Homemade Home Theatre Sub - Overclock.net

gamer_013 · 2 Weeks Ago

I'm thinking about building a sub to add to my speaker setup. I was going to buy a pre-built one but I noticed that all the ones that I found have vented enclosures. The system in my car has a sealed box and I really like the snappy, punchy bass it can deliver. My friend bought a 180W Sony 12" home theatre sub that's vented, and although it's a nice sub, the bass is too boomy and not as tight as I would like it to be. So I was thinking about building my own sealed enclosure for a sub and powering it with one of those dayton amplifiers from parts-express.

Do you think this will work out? Is there a big difference between sealed and ported enclosures for home theatre use?

nolimits882000 · 2 Weeks Ago

Which types of subs have u looked at? Because I have a Klipsch sub that is not boomy at all, you just have to set it up right.

jarble · 2 Weeks Ago

yes with time and effort you can build your own subs. my personal preference is for sealed subs but that is primarily for music. people tend to go for ported for home theater use as they tend to delver a larger sound. that said go with what sounds best to you as it is your ears that mater

.

edit

Quote:

Originally Posted by nolimits882000

Which types of subs have u looked at? Because I have a Klipsch sub that is not boomy at all, you just have to set it up right.

there will still be a tonal difference between ported and sealed and one might label that difference as "boomy".

GoHigh · 2 Weeks Ago

I think that a nicer 10" sub would be much better than the SONY one you are benchmarking towards. It is MY opinion that SUBS should blend in to the environment, not make itself be star of the HT. If you can hear it, then you should turn it down until it disappears. For those purposes, it shouldn't matter whether you are running ported or sealed. It is also my opinion that ported or vented subs tend to prove more efficient in a HT environment, since it has to fill a larger space than a small car. If you are looking for something sub $300 range, there are better subs to be had than the boomy SONY ones, which is more meant for basic entry level purposes, rather than sound quality.

Mygaffer · 2 Weeks Ago

That is the difference between a ported sub and Acoustic suspension. You can buy both premade, unless you know what you are doing you'll probably end up with something that doesn't sound as good as a decent premade sub.

darthspartan · 2 Weeks Ago

I have to agree with most of the post here. Like most speakers the cabinets there in are acoustically tunned for that speaker making your own is very tricky without the right measuring equipment. if your willing to spend some $ on a good sub get this but thats only if you have some serious playing money. I have 2 of them and can vouch for there sound they are powered and have a built in crossover so you just need a signal. They are powered at half of what the drivers are rated at so hard to blow out.

gamer_013 · 1 Week Ago

Alright thanks for the opinions! I think I'll wait a while before making a final decision. I want a sub to hit those low notes that my other speakers cant do, to blend in and improve the quality of my setup. But I also want a sub to punch hard and deliver a ton of clean, snappy rib-cage-breaking bass when I want it to (hence why I have a system in my car).

drjoey1500 · 1 Week Ago

Ok, a few things. Just to warn you, most of this is stuff I've read, but I haven't had a ton of speaker building experience. Honestly I've never used my speakers enough to justify building them (although I hope to build some eventually

).

First, a sealed sub will have more bass roll off inside than the same sub would in a car. There is a lot of cabin gain in a car that will boost the low frequencies.

Basically, a ported sub will give you flat bass that reaches farther down, but once it starts to roll off, it will roll off quicker. Sealed will begin to roll off sooner, but will roll off more gradually. Sealed subs also may give you better SQ. Just keep in mind, some drivers work better for sealed enclosures and some work better in vented enclosures.

Subs aren't that complicated to build (not nearly as complicated as other speakers). You should be able to build one that will be at least as good, if not much better than prebuilt subs in its price range. The main thing is getting the enclosure tuned properly.

I'd recommend WinISD beta for tuning the sub. Its free, and it should work well. Once you've picked the driver you want, type the specs into winisd beta, and play with the enclosure size (and port tuning if you go with a ported enclosure) until you get a satisfactory response graph. (With sealed you might have to pay attention to the Q of the box, but I'm sure what acceptable numbers are). Generally there will be a point that is a trade-off between the size of the box, and bass extension. For ported, basically you want a flat response, so don't tune it into a big peak.

After that, you just need to buy the driver and the plate amp, (you can find both at parts express, or another similar site) and build the enclosure (enclosures are usually made from MDF, a mask is recommended). For a sealed box you'll probably want some damping material inside. Set the amp's crossover to match up with where your main speakers roll off (or just below).

I squeezed a lot into my novel of a post, so hopefully it makes sense (if not let me know). I'd also suggest you go over to DIY Audio if you need more help, there are a lot of guys over there with a lot of experience, and could give you more help.

gamer_013 · 6 Days Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by drjoey1500

Ok, a few things. Just to warn you, most of this is stuff I've read, but I haven't had a ton of speaker building experience. Honestly I've never used my speakers enough to justify building them (although I hope to build some eventually

).

First, a sealed sub will have more bass roll off inside than the same sub would in a car. There is a lot of cabin gain in a car that will boost the low frequencies.

Basically, a ported sub will give you flat bass that reaches farther down, but once it starts to roll off, it will roll off quicker. Sealed will begin to roll off sooner, but will roll off more gradually. Sealed subs also may give you better SQ. Just keep in mind, some drivers work better for sealed enclosures and some work better in vented enclosures.

Subs aren't that complicated to build (not nearly as complicated as other speakers). You should be able to build one that will be at least as good, if not much better than prebuilt subs in its price range. The main thing is getting the enclosure tuned properly.

I'd recommend WinISD beta for tuning the sub. Its free, and it should work well. Once you've picked the driver you want, type the specs into winisd beta, and play with the enclosure size (and port tuning if you go with a ported enclosure) until you get a satisfactory response graph. (With sealed you might have to pay attention to the Q of the box, but I'm sure what acceptable numbers are). Generally there will be a point that is a trade-off between the size of the box, and bass extension. For ported, basically you want a flat response, so don't tune it into a big peak.

After that, you just need to buy the driver and the plate amp, (you can find both at parts express, or another similar site) and build the enclosure (enclosures are usually made from MDF, a mask is recommended). For a sealed box you'll probably want some damping material inside. Set the amp's crossover to match up with where your main speakers roll off (or just below).

I squeezed a lot into my novel of a post, so hopefully it makes sense (if not let me know). I'd also suggest you go over to DIY Audio if you need more help, there are a lot of guys over there with a lot of experience, and could give you more help.

Wow thanks for all the info! I'll bookmark those for later when I start the project. I figured a sealed enclosure is easier to build anyway, which means less chances for me to screw up!

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Homemade Home Theatre Sub

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