Titanic Mkiii 15"

[GMichael]

OH MY G.D! IT IS A MONSTER!

I just unboxed this baby. It is HUGE! More later.
Back to the assembly.

[L.J.]

OH MY G.D! IT IS A MONSTER!

I just unboxed this baby. It is HUGE! More later.
Back to the assembly.

What........your still not done yet!!!

[GMichael]

What........your still not done yet!!!


Total time for assembly (including running to Lowes for spray adhesive) 70 minutes. If you know what you're doing, this could be put together in 10 minutes. I saw a lot of reviews where people had trouble with the internal nuts digging into the MDF during installation. I was worried about this until I saw that they now pre-install these nuts for you. The kit still comes with extras with the rest of the hardware. The instructions say to toss them out. This thing is built like a tank! Can you say big? No, bigger than that. Yeah, BIG!

So now it's together. Spikes in, and placed on top of the little nickel sized supports that are included. First thing in was Chicago's greatest hits. And hit it does. Had to turn it down. Played the first few songs and then threw in some Genesis. It sounds great! I missed last Friday's Battle Star so I figured that this would be a good time to let the DVR do it's job too. Oh my! My chest was shaking as a ship coasted by. (never mind that space is a vacuume. the sound was incredible) Only one problem. I hear dishes rattling in the kitchen. As luck would have it, it was just a couple in the sink. Put them in the washer and everything was good again.

This thing really rocks. It hits you like a ton of bricks. But it is under control with the parametric EQ. I haven't had a chance to calibrate it yet so I just dialed it to 18htz and turn it up 3db at a narrow band. It's not boomy at all and is tight as h.ll. I can't wait to get home tonight and put in Jurassic Park III and Polar Express.

The infinity PS-12 moved into the bedroom to replace the 6.5 inch semi-sub that was in there. This was another huge plus. Well worth the reduced price for the holidays. If it's been on your wish list, it's time to take a good hard look. And maybe even pull that trigger?

[L.J.]

I called PE and the kits will be on sale until 1/04. That gives me a couple of months. The return policy is 45 days. They'll honor it even if the sub has been put together.

[GMichael]

I called PE and the kits will be on sale until 1/04.

While supplies last.


The return policy is 45 days. They'll honor it even if the sub has been put together.

Return? Not me. The only way this is leaving my house is if someone breaks in and steals it.:5:

[Dusty Chalk]

I hear dishes rattling in the kitchen. As luck would have it, it was just a couple in the sink. Put them in the washer and everything was good again.I want a sub that does that!

[L.J.]

The only way this is leaving my house is if someone breaks in and steals it.:5:

Hmmmm :idea:

[GMichael]

I want a sub that does that!

My kitchen, living and dining rooms are all one room. (about 700sqft) But, yeah, I like it!

LJ,

It would cost you as much to drive here, stay in hotels along the way, and drive back as it would to just buy one. How about you just fly out and we'll let you stay on the couch (same room as the sub) for a few days?

[L.J.]

Darn you GM and your "while supplies last" comments. You pushed me over the edge. Mine will be here early next week.

[GMichael]

Darn you GM and your "while supplies last" comments. You pushed me over the edge. Mine will be here early next week.

BANG!

Was that the sound of someone pulling the trigger? Congrats. I know you'll be glad you did. And you could always return it. (or send it to me after you assemble it.

Still free freight? That's a biggie with something that's 100 pounds and takes up two boxes.

[L.J.]

BANG!

Was that the sound of someone pulling the trigger? Congrats. I know you'll be glad you did. And you could always return it. (or send it to me after you assemble it.

Still free freight? That's a biggie with something that's 100 pounds and takes up two boxes.

Yep, $578 total. I jump in a little early but couldn't pass the sale up. I'm gonna have some extra $$$ soon so no biggie.

I'm gonna be makin' some changes to my other system as well. I'm pulling the C-3's out of my bedroom and S12.3 sub (which is getting replaced by the titanic) and starting a 2.1 in a separate room. Probably be picking up an intergr. for that and pulling the Denon DCM 380 for that system as well.

My C-1's will go from surrounds to mains on my bedroom system and I already have Energy R1's to use as surrounds. My Vega's are gonna be moved into my garage.

[GMichael]

Yep, $578 total. I jump in a little early but couldn't pass the sale up. I'm gonna have some extra $$$ soon so no biggie.

I'm gonna be makin' some changes to my other system as well. I'm pulling the C-3's out of my bedroom and S12.3 sub (which is getting replaced by the titanic) and starting a 2.1 in a separate room. Probably be picking up an intergr. for that and pulling the Denon DCM 380 for that system as well.

My C-1's will go from surrounds to mains on my bedroom system and I already have Energy R1's to use as surrounds. My Vega's are gonna be moved into my garage.

Extra cash is always a good thing. Does this mean that wifey is all for it?
Upgrades are the next best thing to extra cash. Next thing you'll be telling me that you have some extra tang on the way. Oops, can I say that here?

[GMichael]

Gremlins! That's it, I must have gremlins. Someone keeps turning up my sub. I've turned it down 3 times already only to have it get too loud again an hour or so later. Is this a break in thing?
Half way through last night the sub seemed to be over powering my system again. But this time, instead of turning it down, I started playing with the parametric EQ. Haven't stopped by Rat Shack to pick up a meter yet, but never let it be said that anything will stop me. Equipment, knowledge, who needs it? Here's what I did. With the gain turned up to +4db I started turning the dial up from 18htz. When I got to about 60htz the boominess more than doubled. So I left the dial at 60htz and turned the gain/defeat down to -3db. Now it sounds great again. Doesn't overpower the system, but still hits like a ton of bricks when it is supposed to. Maybe some day I'll get off my lazy ars and ride the 5 miles down the road to the Shack. But till then, I'm a very happy man.:ciappa:

[L.J.]

Extra cash is always a good thing. Does this mean that wifey is all for it?

Yep. You gotta run a $500+ purchase by the wife first.

[L.J.]

Gremlins! That's it, I must have gremlins. Someone keeps turning up my sub. I've turned it down 3 times already only to have it get too loud again an hour or so later. Is this a break in thing?
Half way through last night the sub seemed to be over powering my system again. But this time, instead of turning it down, I started playing with the parametric EQ. Haven't stopped by Rat Shack to pick up a meter yet, but never let it be said that anything will stop me. Equipment, knowledge, who needs it? Here's what I did. With the gain turned up to +4db I started turning the dial up from 18htz. When I got to about 60htz the boominess more than doubled. So I left the dial at 60htz and turned the gain/defeat down to -3db. Now it sounds great again. Doesn't overpower the system, but still hits like a ton of bricks when it is supposed to. Maybe some day I'll get off my lazy ars and ride the 5 miles down the road to the Shack. But till then, I'm a very happy man.:ciappa:

Order it online

http://www.rivesaudio.com/software/softframes.html

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103668&cp=&origkw=sound+level+meter&kw=sound+level+meter&parentPage=search

[kexodusc]

Oh no...what have I done....

Congrats on the Titanic, boys...Lemme know when you're ready for some tweaking...

Not a bad sub for the buck, eh?

[GMichael]

Oh no...what have I done....

Congrats on the Titanic, boys...Lemme know when you're ready for some tweaking...

Not a bad sub for the buck, eh?

Dude! Did you notice that you cracked 5000 posts? Way to go! 3 cheers for Kexy.

HIP HIP HORAY...
HIP HIP HORAY...
HIP HIP YEHAAAAAAAAAA...........

Yeah, so far I'm loving it.
What kind of tweaks have you got in mind?

[L.J.]

Sub came yesterday. This thing is freakin' HUGE!!!!!!

[jrhymeammo]

Damn, you guys make it sound like they are novelty items. Seriously Ballzy Items.

-JRA

[GMichael]

Sub came yesterday. This thing is freakin' HUGE!!!!!!

This must be together for a couple of days now. So. what do you think? What have you played and how did it sound?

[L.J.]

This must be together for a couple of days now. So. what do you think? What have you played and how did it sound?

Haven't had a chance to really play with it yet. I put in a DTS demo disc I have to make sure it worked. It has clips from I-Robot, Hero, Kill Bill, LOTR. I really can't do a proper demo because I have no place to put it right now. Anyways, yeah this thing can hit hard. Very clean bass. My gain was set to about 4 and the EQ level at 0. I'm not even gonna bother toying with that until I find a proper resting place for this beast. So I really didn't do any calibration. Just plugged it in and made sure it worked.

By the way, did I say that this thing is freakin' HUGE!!!

[GMichael]

By the way, did I say that this thing is freakin' HUGE!!!

You may have mentioned it.
It's a monster isn't it.

I've been home sick for over a week now. So I've seen about 1/4 of my DVD's as well as every movie available on cable this month. This includes all 6 of the Star Wars episodes. So far, everything sounds better than I had dreamed. Although, the begining of Polar Express seemed to reseat the star nuts a little deaper and I needed to tighten things up a bit. Reminded me of working on the Harley. Anything that shakes that much is bound to need tightening now and then. So far this has been the only maintenence. It's most likely because I was fearfull of making them too tight the first time. I'm loving the sound, and really loving the thump.

[L.J.]

I really need a dedicated room for HT. The huge speakers are taking over. This sub will definately earn negative WAF points big time. Thankfully mine is not too concerned about my HT addiction or the size of the speakers. I guess it helps that the entire family enjoys the system. Maybe I should sell all my gear and invest in a slick new Bose system.

[GMichael]

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.. Aw man! Good thing I wasn't drinking any coffee when I read that.

With building the new house it was understood that the living room was mine to turn into an HT room. I even have the go ahead on big pannels once the cash flow gets back to normal.

But the bedroom came out much better than expected with just a few E10's and cieling mounts. I'm sure with a little research you could make a much nicer system that is still "nice for the wife." No need to compromise yourself into a Bose cube system.

[kexodusc]

Dude! Did you notice that you cracked 5000 posts? Way to go! 3 cheers for Kexy.

HIP HIP HORAY...
HIP HIP HORAY...
HIP HIP YEHAAAAAAAAAA...........

Yeah, so far I'm loving it.
What kind of tweaks have you got in mind?

Tweaking depends on your willingness to go back in there. Different damping material can really "customize" the overall punchiness, transient response, fr extension and resonances to your liking. I like pink fiberglass, or even better, rigid fiberglass or mineral wool. Poly fill might be better than the foam. You could port it and adjust port sizes for some added dB, FR, and make for a very cool way to build a variable parameter subwoofer. I have a sub that I bought plugs for and adjust the ports manually now and then. Kind of fun. I prefer the sealed sound though, but sometimes it's nice to have the +4 to +5 dB below 30 Hz for free at the expense of some musical sound quality.

Maybe even internal bracing and sealing, it's been awhile since I saw the inside of the cabinets, can't remember if their caulked or not along the seams internally (that helps prevent air leaks).

Anyhoo, for the cash, those are just about the best subs I've found still, in a pre-assembled, or kit form. Adire use to have a pretty affordable model that was impressive too but I think it wasn't worth while to them. Those should keep you satisfied for awhile.

What subs do you guys have to compare to the 15" Titanic? I get a lot of PM's from newbies and the like here (probably resulting from me shilling the Titanics so shamelessly at times) asking me about the 15" and what commercial models it compares to. My best commercial sub was the Paradigm PW-2200, but the 12" Titanic whooped that. I don't own the 15" Titanic and have only spent a few hours a few times with one - enough to know it's awesome but not make a good comparative guess..

[GMichael]

Tweaking depends on your willingness to go back in there. Different damping material can really "customize" the overall punchiness, transient response, fr extension and resonances to your liking. I like pink fiberglass, or even better, rigid fiberglass or mineral wool. Poly fill might be better than the foam. You could port it and adjust port sizes for some added dB, FR, and make for a very cool way to build a variable parameter subwoofer. I have a sub that I bought plugs for and adjust the ports manually now and then. Kind of fun. I prefer the sealed sound though, but sometimes it's nice to have the +4 to +5 dB below 30 Hz for free at the expense of some musical sound quality.

Maybe even internal bracing and sealing, it's been awhile since I saw the inside of the cabinets, can't remember if their caulked or not along the seams internally (that helps prevent air leaks).

Anyhoo, for the cash, those are just about the best subs I've found still, in a pre-assembled, or kit form. Adire use to have a pretty affordable model that was impressive too but I think it wasn't worth while to them. Those should keep you satisfied for awhile.

What subs do you guys have to compare to the 15" Titanic? I get a lot of PM's from newbies and the like here (probably resulting from me shilling the Titanics so shamelessly at times) asking me about the 15" and what commercial models it compares to. My best commercial sub was the Paradigm PW-2200, but the 12" Titanic whooped that. I don't own the 15" Titanic and have only spent a few hours a few times with one - enough to know it's awesome but not make a good comparative guess..

I have the Infinity Primus PS-12. It's a 12" rear ported sub with 350 w/rms. It was OK but was maxed out to fill our 700 sqrft main room. I was worried that it would give out at that level. It does a fine job in the bedroom now, but you can't really compare it to the MKIII. The MKIII goes lower & louder and does it with a much tighter sound. I love the sealed sub sound. I would never port it. Even at below 1/2 volume it fills every bit of the main room+, so it doesn't really need the extra boast. I'd just have to turn it down anyhow.

So, how's it going down under? When are you and wifey coming back?

[L.J.]

Tweaking depends on your willingness to go back in there. Different damping material can really "customize" the overall punchiness, transient response, fr extension and resonances to your liking. I like pink fiberglass, or even better, rigid fiberglass or mineral wool. Poly fill might be better than the foam. You could port it and adjust port sizes for some added dB, FR, and make for a very cool way to build a variable parameter subwoofer. I have a sub that I bought plugs for and adjust the ports manually now and then. Kind of fun. I prefer the sealed sound though, but sometimes it's nice to have the +4 to +5 dB below 30 Hz for free at the expense of some musical sound quality.

Maybe even internal bracing and sealing, it's been awhile since I saw the inside of the cabinets, can't remember if their caulked or not along the seams internally (that helps prevent air leaks).

Anyhoo, for the cash, those are just about the best subs I've found still, in a pre-assembled, or kit form. Adire use to have a pretty affordable model that was impressive too but I think it wasn't worth while to them. Those should keep you satisfied for awhile.

What subs do you guys have to compare to the 15" Titanic? I get a lot of PM's from newbies and the like here (probably resulting from me shilling the Titanics so shamelessly at times) asking me about the 15" and what commercial models it compares to. My best commercial sub was the Paradigm PW-2200, but the 12" Titanic whooped that. I don't own the 15" Titanic and have only spent a few hours a few times with one - enough to know it's awesome but not make a good comparative guess..

Dang!!!! I knew I should have waited to put this together. Kex where can I pick up some of that fiber glass? Is that the same stuff I would use for DIY acoustic panels?

[kexodusc]

Dang!!!! I knew I should have waited to put this together. Kex where can I pick up some of that fiber glass? Is that the same stuff I would use for DIY acoustic panels?
I bougth my fiberglass from a commercial air conditioner/heater supplier, but theres a few good sources for cheap stuff:
http://www.atsacoustics.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=51H4511872&rnd=5575700&rrc=N&affl=&cip=142.139.0.69&act=&aff=

That's an excellent site for raw material for both acoustic panels and speakers, and the sell quality panels. Pink fiberglass might be more cost effective. The foam is well, not the greatest for a subwoofer, IMO. I'm sure many would disagree. You won't know until you try. Just line the walls with the stuff using spray adhisive or a bit of sticky glue or something. Batts of fiberglass will even hold in place if stuffed right. Rigid fiberglass might need stapling, but if you cut it to fit right should hold in place on all but the top wall. I'd glue it on though for some holding strength to be safe.

Up to you. I noticed a big difference taking some stuffing out of my 15" subs cabinet, but going with a more dense, sound absorbing material lining the walls. You're not just absorbing internal standing waves (better done by fiberglasses than foams or polyfill), but you're also changing the internal volume of the cabinet the driver "sees" by up to 20%. This changes the total system Q, affecting the "punchiness", "tightness", FR, SPL (yup, a few dB sometimes, especially at the lowest frequencies which can lead to less work for the amp) and all those other cool audiphile buzzwords. I do a bit of trial and error with all my speakers. Everyone's ears are different so there really is no "best" stuffing solution, some prefer the colorations that using no damping material creates. Some manufacturers stuff the snot out of some models to cover up shoddy cabinets. Just be careful you don't strip the screw holes down so they don't hold the driver down anymore.

[L.J.]

Thanks for the info Kex. Those panels aren't that bad looking and pretty cheap too. I already talked to wifee and I'm gonna put some designed fabric on the panels to make em look pretty. I'm hoping to make them look like decoration for the room as much as possible. Any tips for that?

Seems like lining the sub with fiber glass has some great benefits. Not bad!

I gotta chance to watch Cars over the weekend and this sub is definately an improvement over my S12.3. I also threw some space ship fly over scenes at it and this baby can play deep. I also played LOTR ROTK scenes with the ghost rider flying on the dragon (or whatever that thing is) when Frodo makes it to the beginning of the stairs in the mountainside and a huge green pillar would shoot in the sky. My sub would always choke on that scene but the Titanic handled it just fine. You could feel the bass slap you evertime the dragon thingie took a flap of it's wings. Yeah, nice sub for $578.

[kexodusc]

Thanks for the info Kex. Those panels aren't that bad looking and pretty cheap too. I already talked to wifee and I'm gonna put some designed fabric on the panels to make em look pretty. I'm hoping to make them look like decoration for the room as much as possible. Any tips for that?

Seems like lining the sub with fiber glass has some great benefits. Not bad!

.

I just used cheapo burlap, and made frames out of 1" x 2"'s (I think, maybe 1x3's) and wrapped the fiberglass panels in cotton batt off a roll, then cut the burlap to wrap around the back. Then I took my trusty staple gun and stapled the fabric to the back of the frame. There's a little air gap behind the fiberglass, but this saved me a lot of fabric by not having to wrap the back side that rests against the wall. This was incredibly easy, and once you figure out how to fold the fabric to make it look clean and trim, it's simple. Saved a ton of money over buying premade panels.

Careful with the fabric - use burlap, muslin, or an acoustically transparent designer fabric like Guilford of Maine. Pricey stuff though.

[L.J.]

Careful with the fabric - use burlap, muslin, or an acoustically transparent designer fabric like Guilford of Maine. Pricey stuff though.

Most searches seem to only pull up fabrics of solid color. No designs or patterns. Do you know of any sites that have some type of designs on these fabric?

Thanks

[kexodusc]

I don't know of any off the top of my head, but I know if you search for the GoM stuff you can get patterns of various styles. I'm guessing either a fabric shop or pro audio sound treatment company could fix you up.

[L.J.]

Kex, thanks for all the info. You've been very helpful. I don't understand though, what's the problem with using any type of fabric?

I've been trying to find some info but cant come up with anything. I did find some patterned fabric on the GoM website.

Edit: I just ran across this quote "For acoustics projects, the weave on this fabric is open enough to let the high frequencies pass through, but not so open that you can see through it." That makes sense.

[kexodusc]

Kex, thanks for all the info. You've been very helpful. I don't understand though, what's the problem with using any type of fabric?

I've been trying to find some info but cant come up with anything. I did find some patterned fabric on the GoM website.

Edit: I just ran across this quote "For acoustics projects, the weave on this fabric is open enough to let the high frequencies pass through, but not so open that you can see through it." That makes sense.

Good for you! Don't underestimate fabric's affect on frequency levels. There some absorption, reflection going on, especially at the highs. But if it's not acoustically transparent fabric (no fabric is 100%, but some are much better than others) the sound waves won't penetrate the fabric and get absorbed. Basically, you'll end up with a reflective surface on top of an acoustic absorptive wall panel, on top of a reflective surface which you tried to treat in the first place...

I'm trying to think where you can get patterns at but I can't recall any. Most treatments I've seen commercially have used single color fabrics, maybe a few to accent each other, but no real patterns. Gotta be some though.

[GMichael]

Hey LJ,

How's that sub working out for you? What have you watched/listened to so far?

I was home sick for almost 2 weeks, so I've seen a lot of my DVD collection over again. So far I'm loving this thing.

[L.J.]

Hey LJ,

How's that sub working out for you? What have you watched/listened to so far?

I was home sick for almost 2 weeks, so I've seen a lot of my DVD collection over again. So far I'm loving this thing.

I gotta chance to listen to some tunes (R&B) over the weekend and did a little HT demo for some family. This sub was impressive while listening to music. I'm lovin' this sub more and more. I was wastching Ice Age 2 and everytime the huge ice wall would crack the sub would hit hard and you could not only hear but really feel the ice wall shifting. I let visiting family watch the ending band battle on Drumline and let's just say there was complete silence in the house while this was playing. I also pulled out my DTS demo disc which has some great clips. Hits deep but is very smooth. Hurts me to my heart that I put it in storage yesterday :sad:

Were moving into a bigger place in a couple of months and I just didn't have anywhere to put this beast. My S12.3 will have to handle the low end for a little while longer. I was gonna get the sub in Feb. after the move but pulled the trigger early because the sale ends Jan. 4.

[GMichael]

I gotta chance to listen to some tunes (R&B) over the weekend and did a little HT demo for some family. This sub was impressive while listening to music. I'm lovin' this sub more and more. I was wastching Ice Age 2 and everytime the huge ice wall would crack the sub would hit hard and you could not only hear but really feel the ice wall shifting. I let visiting family watch the ending band battle on Drumline and let's just say there was complete silence in the house while this was playing. I also pulled out my DTS demo disc which has some great clips. Hits deep but is very smooth. Hurts me to my heart that I put it in storage yesterday :sad:

Were moving into a bigger place in a couple of months and I just didn't have anywhere to put this beast. My S12.3 will have to handle the low end for a little while longer. I was gonna get the sub in Feb. after the move but pulled the trigger early because the sale ends Jan. 4.

Glad you're liking it. Sorry about having to pack it up. I know that feeling well. Time will pass and soon you'll be having even more fun in the larger place.

[L.J.]

Boy how time does fly. 2 more weeks until I'm reunited with my baby. I can't wait :sad:

[L.J.]

I just used cheapo burlap, and made frames out of 1" x 2"'s (I think, maybe 1x3's) and wrapped the fiberglass panels in cotton batt off a roll, then cut the burlap to wrap around the back. Then I took my trusty staple gun and stapled the fabric to the back of the frame. There's a little air gap behind the fiberglass, but this saved me a lot of fabric by not having to wrap the back side that rests against the wall. This was incredibly easy, and once you figure out how to fold the fabric to make it look clean and trim, it's simple. Saved a ton of money over buying premade panels.

Careful with the fabric - use burlap, muslin, or an acoustically transparent designer fabric like Guilford of Maine. Pricey stuff though.

Panels are ordered and on the way. I talked it over with wifee and going with a solid color burlap is cool. Kex do you recommened glueing the burlap to the panels? Not sure if I asked already.

[L.J.]

4 panels complete, 2 to go.

[Dusty Chalk]

Very nice. I like the way they match the couch.

[kexodusc]

Hey LJ, nice job! Where'd you get all the materials from?

Crap, I missed your post. I just used a staple gun, cheap and fast. No messy glue...Glue can be messy and I worried about the long term adhesiveness.
I used a natural Burlap - kinda beige in color. Yours is a nice greyish/white. I might order some of that stuff to add a second neutral color. The only hard part I found was pulling the Burlap tight enough around the frame so the panels looked professional and square.

I've been so busy lately I still haven't finished all my panels. Haven't done any DIY'ing since October.

I have a few pics somewhere at home of my panels...I'll see if I can't find'em and post em.

[GMichael]

Very nice job L.J. Can you make a few in maroon?

[kexodusc]

Very nice job L.J. Can you make a few in maroon?

I bet you could!!! :)

Edit - okay, this new "winky" smiley has a little "kiss" feature...that ain't cool - it's being replaced by a non suggestive normal smiley....there, that's better

[L.J.]

Very nice. I like the way they match the couch.

Wifee picked the color :)

[GMichael]

I bet you could!!! :)

Edit - okay, this new "winky" smiley has a little "kiss" feature...that ain't cool - it's being replaced by a non suggestive normal smiley....there, that's better

Thanks for changing that.

[L.J.]

Hey LJ, nice job! Where'd you get all the materials from?

Crap, I missed your post. I just used a staple gun, cheap and fast. No messy glue...Glue can be messy and I worried about the long term adhesiveness.
I used a natural Burlap - kinda beige in color. Yours is a nice greyish/white. I might order some of that stuff to add a second neutral color. The only hard part I found was pulling the Burlap tight enough around the frame so the panels looked professional and square.

I've been so busy lately I still haven't finished all my panels. Haven't done any DIY'ing since October.

I have a few pics somewhere at home of my panels...I'll see if I can't find'em and post em.

I ordered from atsacoustics. Total came to $155 shipped for 6 panels and fabric.

I skipped the glue as well. One mistake after glueing and your pretty screwed!

I orginally wanted to go with natural but the wife thought the parchment would fit the furniture better. She was right.

[L.J.]

Very nice job L.J. Can you make a few in maroon?

Yeah I'm gonna make a few more panels. Maybe a natural or darker brown though.

[GMichael]

Yeah I'm gonna make a few more panels. Maybe a natural or darker brown though.

Brown? Now, you know that won't match my living room.:ihih:

[kexodusc]

$155 for 6 panels ain't bad!!! I think the cheapest I've seen is $38 per 2'X4' panel - 6 of those will run you dandy to $300 shipped. And they're just the same as what you did by yourself.

I ordered my fiberglass from a heating/ac distributor and got it for $0.65 per sq ft - that's about $5.20 a panel....6 for $31.20 - you do the math. So I ordered 100 sq feet of it (condition of getting the good rate). Shipping added another $30 - so $1.80 per panel I have a bunch of fiberglass I still need use in my basement now (and a bunch of burgundy foam). But I think buying the bulk allowed me to do it a wee bit cheaper than LJ. I think I worked it out that $4 of fabric will do one panel and change. That's $11 per panel + $5-$10 or so for the lumber and hardware...
$20 per panel? The more you buy the cheaper it gets. $200-$300 can do a room quite nicely.

This has got to be one of the most effective home theater upgrades you can do.
I have a lot of explaining to do when people walk in and see 12 big panels around my room hanging on walls...my Dad makes fun of me and my inlaws think I'm crazy....they just don't understand.

[L.J.]

This has got to be one of the most effective home theater upgrades you can do.
I have a lot of explaining to do when people walk in and see 12 big panels around my room hanging on walls...my Dad makes fun of me and my inlaws think I'm crazy....they just don't understand.

My wife thinks they look good and even suggested I put up a few more. She's even open to adding bass traps. I did get a raised eyebrow from my sister though.

I think they'll make a nice conversation piece when company is over.

I still have to calibrate my sub and do some room measurements, but so far everything is sounding extremely well. This Titanic has some serious BANG and can take over the room easily. I'm VERY happy with this sub.

I noticed in some pics at ATS that some were using bass traps with a square shape to them. It almost looked like a stack of foams bricks. I liked the look of those rather than the triangular foam wedges. Do you have any idea where I can find those?

http://www.atsacoustics.com/media/images/product_detail/jd_photogallery_01.jpg

[kexodusc]

My wife thinks they look good and even suggested I put up a few more. She's even open to adding bass traps. I did get a raised eyebrow from my sister though.

I think they'll make a nice conversation piece when company is over.

I still have to calibrate my sub and do some room measurements, but so far everything is sounding extremely well. This Titanic has some serious BANG and can take over the room easily. I'm VERY happy with this sub.

I noticed in some pics at ATS that some were using bass traps with a square shape to them. It almost looked like a stack of foams bricks. I liked the look of those rather than the triangular foam wedges. Do you have any idea where I can find those?

http://www.atsacoustics.com/media/images/product_detail/jd_photogallery_01.jpg

(hey, those beige/natural panels look just like my small panels - that's the color I got)

LJ,

Those look to me like big dense foam blocks. You are better off (cost and performance wise) to stick with Rigid Fiberglass. You'll want the OC705 or equivalent, 6lb density fiberglass - or use twice as much OC703. Bass traps are expensive.
Even another 4' X 2' panel across your corners would produce good results...double up the fiberglass thickness (or more).

I like the corner trap designs:
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=535
and
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=534

I just made narrow, tall panels, chamfered the edges so they fit in the corner flush, about 12 wide for my corner traps. I will go the corner "chunk" route some day...but no rush, the BFD and the corner traps I do have yield great results now, so I'm not as motivated to tackle that project.

(edit - oh yeah, this place here sells foam corner treatment for decent prices:
http://foamforyou.com/foam_corner_kits.htm
You can find the blocks down the page some...
Here's another - a
http://www.foambymail.com/CornerSolutions.html
gain, not quite as good as Auralex and the super high-end foams, but for this price you can buy two or three times as much).

[Scott R. Foster]

snip...

...You are better off (cost and performance wise) to stick with Rigid Fiberglass. You'll want the OC705 or equivalent, 6lb density fiberglass - or use twice as much OC703. Bass traps are expensive.Even another 4' X 2' panel across your corners would produce good results...double up the fiberglass thickness (or more).

I like the corner trap designs:
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=535
and
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=534

snip

(edit - oh yeah, this place here sells foam corner treatment for decent prices:
http://foamforyou.com/foam_corner_kits.htm
You can find the blocks down the page some...
Here's another - a
http://www.foambymail.com/CornerSolutions.html
gain, not quite as good as Auralex and the super high-end foams, but for this price you can buy two or three times as much).

Hi Kex:

Thanks for the links to our DIY designs, but I wanted to tweak your advice a little if you don't mind.

1) 703 need not be doubled in thickness versus 705 to achieve similar performanace... in fact for a properly proportioned broadband device 703 is a superior choice [costs half as much / weighs half as much/works as good or better]. The reason is that the gas flow resistance of 703 is just about optimal for a 4 to 6" panel, and anything thinner [regardless of what type of foam / mineral fiber you use] will not perform at lower frequencies. You can directly compare the manufacturer's absorption specs for 703, 705 and many other flavors of mineral fiber here:

http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm

2) Acoustic foam is a perfectly good choice for porous absorber desgin - but the material is not cheap. If you find an extremely cheap price for foam panels, there is a good chance it isn't acoustic grade foam and therefore no bargain - as it just won't work like the real stuff will. More on the foam versus mineral fiber here:

http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=48

PS: them's some nice looking panels... good job matching the couch :thumbsup:

[kexodusc]

Hi Kex:

Thanks for the links to our DIY designs, but I wanted to tweak your advice a little if you don't mind.

1) 703 need not be doubled in thickness versus 705 to achieve similar performanace... in fact for a properly proportioned broadband device 703 is a superior choice [costs half as much / weighs half as much/works as good or better]. The reason is that the gas flow resistance of 703 is just about optimal for a 4 to 6" panel, and anything thinner [regardless of what type of foam / mineral fiber you use] will not perform at lower frequencies. You can directly compare the manufacturer's absorption specs for 703, 705 and many other flavors of mineral fiber here:

http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm


Hi Scott, it's a real pleasure having someone from studiotips visit our little corner of the world wide web...I've been a long time lurker there...I know your site's been extremely informative for me. Just curious how you ended up here?

I think you've just echoed the advice I've tried to give for the most part. Let me ask you though, since LJ was discussing the foam blocks used in a corner in his post, which I can only reasonably assume is to act as a bass trap rather than a broadband absorber, isn't the 705 actually a better absorber below 125 Hz than the 703? At higher frequencies I'm less concerned about the performance differences in the corners between 705 and 703, but say at 40-80 Hz in particular? Maybe the 703 at 6" or so effectively matches the 705 performance? I sort of envisioned a 2" to 4" or so diagonal panel across the corner? Just trying to find the optimal cost/performance balance here....



2) Acoustic foam is a perfectly good choice for porous absorber desgin - but the material is not cheap. If you find an extremely cheap price for foam panels, there is a good chance it isn't acoustic grade foam and therefore no bargain - as it just won't work like the real stuff will. More on the foam versus mineral fiber here:

http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=48


Guess the ol' "buyer-beware" warnings applies to acoustic foams, too....

Hope to see you stick around in some fashion, thanks again!

[L.J.]

Gremlins! That's it, I must have gremlins. Someone keeps turning up my sub. I've turned it down 3 times already only to have it get too loud again an hour or so later. Is this a break in thing?
Half way through last night the sub seemed to be over powering my system again. But this time, instead of turning it down, I started playing with the parametric EQ. Haven't stopped by Rat Shack to pick up a meter yet, but never let it be said that anything will stop me. Equipment, knowledge, who needs it? Here's what I did. With the gain turned up to +4db I started turning the dial up from 18htz. When I got to about 60htz the boominess more than doubled. So I left the dial at 60htz and turned the gain/defeat down to -3db. Now it sounds great again. Doesn't overpower the system, but still hits like a ton of bricks when it is supposed to. Maybe some day I'll get off my lazy ars and ride the 5 miles down the road to the Shack. But till then, I'm a very happy man.:ciappa:

Hey GM, have you had a chance to calibrate your sub yet?

I finally pulled out my SPL meter and Rives test tones CD and was able to really get my sub dialed in. Take a look at these before results:

http://forums.audioreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2537&stc=1&d=1175268181

The blue line is my first measurement. The gray is I guess my halfway point. I did alot more measurements, but only put a few on graph.

As you can see I had a HUGE peak at around 40/50hz. I was unable to properly set my sub level because of it. As a result, I had to set my sub's level really low. I knew it was there but the room measurements confirmed it. I was able to cut the peak down using the sub's eq. Cutting that one peak down made a night and day diff for my bass. The improvement was crazy. The sub blended with the rest of my system so much better. I was able to go in and properly set my level now because the peak was not screwing everything up. The bass is deep,but so freakin' smooth.

Here are my results now:

http://forums.audioreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2538&stc=1&d=1175268750

As you can see, the response is a heck of alot smoother now. I still have a peak at 90hz and a few bumps that I plan on taking care of it in the future(can you say BFD), but for now I have some pretty decent bass. Anyways, I thought I'd share my results with you and pressure you to spend some $$$.

[GMichael]

Oh! Very promising results. Congrats on a job well done. Doesn't that peak at 90 have more to do with your mains? What do you have the crossovers set at?

No, haven't done mine yet. Still sounds great though. Just doing it by ear I was able to get rid of what seemed to be a peek at 60. I have put a spending freeze on all purchases until further notice. Don't want to buy more new stuff just before I have to move it, again. May very well have to leave some new stuff behind as it is.

[L.J.]

Oh! Very promising results. Congrats on a job well done. Doesn't that peak at 90 have more to do with your mains? What do you have the crossovers set at?

No, haven't done mine yet. Still sounds great though. Just doing it by ear I was able to get rid of what seemed to be a peek at 60. I have put a spending freeze on all purchases until further notice. Don't want to buy more new stuff just before I have to move it, again. May very well have to leave some new stuff behind as it is.

Move it???? :confused5:

Yep, it's the mains. My xover is set to 80hz. I'm gonna see what happens when I change it to 60hz.

[kexodusc]

Move it???? :confused5:

Yep, it's the mains. My xover is set to 80hz. I'm gonna see what happens when I change it to 60hz.

LJ. I'm curious to learn what happens.

What size is your room (w x h x d)? Any 19 ft-ish dimensions by chance? I have a feeling this could be a room mode issue, but you might also try moving the speakers further out from the wall or tinkering with sub placement.

Setting the XO lower could make it worse. If your receiver has a 24 dB/octave filter, you're moving the cut in the 90 Hz region further away.

[L.J.]

Kex, I'll try to get to the measurements this weekend.

My speakers are about 1 1/2' off the wall. Boy, you shoulda seen my wife's face when I said something about pulling em out further.

The room is a living/dining combo room and then it's connected to the kitchen with only a bar separating the two rooms. The kitchen is then open to the front room with only a half wall separating those two rooms. The room is 14x24. The ceiling starts out at 8' and then slopes up to 11'. My TV/speakers are on the long wall.

[L.J.]

LJ. I'm curious to learn what happens.

What size is your room (w x h x d)? Any 19 ft-ish dimensions by chance? I have a feeling this could be a room mode issue, but you might also try moving the speakers further out from the wall or tinkering with sub placement.

Setting the XO lower could make it worse. If your receiver has a 24 dB/octave filter, you're moving the cut in the 90 Hz region further away.

Well I did a few measurements and using a 60hz xover causes a huge dip(-9) right at the xover point. The peak at 100 was still there. I tried playing tones at different volumes and had the same results each time.

[kexodusc]

Well I did a few measurements and using a 60hz xover causes a huge dip(-9) right at the xover point. The peak at 100 was still there. I tried playing tones at different volumes and had the same results each time.

Yeah, it's definitely looking more like a room induced peak at 100 Hz...don't feel bad, I have one around there too.
I did some calculations based on your room measurements, assuming your room to be rectangularish....you have room modes at 94 and 117 Hz (resulting from the 24 ft dimension), 80, and 121 Hz (from 14 ft) and some nasties in the 100 to 125 Hz range from that 9-11 ft slanted roof.

That's not uncommon (and not unlike mine, my room is 24 ft long too!) , but it's a lot of activity in that 90-120 Hz range which is causing you the grief. They should be especially prominent at the 110-120 Hz area...have you tested that high? And again 250Hz and 300-400Hz where lots of multiples are close together, though your room treatment might be softening the last few somewhat, and there's not really much you can do there (and you may not notice it as much?).
This is just the theory based numbers, the presence of your room treatement, furniture, and room architecture is likely to shift those all a bit, so precise peaks are hard to predict, but we're definitely in the ballpark.

You might find changing the sub placement or speaker proximity has some effect, though I expect it will be small. Ideally, you'd have some room treatment to soften the blow somewhat in that 100 Hz -125 Hz range. Even then I'm not sure how much better corner traps would make it. That frequency area is kind of nice though, lower bass is absorbed less by bass traps, and higher frequencies become more directional so their level at the listening position is not altered as much.

I really needed to put a cut on my 90 Hz peak with the BFD, it has a wider Q, so it just filters the sub lower. I flip back and forth between an 80 Hz, and 100 Hz XO for my sub.
Despite popular belief, the higher XO isn't terrible, and my sub at least doesn't really start becoming directional until 100-110 Hz or so. If I ever get around to building the 2nd one, that should help somewhat. I have corner traps that help a bit, but I live with some mess at 115 and especially 140 Hz right now.

Oh well.

[GMichael]

Yeah, it's definitely looking more like a room induced peak at 100 Hz...don't feel bad, I have one around there too.
I did some calculations based on your room measurements, assuming your room to be rectangularish....you have room modes at 94 and 117 Hz (resulting from the 24 ft dimension), 80, and 121 Hz (from 14 ft) and some nasties in the 100 to 125 Hz range from that 9-11 ft slanted roof.

That's not uncommon (and not unlike mine, my room is 24 ft long too!) , but it's a lot of activity in that 90-120 Hz range which is causing you the grief. They should be especially prominent at the 110-120 Hz area...have you tested that high? And again 250Hz and 300-400Hz where lots of multiples are close together, though your room treatment might be softening the last few somewhat, and there's not really much you can do there (and you may not notice it as much?).
This is just the theory based numbers, the presence of your room treatement, furniture, and room architecture is likely to shift those all a bit, so precise peaks are hard to predict, but we're definitely in the ballpark.

You might find changing the sub placement or speaker proximity has some effect, though I expect it will be small. Ideally, you'd have some room treatment to soften the blow somewhat in that 100 Hz -125 Hz range. Even then I'm not sure how much better corner traps would make it. That frequency area is kind of nice though, lower bass is absorbed less by bass traps, and higher frequencies become more directional so their level at the listening position is not altered as much.

I really needed to put a cut on my 90 Hz peak with the BFD, it has a wider Q, so it just filters the sub lower. I flip back and forth between an 80 Hz, and 100 Hz XO for my sub.
Despite popular belief, the higher XO isn't terrible, and my sub at least doesn't really start becoming directional until 100-110 Hz or so. If I ever get around to building the 2nd one, that should help somewhat. I have corner traps that help a bit, but I live with some mess at 115 and especially 140 Hz right now.

Oh well.

Wow. That's just what I was going to say.:idea:

[L.J.]

I tested up to 160hz. There's peaks at 125 & 160 but not as bad as the one at 100hz. I toyed with sub/speaker position but I'm pretty satisfied with my results. Besides, that freakin' Titanic is heavy :(

I'd like to do some measurements after running my avr's room eq setup, but I can't get it to take any correct measurements. It keeps setting all my levels(except the sub) to +12db. I know they don't eq well in the lower freq, but what's considered low?

One problem I still have is echo. Not sure if that affects the lower freq or not. The room is a living/dining room. I only treated the HT side of the room. The dining side has the highest ceiling point and alot of bare wall still.

[kexodusc]

I tested up to 160hz. There's peaks at 125 & 160 but not as bad as the one at 100hz. I toyed with sub/speaker position but I'm pretty satisfied with my results. Besides, that freakin' Titanic is heavy :(

I'd like to do some measurements after running my avr's room eq setup, but I can't get it to take any correct measurements. It keeps setting all my levels(except the sub) to +12db. I know they don't eq well in the lower freq, but what's considered low?

One problem I still have is echo. Not sure if that affects the lower freq or not. The room is a living/dining room. I only treated the HT side of the room. The dining side has the highest ceiling point and alot of bare wall still.

That is bizarre...the EQ's of the auto-setups on a lot of receivers are hit and miss, some are terribly fussy (though they're all much better than the first few years they were out) but I've never heard of one that didnt' get the delays and levels bang on (except for subs). Everytime I've compared them to an SPL meter (not just my own system) they've been accurate. Is there much background noise where you are?

The low frequencies for the EQ's are usually below 100 Hz, sometimes as low as 80 Hz.
Keep in mind, these things are imprecise because the microphone is in a small fixed location. A few inches either way can produce quite a different response. Most of the time it should be close though. Try running it several times when nobody else is home.

[L.J.]

That is bizarre...the EQ's of the auto-setups on a lot of receivers are hit and miss, some are terribly fussy (though they're all much better than the first few years they were out) but I've never heard of one that didnt' get the delays and levels bang on (except for subs). Everytime I've compared them to an SPL meter (not just my own system) they've been accurate. Is there much background noise where you are?

The low frequencies for the EQ's are usually below 100 Hz, sometimes as low as 80 Hz.
Keep in mind, these things are imprecise because the microphone is in a small fixed location. A few inches either way can produce quite a different response. Most of the time it should be close though. Try running it several times when nobody else is home.

My mic has always been accurate in the past. It has to be the room that's messing things up. Although all the levels are set to 12db, the delay is perfect everytime :confused: . It's strange because my surrounds are only 6ft from the listening position. Since the room is so large the levels have to be set kinda high but not 12db. I have no problems using my RS meter. I have also played the avr tones at higher volumes hoping I could get a reading but all levels are still set to 12db.

There is no background noises. I usually wait until the house is empty. My wife hates test tones for some reason :idea:

[kexodusc]

My room is 20 X 24, I'm about 10 feet from all speakers, except the rears, which are 8.5 ft behind me or so...I dont' get any pair maxed out that high. The absolute number (+12) doesn't matter if the level you'd set it to manually with your RS meter is the same for all speakers. But if some speakers should be higher or lower than the others, maybe the best thing to do is not use the auto-setup. Though, if the eq is doing it's job right, you should be able to manually alter the levels yourself.

[L.J.]

My room is 20 X 24, I'm about 10 feet from all speakers, except the rears, which are 8.5 ft behind me or so...I dont' get any pair maxed out that high. The absolute number (+12) doesn't matter if the level you'd set it to manually with your RS meter is the same for all speakers. But if some speakers should be higher or lower than the others, maybe the best thing to do is not use the auto-setup. Though, if the eq is doing it's job right, you should be able to manually alter the levels yourself.

I'll probably run the auto set up and check the levels with my meter to see what's going on.

My avr also has a manual eq that I tried toying with but none of the adjustment I made had any affect on the response when taking room measurements.


Hmm....a thought just popped in my head :idea: Does the tweaking ever end :crazy:

[Rich-n-Texas]

I'll probably run the auto set up and check the levels with my meter to see what's going on.

My avr also has a manual eq that I tried toying with but none of the adjustment I made had any affect on the response when taking room measurements.


Hmm....a thought just popped in my head :idea: Does the tweaking ever end :crazy:
:cryin: :cryin: :cryin:

This thread's got my head spinning!!!

[GMichael]

:cryin: :cryin: :cryin:

This thread's got my head spinning!!!

Doing a little thread revival these days?

[Rich-n-Texas]

Might as well. Even your post count is down this week...

[GMichael]

Might as well. Even your post count is down this week...

There just hasn't been much to post about. We need another party. :12:
:9: :16: :23:

[Rich-n-Texas]

I asked you more questions in my DVD-A Monitor thread, but as usual you ignored me. :rolleyes:

[GMichael]

I asked you more questions in my DVD-A Monitor thread, but as usual you ignored me. :rolleyes:

Huh? I wouldn't ignore you Tex. If I didn't write back, it was because I missed your question. Where is this thread with the question in it?

[E-Stat]

I have a lot of explaining to do when people walk in and see 12 big panels around my room hanging on walls...my Dad makes fun of me and my inlaws think I'm crazy....they just don't understand.
I get the same reaction with the main system. What are those big black things? And why do you have all those cylinders in the room? :D

rw

[Rich-n-Texas]

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=23255

I need to know how you converted from composite or S-Vid to VGA...

[GMichael]

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=23255

I need to know how you converted from composite or S-Vid to VGA...

I answered the best I could.

[hydroman]

BTTOTYWs

(Back to the original thread you whores! ) :nonod:

Dad and i finished the custom box using the plans at Parts Express for the Titanic. Simple, elegant, sealed.

I was ready to buy the raw speaker and then money got tight. Should be better soon & on order from PE.

I plan to stuff some pink (insulation) and assemble.

[kexodusc]

BTTOTYWs

(Back to the original thread you whores! ) :nonod:

Dad and i finished the custom box using the plans at Parts Express for the Titanic. Simple, elegant, sealed.

I was ready to buy the raw speaker and then money got tight. Should be better soon & on order from PE.

I plan to stuff some pink (insulation) and assemble.

Pink insulation works fine - try to keep it 4 inches from the woofer at all times. You could use white polyfill, it's cheap and less itchy. Just line all the walls so they aren't bare - you can tweak it by changing the amount. I prefer less, some prefer more.

[hydroman]

Woot!
Its alive! Its ALIVE ITS UhLIIIIVE!!

Purchase authority was granted and i wasted NO time getting it from PE. They delivered quickly and i got down to it. I also used the Dayton peel N stick laminate veneer to match the mains. It was easy to work with and looks okay.

MikeG was RIGHT! This thing POUNDS! I could not be more pleased! Thank you forum-buddies for helping me!

I watched 'Stealth' and the sounds were incredible! The hair rises on my arms just typing about it...

[GMichael]

Oh, Very nice. Great work!

What's next?

[audio amateur]

Enjoy:!:D

[L.J.]

*cough, cough* BFD *cough, cough*