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  1. #1
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    building vs buying a sub

    hello everyone.

    was considering upgrading my subwoofer for my home theatre and music (an older Energy eps12). its serverd me fairly well but its a one note sub that tends to be a bit slow. i want something that will move you and feel on your chest but at the same time still be tight and accurate.

    some subs i'm considering are hsu, svs and paradigm pw series, but most of these run fairly exepnsive for me (around $700).

    i've gotten into car audio (subwoofer's) and find it fairly easy to build your own box of appropriate dimensions for your driver, dropping it into the enclosure and powering externally. can the same be done in home theater? i;ve read a lot of good things about adire drivers and know that they are used in car audio but also offer home drivers. if i were to buy the nessessary materials, mdf, driver, plate amp and crossover, is it worthwhile to try and build my own sub that will extend down to sub 20hz with high spls yet still be good for music? or shuld i leave that to the experts and lay down the big bucks to the manufacturers? i know sub design isnt that simple so am i foolish in thinking that i can build something a lot cheaper that will compete with something i would have to pay around $700 to get the kind of performance i want?

    anyone have any website examples of diy sub projects for the first time builder like myself that would spur me on?

    thanks for any suggestions.

  2. #2
    My custom user title This Guy's Avatar
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    Subs are the easier kind of speaker you can build. I highly reccomend you build your own, you get a huge bang for your buck. Go to partsexpress.com , you can pick a driver and they already have the reccomended enclosure for it. They also have a bunch of kits you can put together. In my opinion it's foolish not to make your own sub if you can make a box.

  3. #3
    Forum Regular 46minaudio's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by aRHT
    hello everyone.

    was considering upgrading my subwoofer for my home theatre and music (an older Energy eps12). its serverd me fairly well but its a one note sub that tends to be a bit slow. i want something that will move you and feel on your chest but at the same time still be tight and accurate.

    some subs i'm considering are hsu, svs and paradigm pw series, but most of these run fairly exepnsive for me (around $700).

    i've gotten into car audio (subwoofer's) and find it fairly easy to build your own box of appropriate dimensions for your driver, dropping it into the enclosure and powering externally. can the same be done in home theater? i;ve read a lot of good things about adire drivers and know that they are used in car audio but also offer home drivers. if i were to buy the nessessary materials, mdf, driver, plate amp and crossover, is it worthwhile to try and build my own sub that will extend down to sub 20hz with high spls yet still be good for music? or shuld i leave that to the experts and lay down the big bucks to the manufacturers? i know sub design isnt that simple so am i foolish in thinking that i can build something a lot cheaper that will compete with something i would have to pay around $700 to get the kind of performance i want?

    anyone have any website examples of diy sub projects for the first time builder like myself that would spur me on?

    thanks for any suggestions.
    Im building a new one with this driver...
    http://www.ascendantaudio.com/Avalanche%2018.htm

  4. #4
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Before the internet, I would say building a sub as good or better than a commercial unit for the same money would be a daunting task.
    But now it's just easy (well, making it look good might be tricky for some). There's tons of knowledgeable people who are willing to share information, plenty of excellent software available for cheap (and sometimes free), and access to quality components is as good as it's ever been.
    If you're going to drop $700 on a sub, man, you've got some serious options available to you.
    If you just want a subwoofer that sounds better a $700 commercial unit, we can get you there pretty cheap if you've got some tools and some a weekend to spare.

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