My DIY Shiva X2 Subwoofer Build

[doors666]

couple of suggestions:
1. get all the other parts necessary. e.g. spikes, t nuts or inserts or hurricane nuts for mounting the driver, foam/eggcrate etc, damping materials. quite a few projects get delayed because everything is not in place.
2. See if you can extend the brace to touch the driver (firmly, but not so tight that it pushes at the driver, can give excellent support as well as better sound (as a lot of people claim this).
3. Use double baffle. single wont do as its a very heavy driver.
4. Seal all the internal edges with areldite or hot glue, small leakages will affect the sound, specially in a sealed box.

what amp are u planning to use with this?

 

[sachin_k5]

santhol, The sub is looking really impressive. more like a 'mother sub'
Keep it up, we do need diyers in this country.

 

[t.antony]

Dove tail joints, deep grooves for braces, very impressive build to match a well capable driver. You indeed chose a MOAS project to start with .

As another member indicated, extending the brace behind the magnet to provide support is worth considering. To make it effective, make this assembly to support the weight of the magnet - like magnet mounting the driver. This will reduce the vibrations in the front baffle.

 

[crisscross]

Looks great Santosh! What amp are you using to drive them? I used recron fibre as filling for my sub.

 

[santhosh]

Hi Santosh,

Great work.

Thanks for sharing the build pictures.

I bet the sub will sound awesome.

Regards
Rajiv

P.S. What is the status on your phono cartridge?

Thanks Rajiv for your support.

As adviced by you, malvai and stevieboy, I have sent the cartridge to Soundsmith for a retip. I am considering the 250$ Ruby Cantilever - but will let Peter open up my Rondo Red MC Cart and then recommend which one to go for.

Looks like this sub will really kick serious butt! Seeing and listening to the sub that criss cross biult in Hyderbad using the Dayton Titanic I have no doubt that this will be another successful build. May the force (Oops.bass) be with you.

Thanks George. Spoke to him today. Will check out his sub when I visit Hyderabad next.

Looks fantastic! Like suggested before, go for a nice finish for the monster. Maybe a rich dark metallic automotive finish?

Thanks gruby, am thinking of a nice shiny piano finish.

santhol, The sub is looking really impressive. more like a 'mother sub'
Keep it up, we do need diyers in this country.

Thanks Sachin. I echo your thoughts on DIY'ers in our country. YGPM.

 

[santhosh]

Looks great Santosh! What amp are you using to drive them? I used recron fibre as filling for my sub.

Thanks crisscross for the details on your sub. I am planning to use a Oaudio 500W BASH amp. Many have used this with the Shiva with good results. I also considered the Elemental Design LT1300 but with shipping(14 kilos), it was working out to almost double the Oaudio amp. So dropped it for now.

couple of suggestions:
1. get all the other parts necessary. e.g. spikes, t nuts or inserts or hurricane nuts for mounting the driver, foam/eggcrate etc, damping materials. quite a few projects get delayed because everything is not in place.
2. See if you can extend the brace to touch the driver (firmly, but not so tight that it pushes at the driver, can give excellent support as well as better sound (as a lot of people claim this).
3. Use double baffle. single wont do as its a very heavy driver.
4. Seal all the internal edges with areldite or hot glue, small leakages will affect the sound, specially in a sealed box.

what amp are u planning to use with this?

Dove tail joints, deep grooves for braces, very impressive build to match a well capable driver. You indeed chose a MOAS project to start with .

As another member indicated, extending the brace behind the magnet to provide support is worth considering. To make it effective, make this assembly to support the weight of the magnet - like magnet mounting the driver. This will reduce the vibrations in the front baffle.

Thanks Doors and Anthony for those tips.
Yes, it will be a double baffle as mentioned earlier. Since the brace is done already, is there any other way I can still extend the brace to support the driver? Ideas required here please. TIA.

I have started collecting the stuff. Got these from SP Road today - Rs.100 for 16 Hurricane nuts and 8 Allan bolts. Will get some dampening material soon. Plan to go either with Recron like crisscross and others have suggested or tar sheets along with recron.

I will not be using spikes or stands. I plan to float them directly on an Auralex Gramma Isolation. Though, my room is sound proofed, I have a problem with structural vibrations passing through the concrete.

Anthony, what is MOAS?

 

[doors666]

if i remember correctly, kevin (from exodus) had specifically asked me not to use oaudio bash 500 due to a boost at the lower end. the message was on audio circle if i remember correctly. But then again, I was interested in maelstorm and was making a ported one. it might be ok with a sealed one. I personally dont like boosts though.

those are not hurricane nuts, these are called inserts.

 

[Hiten]

Nice work santhosh.

is there any other way I can still extend the brace to support the driver? Ideas required here please.

I am no expert but posting anyway ...
Making a circular disc of a mdf so it fits between magnet and the cut brace can do the job. Make somewhat smaller disc of one single thick mdf board, make a groove on it so the groove fits tight on the other brace's cross section.
OR
if you are a prefectionist and if braces are not fixed making a new one would be...

 

[Hiten]

Something like this..

[/IMG]

 

[santhosh]

if i remember correctly, kevin (from exodus) had specifically asked me not to use oaudio bash 500 due to a boost at the lower end. the message was on audio circle if i remember correctly. But then again, I was interested in maelstorm and was making a ported one. it might be ok with a sealed one. I personally dont like boosts though.

Thanks doors. I had a friend's DIY sub with me for a good 3 months and tried out various combinations since the Oaudio has a Parametric Equaliser? One of the main reasons I am going in for the Oaudio BASH is because it has a parametric equalizer. My initial plan was to go with the Elemental Design LT1300 plate amp and pair it with a Behringer DSP1124P but due to some other priorities unbudgetted for, I am settling down for a Oaudio 500W. I have plans for another DIY 10 inch sub along a DIY pair of horn loaded speakers in the near future and I can always swap the plate amp if things don't go too well. I plan to make a seperate seperate enclosure for the plateamp for flexibility.

those are not hurricane nuts, these are called inserts.

You are right mate. Did a search and found three types that can be used http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1221153

Nice work santhosh.

I am no expert but posting anyway ...
Making a circular disc of a mdf so it fits between magnet and the cut brace can do the job. Make somewhat smaller disc of one single thick mdf board, make a groove on it so the groove fits tight on the other brace's cross section.
OR
if you are a prefectionist and if braces are not fixed making a new one would be...

Thanks Hiten, your design gave me an idea. Will post pics when I get down to doing it. I also have to make hole for ventilation as the magnet has a duct for cooling the voice coil.

 

[trittya]

Thanks doors. I had a friend's DIY sub with me for a good 3 months and tried out various combinations since the Oaudio has a Parametric Equaliser? One of the main reasons I am going in for the Oaudio BASH is because it has a parametric equalizer. My initial plan was to go with the Elemental Design LT1300 plate amp and pair it with a Behringer DSP1124P but due to some other priorities unbudgetted for, I am settling down for a Oaudio 500W. I have plans for another DIY 10 inch sub along a DIY pair of horn loaded speakers in the near future and I can always swap the plate amp if things don't go too well. I plan to make a seperate seperate enclosure for the plateamp for flexibility.


You are right mate. Did a search and found three types that can be used http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1221153


Thanks Hiten, your design gave me an idea. Will post pics when I get down to doing it. I also have to make hole for ventilation as the magnet has a duct for cooling the voice coil.

Hiya Santhosh
Howzya doing, dude?
How's the sub going?
Waiting with baited breath.
Regards.

 

[kaushik]

real sub real good work !

 

[santhosh]

Hi Friends,
My subwoofer is almost done, just waiting for an amp. Both the amps I short-listed are out of stock:

Option 1: Elemental Designs: Car Stereo, Home Speakers, Electronics (Back ordered)

Option 2: O Audio - 500W BASH Subwoofer Amplifier (220V version is outta stock)

I am looking for subwoofer amplifier options. Need an amp of 1000 watts @4 ohms but atleast 500 watts. Preferably Class D or Class G.

I am also open to the idea of using a good Pro amp but prefer to buy from India to save on shipping. If anyone knows of a DIY kit, kindly share. Will consider that too.

PS: Have posted a wanted Ad in the Classifieds section as well.

 

[manoj.p]

Santhosh,

Sub looks great and very strong build. Take a look at the amps from parts-express. I like the SA1000. You can add one more sub to it, if desired in future.
Dayton Audio SA1000 Subwoofer Amplifier Rack Mountable 300-811

Lots of power and very economical.

 

[ShutterX]

real nice DIY build. that sub is mammoth. bet it will bring the house down. awaiting more pics...

just one thing. you are using a sealed box. wont it be a better idea to use a class AB amp (after all, sealed boxes are all about speed and accuracy)? since class D is kinda laggy and is more suited for ported boxes....

 

[santhosh]

Santhosh,

Sub looks great and very strong build. Take a look at the amps from parts-express. I like the SA1000. You can add one more sub to it, if desired in future.
Dayton Audio SA1000 Subwoofer Amplifier Rack Mountable 300-811

Lots of power and very economical.

Thanks Manoj. This looks like a good option. I checked these (the plate amp version and the rack mount) about a year ago and Dayton have since added a Parametric Eq which is good, saves me from buying a Behringer Feedback Destroyer. Do we know if the plate amp version SPA1000 is internally the same? It seems to feature Class G topology. The plate amp version also seems to be lighter by a few pounds.

just one thing. you are using a sealed box. wont it be a better idea to use a class AB amp (after all, sealed boxes are all about speed and accuracy)? since class D is kinda laggy and is more suited for ported boxes....

Well, you are absoultely right. Lot of things have changed for me in this one year + while I got busy with other Audio stuff and procastinated on my sub project. Initially I wanted to use this for both Stereo and HT use (with a different setting) but now have a good pair of B&W DM3000 floorstanders with ample bass for stereo listening, so only need it for HT now. I would done in differently if it were now. It seems I don't have much of a choice because the Class D that I was really keen on is back ordered since last 4 months (It was based on the Bang & Olufsen Ice Power module and manfucatured by Keiga for Elemental Designs).

 

[navin advani]

The Shiva driver...
Size of the enclosure is:
Length = 26 inches
Breadth = 20 inches
Depth = 18 inches

That's a big box for a 12" woofer.

I have chosen a sealed design (no port) and the enclosure is 4 Cubic Feet.

Ordered it from the US for $189 and spent ~ 9.5k for shipping through a service

I am looking to order some speaker through Borderlinx. So Borderlinx charges you for duties, taxes, and shipping or do you pay duties and taxes extra.

Do they charge you for their services as well? After all there is no free lunch na?

Also I am unable to see the "Thanks" button for some posts on this thread.

 

[santhosh]

That's a big box for a 12" woofer.

Navin,
I arrived at the dimensions based on App Notes that were provided along with the driver. I have no prior experience with this, please feel free to suggest corrections (if not too late) as one of the sides is still not fixed .

Please see quote from the app notes that led me to decide on a 4 cubic feet enclosure
here:

As it gets bigger, it has more extension. The critically damped alignment for a Shiva-X2 is about 5.4 cubic feet. I wouldnt necessarily recommend building it that large. In-room, it is very difficult to tell the difference between a 3-cubic foot design and a 6-cubic foot one. If you need output down into the teens, you need to move a SIGNIFICANT amount of air to get a reasonable SPL level.

I am looking to order some speaker through Borderlinx. So Borderlinx charges you for duties, taxes, and shipping or do you pay duties and taxes extra.

Do they charge you for their services as well? After all there is no free lunch na?

Yup, their service charges are included in the Shipping costs. I try not to look at the break up because the customs charged always looks less to me. If I am happy with the overall charges, I go ahead. I would whole-heartedly recommend this service to you. Though they use DHL, their overall charges are lesser than DHL + customs. You get your stuff in less than 5 days.

 

[navin advani]

Please see quote from the app notes that led me to decide on a 4 cubic feet enclosure
here:



Yup, their service charges are included in the Shipping costs. I try not to look at the break up because the customs charged always looks less to me. If I am happy with the overall charges, I go ahead. I would whole-heartedly recommend this service to you. Though they use DHL, their overall charges are lesser than DHL + customs. You get your stuff in less than 5 days.

From the link the data for the "Sealed 2.5 Cubic Foot 100% Fill (48oz. Polyfill)" looks fine.

Even the 42 liter box with "Q = 0.707 Butterworth Alignment 100% Fill (24oz. Polyfill)" looks good.

I like the 3 cu. ft. box titled "Q = 0.577 Bessel Alignment (2.9 cubic feet) 100% Fill (44oz. Polyfill)" best

If your subwoofer is loaded by the back wall and floor you will get some room gain as well.

Thanks for the advice on Borderlinx.

 

[manoj.p]

santhosh,

both the amps are very much same. Except, the rack version has subsonic and bass boost filters. Both are defeatable and in addition to parametric eq.

although you may need more than one parametric filter, depending upon your room modes, so feedback destroyer may be needed in future. Just grab it when you find it for very cheap.