DIY Sub or SVS ?

tapeshc

I have a PSW650 Sub that came with my Polk RM7500.

I did calibrate it using RS SPL mete and AVIA and did get it to work to my liking but nothing as impressive as I read about SVS here.

Qs.

Am I really going to gain too much by buying a SVS. I am aiming for Plus series.

OR

I can get driver from Parts Express and a BASH amp and put it in a BOX and it will be as good as SVS ? I doubt its that simple.

OR

I can replace drivers in my PSW650 and the amp and it will do the magic.

I am trying to get better performance without spending too much, will I be able to do that or SVS is way to go.

Not sure how easy or difficult it is to build a sub, is it just build a box and fix the driver and amp in it or one has tofollow some guidelines for design or good building practice. I am not very good with tools so dont want to get started on a impossible mission.

I am not knowledgeable enough to know whats the best option.

tryrrthg

it's not as easy as building a box and sticking a driver and amp in. But's it's not that difficult either. You need to select a driver, then use a box modeling program to plug the drivers TS parameters into. Then model the driver in various size boxes, while playing with port size/length (if you use ports) etc. You'll also need to keep an eye on cone excursion, air velocity in the port and, obviously, the frequency response you are after. I would do a bit of research before jumping into making a sub.

Depending on how large of a box you can allow in your home you could easily make a sub as good or better than an SVS. Especially with the low cost of good 12 and 15 inch drivers. Just do your homework before you start the project. It all depends how you value your time, and what kind of tools you have access to.

jdhdiggs

You can definately do better bang for the buck with DIY, but if you are concerned with the finish, go SVS.

I parted out an SVS clone and it came to about 80-85% of the cost of the SVS just in parts.Just an FYI

In other words, if you're really cheap or like working with wood and building stuff, go SVS. If you value your time, want gauraunteed results, warranty, and a good finish, buy SVS.

tapeshc

Thanks for taking to time to respond.

Thats what I guessed, it cant be that easy to meet performance of SVS, afterall they must have professionals working for them.

But I am in no hurry and if it didnt work out I think I can still sell the driver and the amplifier and recover some of my investment, it wont hurt to try.

Would you have any advice what drivers are good.

Partsespress has this Dayton Drivers
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=3&filter=special-2-23

Also I have heard Atlas Sound makes pretty good ones, but I dont know where can I get one.

Any advice ?

okiepolkie

The atlas subs were made by Ascendant Audio. They have new models now(I think are available) that are comparable. You would probably be looking at a price somewhere between $150-$200 for a 12" driver from them.

michael_w

Some of the new ascendant audio drivers look pretty nice. I managed to swipe an atlas 15 when they had that blowout before they got rid of xbl^2 (got it for $105). I built a 6.5 cubic foot box for it with two 4 inch ports (22 or 18 inches long can't remember off the top of my head) and it is pretty decent. I think the total build cost for me was around 500 cdn, but I also had to get stuff shipped up to canada and had to pay more than you will probably have to for things like ports and an amp.

Brief list of stuff I needed:
atlas 15 - $105 usd (came to around 200 cdn after shipping and border crap)
2 x 4" ports - $44 cdn
css plate amp - $210 cdn



You could do it for cheaper but make sure you read first. There is so much to go over before deciding on which way you want to go. As for the actual construction it isn't really that hard. I had a bit of help but basically it's just using a table saw, jig saw, router and a brad nailer.

If you need help building it just make a new thread. There are a few people here that have made their own subs and are into diy stuff. diyaudio.com also has a big group of people dedicated to building cool stuff.

Early B.

I sold my SVS (PB12) to build a DIY sub. Total cost was about $450. No comparison whatsoever -- DIY sub is waaay better. It was easy because I followed a detailed design I obtained off the Internet applicable for the driver I chose (Atlas 15).

Go for it.

dudeinaroom

what happent to the days of using a calc, and the ts params. to figure box size and port length, it wasn't taht long ago. any ways, I'm thinking of building a 6th order band pass but instead of using ports, I, wanna use pr's(talk about a trial and error type porject) but it mostly wouldn't be for a couple of years.

kingkip

If you have the room try an infinite baffle design. Nothing tops it. Check out IB Subs Cool DIY project, and you get to cut holes in your wall. The wife will love it