building a tube sub...

[MomurdA]

like the svs pci 16-46, how easy would it be to build one of these? I have never heard a sub with this design before, but it looks from the specs at svs site that their tube subs go lower than comparably sized box subs. Do they play music as well as a box sub? I would guess that they dont, but that would just a a guess. Any comments? Also, some guy is selling a pci 16-46 on audiogon for a good deal, i think. This sub goes to 16hz. That is like a canon isnt it?

[Geoffcin]

like the svs pci 16-46, how easy would it be to build one of these? I have never heard a sub with this design before, but it looks from the specs at svs site that their tube subs go lower than comparably sized box subs. Do they play music as well as a box sub? I would guess that they dont, but that would just a a guess. Any comments? Also, some guy is selling a pci 16-46 on audiogon for a good deal, i think. This sub goes to 16hz. That is like a canon isnt it?

I just saw that a respected company was having a clearence on some woofers, and I wonder how hard it wout be to make a dual 12" Isobaric loaded tube sub. Kexo, you there?

[JoeE SP9]

Concrete construction formers (Sonotubes) make excellent enclosures. Mount a woofer at one end of a tube with the length acting as a transmission line. This does lead to a tube 8 to 9 feet long but it is very simple and very easy to build. Hsu Research uses the same sort of tubes but with a tube vent using Theile Small calculations for deciding enclosure and port dimensions.

[Mark_IDT]

I would think you want to use laminated wood sheets. You could buy these lamination sheets which are very thin and wrap them around one of thoese concrete formers and pull out the forming tube after everything sets. I would use polyurithane resin used for car fiberglass I don't se any reason to use epoxy resin that kind of strength wouldn't be needed. It certaintly wouldn't be an easy project but doable I think well at least for me but I'm well educated in fabrication with numerous materials. I could make you a 1" thick fiberglass, carbonfiber, or even kevlar walled tube but the latter two wouldn't be cheap either. Fiberglass would be easier than laminating wood but might not sound as well.

[JoeE SP9]

I would think you want to use laminated wood sheets. You could buy these lamination sheets which are very thin and wrap them around one of thoese concrete formers and pull out the forming tube after everything sets. I would use polyurithane resin used for car fiberglass I don't se any reason to use epoxy resin that kind of strength wouldn't be needed. It certaintly wouldn't be an easy project but doable I think well at least for me but I'm well educated in fabrication with numerous materials. I could make you a 1" thick fiberglass, carbonfiber, or even kevlar walled tube but the latter two wouldn't be cheap either. Fiberglass would be easier than laminating wood but might not sound as well.

The construction former by itself is more than strong enough. See Hsu subwoofers if you doubt this. I am in the process of building a folded tube transmission line sub using sonotubes (construction formers). My buddie and I designed one and he has already built one. It is -3db down at 18hz. It's efficiency is very high. The only drawback is the sheer size of what we call the "Great Mother Of Subwoofers".

[Mark_IDT]

What are they made of? I thought they were just thick cardboard they must be really thick.

[JoeE SP9]

What are they made of? I thought they were just thick cardboard they must be really thick.

The material used is paper based but I would not call it cardboard. The tubes themselves are used as concrete formers. Those large concrete pillars you see were formed using these tubes. The tube walls themselves are not all that thick. The paper used is very densely wrapped. There are no corrugations as in ordinary cardboard. If you really want to know check your yellow pages and go look for yourself. As I said already check the Hsu research web site. There maybe other manufacturers using the same material. If they are tubular subs there is a good chance the material is sonotube.

[abstracta]

I've built several house subs from sonotube, my biggest being 24" in diameter, 4 feet tall, and housing a single Adire 15" driver.

Sound quality is *astounding*. Perfectly clean, clinical, and produces more sub 20hz sound than any commercial sub I've heard.

[Dick Hertz]

Cylinders are by their very nature, strong enough for use as a subwoofer enclosure. The enclosed link looks like a very good project.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...tember-99.html