My custom built sub! - Blu-ray Forum

FendersRule · 10-04-2009, 11:22 PM

My good friend who happens to be an audio expert (a PhD student), designed me a subwoofer. I just spent the past 2 days working my butt off with him, and we finally got it done. I'm not sure what program he used, but he blueprinted it as well, and found that it's going to require an 18" enclosure for it to be super bad ass. Well, that's what we winded up doing!

Took about 8 hours total for us to do. Lots of sanding, cutting, routing, sawing, etc. The crappy part was waiting for the materials to dry.

It's a 18 x 18 x 18" subwoofer (monster)
12" Driver (Dayton)
240 watt Amp (Dayton).
3/4" MDF Casing
It has 2 braces
We also doubled the front and back (forgot the word here)
We used generic wood glue, along with silicone to assure proper sealing

All it needs some some venire...which we'll do later.

It also weighs nearly 80lbs. We had to put straps on it in order to transplant it from his place to mine.

You probably won't be able to achieve the performance of this sub for under $500, and especially retain the longevity. This is a winner! Custom built is the way to go if you have the tools and someone with the knowledge and expertise!

Aerodude73 · 10-04-2009, 11:28 PM

That is one Sweet looking MASSIVE Sub dude! Great job with your friend & yourself teaming up to build it. How's it work so far, sound as amazing as you thought it would, you plan on using a riser of any type?

FendersRule · 10-05-2009, 12:23 AM

It's got balls for sure. I'm letting some music run through it right now at pretty minimal settings.

I'm gonna have to be really careful with this thing with the neighbors too.

Performance is above and beyond my expectations. My entire system sounds cleaner, and the bass like I've been saying, is just insane.

The gain is about 50% on the back of the amp. The Onkyo settings are "-8db" on the subwoofer, and the "Bass" is set to "0". Even at these crippling settings, the bass is quite available and potent. I'm using these settings to break it in, while causing minimal harm to my neighbors.

When I watch movies, I just change the "subwoofer volume" from the Onkyo from "-8db" to around "-2db to -4db" and it's nothing short of amazing, if not earth shattering.

I've yet to try things at 100%. I'm too scared at this point. Probably will wait until it's broken in, and until the neighbors are away from the weekend.

I'll probably have to read up on the riser stuff, as I'm not too much of an audio expert. I know as of right now, I get no unwanted vibrations anywhere. Things are just clean, and working very well thus far. We've tried the sub on the right side of the room, and noticed that it sounds better away from the corner and on the left side of the room.

Next project is working on a center stand. My center needs to be angled upward a tad bit, and raised some.

Fors* · 10-05-2009, 01:26 AM

It looks great, nice job. Are you going to treat the enclosure with anything?

FendersRule · 10-05-2009, 01:31 AM

I'm currently looking at:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/psho...number=260-031

or

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=261-610

However, I do worry about the durability of these products. Any recommendations?

Animo · 10-05-2009, 02:09 AM

Nice build. You could try painting it, instead of a laminate.
I had a local cabinetmaker friend use Dupont Nevamar to finish my sub build.

crazyBLUE · 10-05-2009, 02:16 AM

Another idea is you could put wood veneer on it !

FendersRule · 10-05-2009, 02:31 AM

These are all sexy options. However, I think I must stick with black because that's the color of all my toys. The wood grain looks really cool of-coarse.

The question is, how do you know which veneer is durable, and which is not? Check out my previous links...

CallingMrBenzo · 10-05-2009, 02:34 AM

that sub looks fantastic man and i bet it sounds equally good...

but if it sounds amazing at 50% gain do yourself a favor and don't try it at 100%... who knows what could happen

especially if you have neighbors

Glassroots · 10-05-2009, 02:36 AM

Very nice, I would do it up in carbon fiber.

crazyBLUE · 10-05-2009, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FendersRule

These are all sexy options. However, I think I must stick with black because that's the color of all my toys. The wood grain looks really cool of-coarse.

The question is, how do you know which veneer is durable, and which is not? Check out my previous links...

Wood is wood , It will last forever if you take care of it !

I looked at the 2 links & I don't see why they would not work. I have never seen or used so I could not tell you how it will turn out .

As far as sticking with black , That's great to keep the color all the same .

ZedsDead · 10-05-2009, 02:50 AM

Looks great, congrats. I hope to have the know-how and courage someday to build my own sub.

HAMP · 10-05-2009, 02:55 AM

One day I may take this stuff off of the one I built and try Crazyblue method. I use to wait for him to make a thread telling us how to do it, but he felt it wasn't important enough.

I used a Klipsch amp plate that is 300Watts Continues with a 10in woofer

It's kinda funny, I had put this in my bedroom and it sounded fantastic. I had it under a broken chair and it held the chair up enough for me to toss my dirty cloths on to it, but not to sit on it.

It's one of the things they didn't steal, I guess because of location.

crazyBLUE · 10-05-2009, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HAMP

One day I may take this stuff off of the one I built and try Crazyblue method. I use to wait for him to make a thread telling us how to do it, but he felt it wasn't important enough.

HAMP ~ I did A big thing on how to do it in my thread ! Then after discussing it with A mod It was best to just put in the DIY speaker sub sticky BIG Daddy made ! I had BD transfer it there for me !
If I would have made A thread it would have slipped away to never be seen again !

HAMP · 10-05-2009, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

HAMP ~ I did A big thing on how to do it in my thread ! Then after discussing it with A mod It was best to just put in the DIY speaker sub sticky BIG Daddy made ! I had BD transfer it there for me !
If I would have made A thread it would have slipped away to never be seen again !

You did? What is the link?

crazyBLUE · 10-05-2009, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HAMP

You did? What is the link?

Here is the post HAMP .

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=509

FendersRule · 10-05-2009, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Wood is wood , It will last forever if you take care of it !

I looked at the 2 links & I don't see why they would not work. I have never seen or used so I could not tell you how it will turn out .

As far as sticking with black , That's great to keep the color all the same .

Yeah, but aren't some laminates thinner than the rest. I'd hate to barely nudge it with something, and cause it to dent or whatever....

I guess what you're saying, is that they are all basically the same?

brett_day · 10-05-2009, 03:29 AM

wow looks awesome! Have to ask. How much did this cost to build? Looks amazing!

crazyBLUE · 10-05-2009, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FendersRule

Yeah, but aren't some laminates thinner than the rest. I'd hate to barely nudge it with something, and cause it to dent or whatever....

I guess what you're saying, is that they are all basically the same?

Anything you put on the sub can be damaged , Whether it be A scratch , ding , or dent ! Things happen that we all can't control !
You can get different thicknesses of veneer , But it all can be damaged in one way or another .

Same goes for the 2 things in your link . It can be scratched or something else can happen to it !

CrazyInBlack · 10-05-2009, 12:28 PM

really nice build, makes me wish I was handy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glassroots

Very nice, I would do it up in carbon fiber.

that is a cool idea

10-04-2009, 11:22 PM	#1
FendersRule Special Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:ID Home Theater Gallery:16 Blu-ray collection:81 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:15	My custom built sub! My good friend who happens to be an audio expert (a PhD student), designed me a subwoofer. I just spent the past 2 days working my butt off with him, and we finally got it done. I'm not sure what program he used, but he blueprinted it as well, and found that it's going to require an 18" enclosure for it to be super bad ass. Well, that's what we winded up doing! Took about 8 hours total for us to do. Lots of sanding, cutting, routing, sawing, etc. The crappy part was waiting for the materials to dry. It's a 18 x 18 x 18" subwoofer (monster) 12" Driver (Dayton) 240 watt Amp (Dayton). 3/4" MDF Casing It has 2 braces We also doubled the front and back (forgot the word here) We used generic wood glue, along with silicone to assure proper sealing All it needs some some venire...which we'll do later. It also weighs nearly 80lbs. We had to put straps on it in order to transplant it from his place to mine. You probably won't be able to achieve the performance of this sub for under $500, and especially retain the longevity. This is a winner! Custom built is the way to go if you have the tools and someone with the knowledge and expertise!

10-04-2009, 11:28 PM	#2
Aerodude73 Blu-ray Archduke Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Middletown, RI (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:134 4K collection:423 Blu-ray collection:2493 DVD collection:7 Digital collection:3 Blu-ray reviews:9 Trading Score:31	Daaammmnnn!!!!!!!!!!! That is one Sweet looking MASSIVE Sub dude! Great job with your friend & yourself teaming up to build it. How's it work so far, sound as amazing as you thought it would, you plan on using a riser of any type?

10-05-2009, 12:23 AM	#3
FendersRule Special Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:ID Home Theater Gallery:16 Blu-ray collection:81 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:15	It's got balls for sure. I'm letting some music run through it right now at pretty minimal settings. I'm gonna have to be really careful with this thing with the neighbors too. Performance is above and beyond my expectations. My entire system sounds cleaner, and the bass like I've been saying, is just insane. The gain is about 50% on the back of the amp. The Onkyo settings are "-8db" on the subwoofer, and the "Bass" is set to "0". Even at these crippling settings, the bass is quite available and potent. I'm using these settings to break it in, while causing minimal harm to my neighbors. When I watch movies, I just change the "subwoofer volume" from the Onkyo from "-8db" to around "-2db to -4db" and it's nothing short of amazing, if not earth shattering. I've yet to try things at 100%. I'm too scared at this point. Probably will wait until it's broken in, and until the neighbors are away from the weekend. I'll probably have to read up on the riser stuff, as I'm not too much of an audio expert. I know as of right now, I get no unwanted vibrations anywhere. Things are just clean, and working very well thus far. We've tried the sub on the right side of the room, and noticed that it sounds better away from the corner and on the left side of the room. Next project is working on a center stand. My center needs to be angled upward a tad bit, and raised some. Last edited by FendersRule; 10-05-2009 at 12:27 AM.

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10-05-2009, 01:26 AM	#4
Fors* Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Pottstown, PA Home Theater Gallery:160 4K collection:12 Blu-ray collection:142 Trading Score:11	It looks great, nice job. Are you going to treat the enclosure with anything?

10-05-2009, 01:31 AM	#5
FendersRule Special Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:ID Home Theater Gallery:16 Blu-ray collection:81 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:15	I'm currently looking at: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/psho...number=260-031 or http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=261-610 However, I do worry about the durability of these products. Any recommendations?

10-05-2009, 02:09 AM	#6
Animo Senior Member Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Brooklyn, NY Home Theater Gallery:24 Trading Score:1	Nice build. You could try painting it, instead of a laminate. I had a local cabinetmaker friend use Dupont Nevamar to finish my sub build.

10-05-2009, 02:16 AM	#7
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	Another idea is you could put wood veneer on it !

10-05-2009, 02:31 AM	#8
FendersRule Special Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:ID Home Theater Gallery:16 Blu-ray collection:81 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:15	These are all sexy options. However, I think I must stick with black because that's the color of all my toys. The wood grain looks really cool of-coarse. The question is, how do you know which veneer is durable, and which is not? Check out my previous links...

10-05-2009, 02:34 AM	#9
CallingMrBenzo Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Oct 2008 Home Theater Gallery:35 4K collection:2 Blu-ray collection:4 Blu-ray reviews:2	that sub looks fantastic man and i bet it sounds equally good... but if it sounds amazing at 50% gain do yourself a favor and don't try it at 100%... who knows what could happen especially if you have neighbors

10-05-2009, 02:36 AM	#10
Glassroots Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2009 Location:The Great White North Home Theater Gallery:18 Blu-ray collection:260 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:37	Very nice, I would do it up in carbon fiber.

10-05-2009, 02:50 AM	#12
ZedsDead Senior Member Member since:Jul 2009 Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:94	Looks great, congrats. I hope to have the know-how and courage someday to build my own sub.

10-05-2009, 02:55 AM	#13
HAMP Banned Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Michigan Home Theater Gallery:13 Blu-ray collection:272 Trading Score:1	One day I may take this stuff off of the one I built and try Crazyblue method. I use to wait for him to make a thread telling us how to do it, but he felt it wasn't important enough. I used a Klipsch amp plate that is 300Watts Continues with a 10in woofer It's kinda funny, I had put this in my bedroom and it sounded fantastic. I had it under a broken chair and it held the chair up enough for me to toss my dirty cloths on to it, but not to sit on it. It's one of the things they didn't steal, I guess because of location.

10-05-2009, 03:29 AM	#18
brett_day Blu-ray Guru Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Moore, Oklahoma Home Theater Gallery:18 Blu-ray collection:45 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	wow looks awesome! Have to ask. How much did this cost to build? Looks amazing!

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