My first DIY subwoofer

kawizx9r

Title says it, it's my first DIY subwoofer. I've made maybe 2 boxes total in the past for car audio, but nothing crazy at all. This project is posted on another forum as well but it seems that place doesn't get much traffic and the only person helping there is a mod (thanks Mike).

So far it's come out to 209 bucks for the amp+sub driver (shipped) and materials. I'll need a few more such as the porting, stuffing, etc. Talk about a budget subwoofer though

Mike used some software to determine the length of the port using a 4" flared port to reach output of around 19-21hz. He suggested I go with a total length of 17" for the box that is approximately 4 cu. ft. Question is, what is/should be the diameter of the actual port inside the box? Can I get away with 2" since that's what it seems that the original HSU VTF-3 HO subwoofer uses anyway. I assumed the 4" diameter was of the flared port itself, especially after going to Lowes today and seeing how big a 4" pvc pipe really is. :rolleyes: Pics to come

-Freddy

PS Do I count the sub driver as part of the cost? My wife bought that for me

kawizx9r

Here's the driver, don't mind the dust....I had just taken it out of the triple box packaging and it got a tad bit dirty.

leroyjr1

Call Epik, SVS or HSU to see if they have any ports for sale

kawizx9r

Dayton plate amplifier, MDF board and a few other things





I've still got a sheet of 2' 4 1/2" x 4' 1/2" of mdf and 3 panels, since I'll have plenty left over I might just karma it or give it away to anyone that might need/use it around here.

leroyjr1

What's the power rating of the amp plate?

ben62670

The port is actually 4 inches id from one end to the other. A 2 inch port would be chuffing from too much port velocity.

kawizx9r

leroyjr1 wrote: »

What's the power rating of the amp plate?

It's a Dayton 240watt@4ohm rms amplifier as a friend said, but this thing has a much larger transformer and requires a bit more power than P.E.'s current 240watt Dayton amp. The driver sounded very nice when tested on free-air

kawizx9r

ben62670 wrote: »

The port is actually 4 inches id from one end to the other. A 2 inch port would be chuffing from too much port velocity.

Hmm...here's a link of the HSU VTF-3 MK3's insides. It uses the same everything to include box size except a different driver and slightly less rated amplifier. http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/vtf-3-mk3-sub/vtf-3-mk3-build-quality

leroyjr1

Are you going to do any bracing to the box?

kawizx9r

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Are you going to do any bracing to the box?

Yep, I can get away with plywood as it's stated on alot of other DIY projects but since I've got plenty of MDF left over I'll use that. I do know that'll take into account the actual volume of the box as well and will probably keep it near factory-spec.

leroyjr1

Check out some pics from AVS Forum DIY subwoofer threads.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=646455

comfortablycurt

Looks like a fun project Freddy!

I've thought about going the DIY route myself, when I decide to upgrade my sub. The Epik Vanquish(or maybe the Sentinel) is screaming my name though...:cool:

That upgrades still up in the air though.

kawizx9r

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Check out some pics from AVS Forum DIY subwoofer threads.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=646455

Nice, I've done a hell of alot of picture hunting and have seen some great builds. Here's a few on this site, scroll down and check out the Rubik's cube
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/reviews.html

kawizx9r

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Looks like a fun project Freddy!

I've thought about going the DIY route myself, when I decide to upgrade my sub. The Epik Sentinel(or maybe the Vanquish) is screaming my name though...:cool:

That upgrades still up in the air though.

Heh, I could still wait awhile and grab something bigger and badder down the road but this DIY subwoofer just has the 'fun factor' in it That and my place is pretty small, so this sub alone will be overkill.

Those Epik's are beasts! You can check them out personally near Crystal Lake just an hour from me. Thing is if you walked in there, you'd be sure to walk out holding one of those badboys lol

ben62670

DIY subs are a great way to fly if you can build a good box. There are a few of us hear that have built some subs that cost $400-700 to build that smoke many other subs that cost much more.
Do you have one of these and a router?
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=365-250
Best money you will ever spend building your own speakers

jacob.simpson

Can you provide the link to the web where you bought the amp since i am looking for one with dual voltage selector, this would probably for a diy project/

kawizx9r

ben62670 wrote: »

DIY subs are a great way to fly if you can build a good box. There are a few of us hear that have built some subs that cost $400-700 to build that smoke many other subs that cost much more.
Do you have one of these and a router?
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=365-250
Best money you will ever spend building your own speakers

I've seen those and heard many great things. No unfortunately I don't have the tools at my disposal. I might have to do the work at my wife's uncles house tbh, we'll see. Unless a local polkie wants to help me out some?

Any thoughts on the port after looking at the link on audioholics Ben?

comfortablycurt

kawizx9r wrote: »

Heh, I could still wait awhile and grab something bigger and badder down the road but this DIY subwoofer just has the 'fun factor' in it That and my place is pretty small, so this sub alone will be overkill.

Those Epik's are beasts! You can check them out personally near Crystal Lake just an hour from me. Thing is if you walked in there, you'd be sure to walk out holding one of those badboys lol

That's part of the reason I want to buy an Epik. They're designed, and BUILT in the United States...plus they're even in my home state. I try to buy as much American stuff as I can...that's hard to do anymore though...

I may still end up doing a DIY sub...that's all yet to be determined. My current sub is more than enough for my small room, so I'm not too worried about it yet.

At this point though, I'm guessing I'll end up eventually going with a pair of Epik Vanquish's. I want a nice, tight, fast, sealed musical sub, that can also hit nice and low for HT...a pair of them actually. The Vanquish should fit the bill.

My system get's used for music far more than HT...probably like an 80/20 split, so I value musicality over anything else. Stereo subs would be great.:)

kawizx9r

jacob.simpson wrote: »

Can you provide the link to the web where you bought the amp since i am looking for one with dual voltage selector, this would probably for a diy project/

It's the model prior to this one - http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-804

I got it from a friend that didn't even need it or use it for much cheaper. Looking at the one on Parts express though I don't see a voltage select switch. I could recommend checking out oaudio.com as well for a plateamp, see if they've got any with different voltage settings. I've read alot of good things about them as well and considered them if I didn't go with the Dayton amp.

You can always modify one too to run @240v I would think, but you'd have to turn elsewhere for that sort of thing.

kcoc321

jacob.simpson wrote: »

Can you provide the link to the web where you bought the amp since i am looking for one with dual voltage selector, this would probably for a diy project/

http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/searchResults.cfm?srchExt=CAT&srchCat=505

jacob.simpson

Tnx for the update, yes the PE no more has any with dual voltage,
i have not heard much reviews about oaudio, they do have a dual voltage amp. I myself was planning svs to use here and take home when i go back, but the transport cost to my country is unimaginable and very high.
Other option what i have is MPDSW1000

kcoc321

maybe try the Dalton website direct.
Or give PartsExpress a call.
I have read good things about their CS.

kawizx9r

You guys should've seen the face though on the guy that cut the MDF at Lowes, along with the expression my wife gave shortly after.

The first 2 panels cut were the 20" x 17", and he asked if those were the sides.....I told him that's just the front/rear.

When he asked what the next 2 pieces were, I said 23 1/2" x 20" once they were cut out they only imagined how big the box would actually be

jacob.simpson

kcoc321 wrote: »

maybe try the Dalton website direct.
Or give PartsExpress a call.
I have read good things about their CS.

yes i did check pe cs but they dont carry any dual volt now.
will try Dayton web

ben62670

You do not want to use a 2 inch port on a driver 10 or more inches. Did you use WINisd to model the speaker design?

kawizx9r

ben62670 wrote: »

You do not want to use a 2 inch port on a driver 10 or more inches. Did you use WINisd to model the speaker design?

Not the port itself, I meant the tube inside. Maybe it looks to be 3 inches wide, I'm not sure.

The guy used WINisd to determine the length needed and such utilizing a 4" flared port. Also told me I'd see a maximum cone excursion of 19 mm at 14.5 hz. The plateamp's got subsonic filtering and won't even see anything below 18hz if it was able to reach it. Did you check out that site I linked showing the inside of the VTF-3 MK3? Just want to get it all right

kawizx9r

I'll think about doing what Lee said and call HSU tomorrow, though I want said-materials at hand already so I can work on how I will brace this thing I.E. have correct dimensions/etc. Ordering something would add a few more $ and would put off this project even longer.

ben62670

Again the 4 inch measurement is the id of the tube from the front to the rear. The ends will flare out anywhere from 5-8 inches.

kawizx9r

ben62670 wrote: »

Again the 4 inch measurement is the id of the tube from the front to the rear. The ends will flare out anywhere from 5-8 inches.

Seriously? :eek:

The model sold uses two of these things, after seeing one today I didn't want to imagine how I'd work that thing in there. Ok, guess I'll stick with the 4" ID tube should be fun.

messiah

You should have grabbed the amp I directed you to. Too late I guess Freddy.

kawizx9r

messiah wrote: »

You should have grabbed the amp I directed you to. Too late I guess Freddy.

Sorry Christopher! I know which ones you're talking about. If I wasn't going to see a warranty or something, I figured I'd save some more and go used. Thing is this amp is in near-new condition and was pretty cheap