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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 525 Registered: Apr-05 | So i have been watching ebay lately for subs that I am interested in (such as HSU, SVS) around the $400 mark. I have been reading on DIY projects and have a cousin that is an experienced craftsman, so I have one advantage here. Do you guys think a DIY by an inexperienced guy like me could compare to a $400 HSU if I were to spend, say $300 on the driver, amp, materials. Or, in this price range, would I be better off just buying the ready-to-hook-up HSU or SVS. If you think DIY would yeild good results, could you guide me toward drivers, amps, and websites that I should be looking at to kick this project off. thanks alot |
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Gold Member Username: Arande2Rattle your ... Missouri Post Number: 2728 Registered: Dec-06 | Ok... If you can figure out what it is you're doing when you build it and can understand the concept, then you can get a better result than the commercial models. It just can be a challenge with the budget because there has to be more balance involved, that's all. A 15" Dayton HF will cost around $160, then MDF can cost around 50, and you'd only need a couple hundred watts, so that's around $100. That's ~110dB down to 11hz, with pretty low distortion. The total cost might be slightly over $300 and should kill the HSU, according to its specs. Of course, listening to the two would be very important, but you can't do that until after it's built.. There are plenty other options too. |
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Silver Member Username: CcdoggyPost Number: 158 Registered: Jul-06 | I vote DIY, 90% of the time it will be better then retail stuff and you learn so much from the process. I pretty much stick to the Home theater shack for help. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11835 Registered: May-04 | . Here are a few completed projects to consider. The cost of materials is in the driver and amplifier. The cost of MDF is minimal after that outlay. The cost of tools is something you must consider. While you can hack together a subwoofer with a circular/sabre saw and a drill, you might want more sophisticated tools if you want this sub to be seen. Add up the cost of whatever tools you might need to buy and include things like lots of long clamps, four corner clamps and a circle cutting jig if you're looking for the best results. Include a plunge router if you don't already have one and some sort of workbench. A kitchen table only goes so far when the sawdust starts to fly around the room. Or add the cost of a competed cabinet from somewhere like Parts Express. I'm not clear on how much your cousin will contribute to this project. Also consider the Hsu is a phenomenal value item. The Hsu driver is very good and it's going to cost a fair amount to buy a plate amp with the steep crossover filters and low frequency cut off that the Hsu includes. If the filters don't mean anything to you because you'll use the filters in your HT receiver, then you can buy a less expensive BASH plate ampliffier. When you add up just the cost of parts - not counting tools, you'll probably be not too far from what you would pay for the smaller Hsu. The Hsu is a proven design that sounds good. It's not that difficult to build a subwoofer enclosure and stick in the driver and amp. You'll certainly learn more about audio by building anything than if you just buy something over the counter. You'll need to know a bit about enclosure types and how they operate and the trade offs of one vs. another. I would say you should be considering DIY more for the experience than for trying to outdo a high value product like the Hsu that has resale value where a DIY project doesn't have very much. You might want to consider a subwoofer kit and still learn something from the experience. A DIY sub can sound very good if you follow directions. OTOH bass is the foundation of the music so you can easily get less performance from a bad design than you would from the market driven product such as the Hsu. http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/RS1200/driver.cfm http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/drake/driver.cfm http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/whtsub.cfm http://www.creativesound.ca/details.php?model=SD12 http://www.creativesound.ca/pdf/SubDuction-plans-290307.pdf . |
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Silver Member Username: CcdoggyPost Number: 165 Registered: Jul-06 | if interested i came across this |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 526 Registered: Apr-05 | thanks a lot guys. My cousin has a shop which has enough tools to "make a spaceship" I always tell him, and he is also familiar with building enclsures. We build both his and both my car subwoofer enclosures at his house. So, I definitely am interested in this now. It will probably be a next summer project considering school and the weather, but that gives me some time to research. So, if you could just guide me toward quality drivers and amps, that would be great. "The Hsu driver is very good and it's going to cost a fair amount to buy a plate amp with the steep crossover filters and low frequency cut off that the Hsu includes. If the filters don't mean anything to you because you'll use the filters in your HT receiver, then you can buy a less expensive BASH plate ampliffier." I am a little confused to the "filters" comments above, if you could explain this feature to me. Thanks again |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11842 Registered: May-04 | . The Hsu subs have fourth order (24dB per octave) crossovers that can be set as low as 30Hz. |