What is DIY Subwoofer

[rainbowsong2000]

Disclaimer: The title is pure clickbait

The past two weeks have been a black hole of DIY subwoofer obsession. With high-end audio gear costing more than a used car these days, I’ve started thinking—why not build my own

I’m toying with the idea of upgrading to a set of identical DIY subs in near future may be in a year. Is it a great idea or a potential money pit? No clue. But after walking through endless forum posts and YouTube rabbit holes (mostly featuring folks who think Dayton is the only driver on Earth), I’m officially ready to consult the real gurus—you guys.

The bass battleground:
13.5 ft wide x 21 ft long x 10 ft high
Please check my signature for my current audio toys.

Here’s my current state of mind:

1. DIY subs: brilliant or bonkers?
2. My woodworking skills are… let’s just say Sharpening the pencil .
3. What good drivers are available in India? Dayton is everywhere, but I’ve got my eyes on Lavoce and BMS
4. Can PA subwoofers bring the boom in a home theater?
5. The room has some acoustic treatment
6. 18-inch vs. 21-inch: is bigger really better?
7. WinISD is fun until it throws a “division by zero” tantrum. Can I really trust it to model things down to 20Hz?
8. Driver shortlist so far: Dayton UM1,Lavoce SAN214.50 (Refered fellow forum mate!) & BMS 18N862

Goal: cinematic bass that punches you in the chest—just like the legendary JBL 4645C.

Oh, and fun fact—ChatGPT’s been throwing out suggestions like it’s got a subwoofer PhD. Honestly, it's like talking to an audio-obsessed buddy who never sleeps.



Please advise and encourage

 

[rwnano]

Ketan sethi 4d furnishers...paging him

 

[rainbowsong2000]

Ketan sethi 4d furnishers...paging him

Looks like they do subwoofers for Car but not for HT anyway thanks will msg him

 

[availlyrics]

1. Unless you have a test mic , proper measuring setup- its bonkers
2. Same here, learnt how to handle power tools (very dangerous) with proper precautions and safety gears (can count upto 10 on my fingers!). Find a good carpenter for making your diy sub boxes
3 Buy only from those brands who provide proper design parameters
4. Bass freq. requires some distance to develop.Lower the bass , larger should be the distance between listner and the sub. So PA is out of equation
5 Good, keep on experimenting with various materials
6 Depends on WAF, bigger drivers boxes requires more floor space and a large area to develop. If living in apartments , neighbours may compain.

Goal: cinematic bass that punches you in the chest—just like the legendary JBL 4645C.

Multiplexes are larger than any living room, again bigger drivers boxes requires more floor space and a large area with proper treatment to develop. eg. Presence of 100s of pateron's in a theatre helps to absorb sound giving us a unique theatre experience.

 

[rainbowsong2000]

1. Unless you have a test mic , proper measuring setup- its bonkers
2. Same here, learnt how to handle power tools (very dangerous) with proper precautions and safety gears (can count upto 10 on my fingers!). Find a good carpenter for making your diy sub boxes
3 Buy only from those brands who provide proper design parameters
4. Bass freq. requires some distance to develop.Lower the bass , larger should be the distance between listner and the sub. So PA is out of equation
5 Good, keep on experimenting with various materials
6 Depends on WAF, bigger drivers boxes requires more floor space and a large area to develop. If living in apartments , neighbours may compain.

Multiplexes are larger than any living room, again bigger drivers boxes requires more floor space and a large area with proper treatment to develop. eg. Presence of 100s of pateron's in a theatre helps to absorb sound giving us a unique theatre experience.

Thanks mate for detailed response.

1. Unless you have a test mic , proper measuring setup- its bonkers
Yes, i have UMIK 1 and Mini DSP, now calibrated the existing 3 subwoofers. Do we need other measuring setup ?
2. Same here, learnt how to handle power tools (very dangerous) with proper precautions and safety gears (can count upto 10 on my fingers!). Find a good carpenter for making your diy sub boxes
Yes, I am looking for a good carpenter
3 Buy only from those brands who provide proper design parameters
Yes, you are right I am checking all the TS parameters from speaker Database, OEM sites and other websites.
4. Bass freq. requires some distance to develop.Lower the bass , larger should be the distance between listner and the sub. So PA is out of equation
Got it.
5 Good, keep on experimenting with various materials
Sure
6 Depends on WAF, bigger drivers boxes requires more floor space and a large area to develop. If living in apartments , neighbours may compain.

Nah.. luckily mine is a dedicated HT room at terrace and none around 100 Meters

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Kannan_madhu]

What's your rough budget for total build if you don't have an amp plan for that too in it

 

[rainbowsong2000]

What's your rough budget for total build if you don't have an amp plan for that too in it

Excluding Amp it should be less than 70 to 80k for 18 or 21 inch sub

 

[dandysandy]

Check this out:

https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/How-to-make-build-your-own-DIY-sonosub-style-cylinder-subwoofer

 

[availlyrics]

Yes, i have UMIK 1 and Mini DSP, now calibrated the existing 3 subwoofers. Do we need other measuring setup ?

Perfect.

 

[prateekatasniya]

if you have the budget for something like BMS driver you mentioned, then end your search for sub drivers.

 

[rainbowsong2000]

if you have the budget for something like BMS driver you mentioned, then end your search for sub drivers.

Yes, the following seems to be great. But not sure bout the availability in India.

Specification

www.bmsspeakers.com

 

[prateekatasniya]

Yes, the following seems to be great. But not sure bout the availability in India.

Specification

www.bmsspeakers.com

gm audio - chennai. expect it to be around 60k.

 

[diyaudio]

You will need 3 subs if you want smooth bass. Its better to go for three 10 inch ported subs (ported to about 25Hz) distributed along the walls than one 15 inch sub. I am talking about bass quality not quantity. If you want more quantity just go with three 12 inch. Also PR can get you a smaller box.

 

[rainbowsong2000]

You will need 3 subs if you want smooth bass. Its better to go for three 10 inch ported subs (ported to about 25Hz) distributed along the walls than one 15 inch sub. I am talking about bass quality not quantity. If you want more quantity just go with three 12 inch. Also PR can get you a smaller box.

Yes, you are absolutely right my wish is to have 4 subs eventually. Prefered to have 18inch

 

[rainbowsong2000]

I’m mainly after 18-inch drivers.
What’s the next step? I’m thinking of going with at least two BMS 18N850v3 subs for now and will calibrate them along with my existing PB2000.

 

[prateekatasniya]

I’m mainly after 18-inch drivers.
What’s the next step? I’m thinking of going with at least two BMS 18N850v3 subs for now and will calibrate them along with my existing PB2000.

no point using svs along with these subs- and invest in an avr with dirac to get the best out of your system.

 

[rainbowsong2000]

no point using svs along with these subs- and invest in an avr with dirac to get the best out of your system.

Ya the ultimate is to have 4 identical but to start with will go for dual DIY along with Dual PB2000

 

[prateekatasniya]

Ya the ultimate is to have 4 identical but to start with will go for dual DIY along with Dual PB2000

Use 3+1
3 subs using 3 sub outs
1 for tactile bass transducer using the 4th sub out.

 

[rainbowsong2000]

Use 3+1
3 subs using 3 sub outs
1 for tactile bass transducer using the 4th sub out.

ya.... but not big fan of transducer shakes n jerks just need big sound

 

[prateekatasniya]

ya.... but not big fan of transducer shakes n jerks just need big sound

Use the transducer at lower volumes..
It will feel like a subwoofer when done right..