My first DIY subwoofer

sTiLlLeArNiNg

Lookin' good Kawi! I missed it but where did you source your part's (driver/plate amp) from?

Do you plan on "finishing" the outside or just bare?

Cheer's!

kawizx9r

sTiLlLeArNiNg wrote: »

Lookin' good Kawi! I missed it but where did you source your part's (driver/plate amp) from?

Do you plan on "finishing" the outside or just bare?

Cheer's!

Thanks!

The plateamp came from a local friend here that had it for an extra SVS driver but later decided he wanted something bigger. Got it for only 80, and it looks pretty damn new..box+instructions too.

As for the driver, I picked that up from Jeffrey (Jephhood) on here for 50+30 shipping.

I do plan on finishing it but it just sounded so good I'd hate to take a few things out, primer+paint and be without a sub for awhile :rolleyes: It can continue to look bare since I don't really mind and we don't have much company over anyway.

On another note, that tool I picked up from Sears I took back. Claims it can cut ply/drywall/mdf/solid wood and so on using the multi-purpose bits and it just scorched the MDF. Circular cuts were made with a jigsaw, although I do see how that attachment sold by Parts-express can be a life saver if you're building several speakers. Total is still under 240, and it was well worth it

concealer404

And you have this in an apartment?!?!?

I'm starting to get second thoughts about selling my Klipsch then. It can't POSSIBLY piss off my neighbors as badly as this thing.

Awesome job man... you've given me inspiration to do this myself in the coming months.

kawizx9r

concealer404 wrote: »

And you have this in an apartment?!?!?

I'm starting to get second thoughts about selling my Klipsch then. It can't POSSIBLY piss off my neighbors as badly as this thing.

Awesome job man... you've given me inspiration to do this myself in the coming months.

Yea, no one came out into the hallway....even with all the drilling I was doing. Let's hope it's not neighbors coming to my door later though if I ever get it set up properly. Moving this around for proper placement is a B! :eek:

kawizx9r

To add to that last statement, I think I need another subwoofer lol.

I'm listening to old tracks, bassy-trance/electronica I haven't heard in years. I can't measure how low it goes but there are times that it moves, and rattles everything but I can't hear a note played....probably under the audible range of 20hz? It's just a little too focused on the really deep bass. For the +adding a sub, I mean to say a mid-bass driver. Would use the built ins from my towers but I'd hate to run both. Otherwise it's sounding sweet!

concealer404

kawizx9r wrote: »

To add to that last statement, I think I need another subwoofer lol.

I'm listening to old tracks, bassy-trance/electronica I haven't heard in years. I can't measure how low it goes but there are times that it moves, and rattles everything but I can't hear a note played....probably under the audible range of 20hz? It's just a little too focused on the really deep bass. For the +adding a sub, I mean to say a mid-bass driver. Would use the built ins from my towers but I'd hate to run both. Otherwise it's sounding sweet!

I use that kind of stuff to measure if i've got everything in sync. It'll tell you immediately if your sub is delayed, or not crossed over at the right frequency, etc etc etc. It's all revealing.

What are you listening to?

kawizx9r

Well I'm listening to old Dj Tiesto, bassoholics and a bunch of other stuff that I don't generally listen to and won't once I'm done with this. Bassy music for me just helps me better set my sub up to meet my needs. I'm messing around with LFE+MAIN (for bass output on my AVR), as well as Cross-over cut offs on my AVR to find a nice blend. Thing is sometimes the low bass just hits so hard, and I turn it down a notch and the higher bass frequencies of around 60-100 aren't anywhere near as loud as the low bass. Might be placement/room issues since it's emphasizing the really deep bass. I'm still messing around with it though it'll just be awhile.

concealer404

Strangely enough.... i found my setup sounded best running my mains full range, and my sub crossed at 55hz. Go figure.

kawizx9r

concealer404 wrote: »

Strangely enough.... i found my setup sounded best running my mains full range, and my sub crossed at 55hz. Go figure.

I did too with the x-over close to what you have yours set to when I ran my Velodyne (my fronts were set to Large). It blended so well, however the Velo only reached down to 25hz and when it came to that point the output was pretty low. On the otherhand, this is the opposite. I know I'm getting at least 20hz and the output is loud. I still need to move it around to tame the "lowness" a bit before I can start blending it with my mains.

billbillw

Nice work on the sub. It looks like a low freq beast. My wife would never allow such a behemoth in our living room though. I was lucky to get our comparatively svelte SVS PC+ (the shortest one) in there. Maybe I missed it somewhere, but what driver did you use? Is it a Dayton too?

kawizx9r

billbillw wrote: »

Nice work on the sub. It looks like a low freq beast. My wife would never allow such a behemoth in our living room though. I was lucky to get our comparatively svelte SVS PC+ (the shortest one) in there. Maybe I missed it somewhere, but what driver did you use? Is it a Dayton too?

It's a used HSU Research driver taken from the HSU VTF-3 HO model.
- http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3-ho.html

Well, unless I replace my tower surrounds with something else....the built-in subs nicely fill in the gap

I always wanted to get one of those SVS cylinder subs. I heard one at a low volume and you just knew it was a beast of a sub. Probably don't have as much weight when it comes to music pounding bass, but it hits those lows with ease and I was very impressed. Who knows, the next sub later on might be a sonosub :cool:

billbillw

kawizx9r wrote: »

It's a used HSU Research driver taken from the HSU VTF-3 HO model.
- http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3-ho.html

Well, unless I replace my tower surrounds with something else....the built-in subs nicely fill in the gap

I always wanted to get one of those SVS cylinder subs. I heard one at a low volume and you just knew it was a beast of a sub. Probably don't have as much weight when it comes to music pounding bass, but it hits those lows with ease and I was very impressed. Who knows, the next sub later on might be a sonosub :cool:

Well, mine is the shortest one that is only tuned to 25Hz (IIRC), so it really doesn't hit as low as the taller ones. Supposedly, the shorter one actually plays louder though, which is what I needed since our living room is huge.

kawizx9r

billbillw wrote: »

Well, mine is the shortest one that is only tuned to 25Hz (IIRC), so it really doesn't hit as low as the taller ones. Supposedly, the shorter one actually plays louder though, which is what I needed since our living room is huge.

Convince the wife that hitting "16hz" is the trend around here. Or better yet show her the huge, ridiculous-looking (notice that I said looking not sounding) subwoofers found all over the net and that she should be glad you're not running anything like that............yet.

billbillw

kawizx9r wrote: »

Convince the wife that hitting "16hz" is the trend around here. Or better yet show her the huge, ridiculous-looking (notice that I said looking not sounding) subwoofers found all over the net and that she should be glad you're not running anything like that............yet.

I don't need to convince her of anything since she has never complained about the SVS and I have no desire to have anything larger.

jephdood

Dude.. NICE!! Glad that driver came to good use. Now sand the box down and put a tough finish on it. Congrats on the good work!

kawizx9r

jephdood wrote: »

Dude.. NICE!! Glad that driver came to good use. Now sand the box down and put a tough finish on it. Congrats on the good work!

Thanks Jeff!
It's my 'Beast' :cool:
I want to sand it down and put a simple/clean textured finish on it but it's raining like hell out here (would have to do it outside due to lack of my own workshop) and I'd be without a subwoofer for a few days while I finish it

I'll get to it, just not yet

kawizx9r

Ok, still posting on this thread because I've been using my subwoofer but haven't sanded it out or primered it yet for a finish.

What kind of wood filler would one recommend for MDF?

I noticed there are solvent based and water based, and although I read some differences between the two what would be my best choice when applying it to MDF board? I want to hide all the screws throughout my subwoofer so it looks really clean all the way around.

Also, I talked to someone here that works at a BMW body shop and he says primer, sand, paint, sand, paint, wet & dry sand or sand with 400+ grit and paint for a smooth piano looking finish. Any advice anyone wants to throw in in regards to that?

One last thing, because a panel slightly sticks out a bit and isn't completely flush....should I just sand the hell out of it down or is there something to lightly fill the gap in?

-Freddy

sTiLlLeArNiNg

I would sand everything smooth (belt sander if ya got one) and use a mix of carpenter glue + sawdust for filler The BMW guy has the right process but i think the paper is to coarse, might wanna try something a lil' higher for the finish sanding (I'm use to this type of thing being done on metal) maybe like a 600 or 800?

kawizx9r

sTiLlLeArNiNg wrote: »

I would sand everything smooth (belt sander if ya got one) and use a mix of carpenter glue + sawdust for filler The BMW guy has the right process but i think the paper is to coarse, might wanna try something a lil' higher for the finish sanding (I'm use to this type of thing being done on metal) maybe like a 600 or 800?

Don't have one but I'll see if I can get my hands on one. The only real downfall to this is not having the proper tools, but if I did buy the proper tools to effectively build a sub and/or speakers it'd cost alot and that type of purchase can't be justified for a few speakers alone....hmm.

I said 400+, but I honestly think he did say something like 600 or 800 so you're both just saying the same thing.

So sawdust+carpenter glue for hiding the screws huh? I'll look into that.

-Freddy

sTiLlLeArNiNg

You can get the same effect, minus the elbow grease, by using a sanding block. My grandfather was a carpenter/cabinet maker by trade and he always used sawdust mixed with glue, maybe cuz he was a cheap wop? I dunno

I have seen custom audio box builder's also use bondo/fiberglass to fill in and add shape's....

kawizx9r

Been sanding the subwoofer down earlier today and just finished giving it a coat of primer. Took some shots in between both jobs so here you go!

kawizx9r

Here's a pic of the front after being sanded down. I did it by hand since the mdf is softer than I thought and using a power sander for the edges (as I intended) was a bit too much. I rounded them off because frankly, the edges were just too sharp for my liking.



Here's one I took in the middle of applying the first coat of primer. After it dries up, I'm going to sand it down some and apply another coat afterward.

ben62670

Automotive spot putty works well as a filler. You use it after priming then skim coat the whole thing. Painting wood is just like painting a car. Every little imperfection sticks out like a Honky's but in a tar pit.

kcoc321

+100 on Body putty..get the "fine" grade...they have it at Napa..one step and fills in like glass (after sanding of course)

kawizx9r

Thanks Ben, I'll look into it since I'm OCD about these things.

I picked up some good quality enamel paint (black) but I'm not sure I want to actually paint it in such a way.

Question is, I've decided for a "textured" look. What's a good/quick/hassle-free way of getting such a finish and what type of paint should I look for exactly? Whenever I go to Sherman Williams, Lowe's and Home Depot I'm just overwhelmed with all the damn paint they carry. Thanks again guys, of course I'll provide everyone here with pics on my progress

-Freddy

BIZILL

i used bondo for auto repair to fill my gaps. worked very nicely and dries pretty quick as well. that way you can get back to sanding without waiting ten years. oh man, if only you could borrow up somebody's router to round off all corners...and ditto on imperfections sticking out like a soar thumb working with wood. the box i made for my truck had a tiny lip on it i could hardly feel by hand that showed up when i applied the spray-on truck bed liner. i had to give it some extra coats on those spots.

kawizx9r

Hehe, I haven't sanded it down since it's been primered and I do have a sander....not a router though.

I guess I'll work on the corners some with it, it's just by hand it seemed to go down pretty quick and just felt so much softer than wood so I didn't even want to bother. I'll do it up tomorrow, looks pretty cool right now in all-white. I wondered if I chose white, it'd be pretty cool to see the contrast with the black amp/rear port and sub-driver.

BIZILL

not a large enough picture, but this is with spray-on bedliner. it came out very nice in person. pretty uniform. but the brand i used which i don't recall now took weeks to cure. it stayed pretty "spongy" for awhile but now it's hard as a bedliner should be. kids kick it all the time when sitting in the extended cab and it holds up no problem. the texture is very much like my svs inside the home theater.

kawizx9r

Hmm, my cousin's truck had Rhino lining. I thought about a type of spray on bed liner but I haven't seen/experienced any other brand than Rhino and that stuff was like.....5-grit sandpaper LOL It was textured/rough as hell!

BIZILL

there are many types/brands. rhino liner sucks anyway. line-x is better. we have a line-x spray shop in town and they do different colors and grit. line-x doesn't fade like rhino liner. there's also the DIY roll on...herculiner. just use a roller as you would for painting walls. but i think that's more gritty than i'd like. mine is smooth to the touch texture but i had to use like 3 or 4 spray cans and they are like %16 each or more. your box would probably take just as much. but the end product is phenomenal. all these products can be found at basically any auto parts store. pep boys, auto zone, checker auto parts which i think is called advance auto parts nationwide. etc, etc...