Ideas for building my own subwoofer...

[Tahoe Gator]

I am considering building my own subwoofer for a home theatre setup and have two ideas, both of which would require building a subwoofer enclosure and selecting one or more drivers, hence the reason for my post.

Idea #1 is to power the subwoofer with a spare amp I have (an NAD 2600A, which is 150W RMS and many times more peak or when bridged).

Idea #2 is to use car audio amp (Soundstream 100W per channel, more when bridged) powered by an extremely beefy 12 VDC power supply I picked up from an electronics surplus store.

Obviously, the NAD-powered one would be more powerful, though I am tempted to try the car amp/power supply combo only because those two components will collect dust forever if I don't use them, whereas I might have a need for the NAD amp at some point.

Either idea, however, requires selecting one ore more sub drivers and building the appropriate enclosure.

Any suggestions on sub woofers or the ideas presented above are appreciated. Thanks.

[kexodusc]

You can use either amp, the 4 ohm figures are the ones to watch. You might as well bridge the NAD if you go that route. And I think that might be the way to go.

However, you could probably sell one of those amps for enough to buy a more appropriate 240 - 300 watt sub woofer plate amp with all the inputs, crossover, and phase controls you need. That might be your best bet. (approx $120 - $150).

As for drivers well, there's hundreds out there. What do you want? a 10, 12, 15, or 18 inch unit? Sealed or Ported? How much you looking to spend?

[Tahoe Gator]

Well, not sure what size I would want. The better questions might be what would be appropriate or proper for that amplification? Bigger the speaker driver the better? A car audio model or some other type? Both amps can drive low ohm speakers. And if not car audio, sources? I associate porting as helpful for efficiency, but with more than enough amplification, is sealed better? Any thoughts appreciated.

[NoMSG]

Well, not sure what size I would want. The better questions might be what would be appropriate or proper for that amplification? Bigger the speaker driver the better? A car audio model or some other type? Both amps can drive low ohm speakers. And if not car audio, sources? I associate porting as helpful for efficiency, but with more than enough amplification, is sealed better? Any thoughts appreciated.

Three weeks ago, I knew nothing about sub building, amps or drivers. But I soon learned that the only way I could get a quality sub in the cabinet size that I wanted was to build it myself. I just ordered the parts yesterday and I should have my project done in a week or so.

Anyway, based on what I've learned in the last couple of weeks:

All things being equal, bigger is better. But look at SVS' 10" powered sub. Apparently, it puts most 12" subs to shame. Just make sure you get a driver that will go as low and loud as you need it to.

A car sub driver is not likely going to do well for home use, because it relies on the cabin gain of a car for it's sound.

A ported design will go lower, louder, but they are trickier to design right; many people find them less "musical." A sealed design is tough to screw up.

If you plan to run the sub's amp through the LFE controls of your receiver, then you can probably use your existing amps. Otherwise, you may be better off just getting a plate amp that has all the bells and whistles.

If I got anything wrong, I'm sure the community will chime in.

[BRANDONH]

I am considering building my own subwoofer for a home theatre setup and have two ideas, both of which would require building a subwoofer enclosure and selecting one or more drivers, hence the reason for my post.

Idea #1 is to power the subwoofer with a spare amp I have (an NAD 2600A, which is 150W RMS and many times more peak or when bridged).

Idea #2 is to use car audio amp (Soundstream 100W per channel, more when bridged) powered by an extremely beefy 12 VDC power supply I picked up from an electronics surplus store.

Obviously, the NAD-powered one would be more powerful, though I am tempted to try the car amp/power supply combo only because those two components will collect dust forever if I don't use them, whereas I might have a need for the NAD amp at some point.

Either idea, however, requires selecting one ore more sub drivers and building the appropriate enclosure.

Any suggestions on sub woofers or the ideas presented above are appreciated. Thanks.

Check out this kit:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...=300-764&DID=7