 20s. The bonus with pro drivers is they tend to be very efficient (the 2245H was 95 dB/watt, it's replacement the 2241 is 98 dB bur they're 18" drivers), so a small plate amp won't run out of steam with boost applied reasonably. IIRC, often plate amp EQ boosts right where you are targeting, mid 30s. JBL's 2206 is a 12" but the Fs is too high to make 35 Hz. You could go with a small cabinet and operate below its 56 Hz Fs, there is someone who does that. That may be a problem with pro drivers at 12", they are really mid-bass drivers.

[Moejoe]

Thanks again for the advice, I decided to stick with the 12" Dayton DVC for a cheap option, It should be ample for overnight sensations.

I also ordered a Dayton rss390hf 15" for my main tower system, I'm hoping you guys wouldn't mind answering a few quick questions on that as well (didn't feel like it warranted a new thread).

I would really like to be able to switch between ported/sealed (music is the real focus here so sealed is a must, I'm looking at a 5 cubic feet volume. Does anyone know a simple way to achieve this without just plugging the port? I could do it with an actuator/hinged plate internally but I'm just curious to know what other people have done.

Does a slot port need to be flush with the baffle?

When calculating the volume of a ported enclosure you subtract the port volume, does this stand true when plugging a port for a sealed enclosure?

I appreciate your time greatly, and I promise this should be my last question(s)

[Moejoe]

Howdy Folks, Sorry to keep pestering you, but ignore the previous questions,

Instead could you just tell me if doing the slot port as I have is fine or does the internal mouth of the port need to be flush with the interior walls?
Doing it this way will make it much easier for me to make a plate that can seal the port. (Ignore the terrible bracing, It's late!)

Thanks again

[scottvalentin]

Nothing wrong with that construction. It doesn't have to be flush with the walls. Nice looking cabinet drawing! Are you just going to put a plate of wood the size of the slot port opening in there to plug it?

Also, don't apologize for any questions! Questions are good and can help you and any others who are thinking of asking the same thing!

[Moejoe]

Perfect Scott, Thanks. I wasn't sure if it would change the port length, though I assumed it would be negligible if it did.

Thats why I want it away from the wall a bit, I'm going to use an actuator or a motor with a plate to open and close the port with a switch. Kind of pointless really, the volume favours sealed and this is mainly for music but hey why not?

[5th element]

Late to the party and as a result this input is likely a waste of time but there is a UK ebay seller that does cracking deals on the Peerless XLS XXLS drivers, plus some others.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/colosussxb/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=