Would this work?

Jesse New member Username: Maximum_boost Columbia Heights, MN USA Post Number: 1 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 22:34 GMT I'm trying to buy two 18" subs for my room. Could I buy 2 car subs and put them in an enclosure?
Jim Bay Gold Member Username: Jrbay Livonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1159 Registered: Feb-08	Posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 22:41 GMT Sure but you would need plate amps to drive them and would have to seriously ask yourself why that would be better than buying subwoofers from a reputable manufacturer.
Jesse New member Username: Maximum_boost Columbia Heights, MN USA Post Number: 2 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 22:44 GMT I'm just trying to be cheap.
Jim Bay Gold Member Username: Jrbay Livonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1160 Registered: Feb-08	Posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 22:45 GMT Cheap doesn't sound good!!! Smart can, for sure!!! Why two subwoofers?
Jesse New member Username: Maximum_boost Columbia Heights, MN USA Post Number: 3 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 23:18 GMT Cause this is for a stereo, not a theater system. That's why I want 2. Unless there is a way to make stereo to mono?
Jim Bay Gold Member Username: Jrbay Livonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1161 Registered: Feb-08	Posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 23:42 GMT If you look at a plate amp like this one: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-804 It has binding posts for speaker level ins and outs. You wire the left and right out of the amp to the sub then back out to the left and right speakers. In other words if you are on a budget then you only need one sub. I would also downgrade your speaker size because an 18" sub just can't sound good, but I suspect that you are shooting for quantity WAY over quality.
Jesse New member Username: Maximum_boost Columbia Heights, MN USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 00:33 GMT Yep your right!
leo stierer Silver Member Username: Magfan USA Post Number: 921 Registered: Oct-07	Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 08:05 GMT Properly done, with music in mind as opposed to just explosions, you will save SOME money with a DIY. Start with home components, not car. Most car subs have ungodly low impedance which home plate amps are generally not comfortable driving. The money you save VS a pre-made will probably be worth about 2$ per hour. Depending on the size of the room, a 12" would be about all that's needed. If I thought I needed more, or had a real large room, say over 5000ft/cubed I'd consider a pair of subs. (20x25x10) What IS the budget?
Jesse New member Username: Maximum_boost Columbia Heights, MN USA Post Number: 5 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 18:37 GMT $400
leo stierer Silver Member Username: Magfan USA Post Number: 926 Registered: Oct-07	Posted on Thursday, March 11, 2010 - 07:39 GMT For 400$ you can buy a decent HSU or equal. Check out the HSU website. For that same 400$ you can probably build about 500$ worth of sub. Don't forget, you really only get cheap labor, not a real break on parts. The 500$ HSU is real nice. Not shake down the walls loud, at least in my medium sized room of about 5000ft/cubed but it will play pipe organ and get all the notes correct or make the whole place shake when the T-Rex comes on scene in Geriatric Park. I have it configured at 'maximum extension' while 'maximum output' may be worth a few db is I was inclined to try it. If your room is say.....15x20x10 or smaller (3000ft/cubed) the 12" HSU or equal will kill. If you are an over achiever, save and add a second this coming Christmas! Best of luck with the neighbors, if you live in an apartment. If you go DIY, take some pictures and make a list of what you used. AND the result!
TheMadMan New member Username: The_madman Post Number: 4 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 07:13 GMT On the cheap. I like it. Make it happen Cap'n ! If you fail , then you learned something , if you succeed , then you learned something ! WIN ! I did it ! I built SubZilla !The backstory is , I have a Yamaha HTIB and the sub was dissappointing. So I take an old 165W car amplifier , 500W computer power supply and the Sub output from the Yamaha , add them to a 12in cheap subwoofer in a 3cu ft ported MDF box. All components go in the box , add power cord and drop the works into an existing ottoman in the livingroom and BOOOM ! Instant incredible floor shaking sub. If I were to buy all the components Id be in for less than $200 , save for the Ottoman. $50 amp , $30 12 in Woofer , $30 500W P/S , One sheet 3/4 MDF $30 , one "Y" cable to separate the signal from mono to stereo for the amp input. Oh , and I opened up the bottom of the Ottoman to let the sound out. Yes, cheap. Yes bragging. YES incredible booming sound.!
leo stierer Silver Member Username: Magfan USA Post Number: 981 Registered: Oct-07	Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 07:38 GMT Pretty ingenious! and close enough to the listeners for some real effects......
TheMadMan New member Username: The_madman Post Number: 5 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 11:53 GMT Thank you Leo. It truly was an experiment that payed off. Now that the gears are whirring in my head , Ive added an "AudioEngine" wireless to get rid of the RCA cable ($99), and am considering going with a Pyle 75W rackmount amp to replace the 120V to 12V experimental model.. The THD is less than the plate amps typically are and pretty darn cheap too , at around $60. A Better woofer is also in the plan , but off in the future. I'll see how long this config lasts. I have to say that I tested this on "Iron Man" and it was truly amazing. I felt every punch , blast off and explosion with explicit detail. As for music, Im not trying to kid anyone that the sound quality is anything near great. One system is definately not like the other.
leo stierer Silver Member Username: Magfan USA Post Number: 984 Registered: Oct-07	Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 17:34 GMT I don't know how important distortion is a very low frequencies in movies. I suspect the ear could tolerate up to 10% without even noticing. Also, a 500 watt computer power supply may only put 200 watts to the 12v outputs. And than it may be divided up? I don't know, but to see if you get more / better out of your rig, try a car battery for a few minutes. That will have unlimited power, given your situation. Be careful, car batteries are pretty dirty most of the time. Got a meter? RatShack sells a few for cheap....try taking some measurements of the power supply and voltage drop from loaded to unloaded. If you can measure the current, so much the better. And you're right, this wouldn't satisfy for music. Keep an eye on the budget, too.
TheMadMan New member Username: The_madman Post Number: 6 Registered: Mar-10	Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 02:08 GMT Thanks for the advice ! I happen to be a "meter" kind of guy. The amp draws at maximum 5.63A@12.5VDC. From the power supply. Thats just 75 watts. I ran it for 2 full feature films and never had an overheat problem or a significant voltage drop. Like mentioned before , Im going to play "wait and see" to discover just how reliable this setup might be. It was great to play with an idea and see it come alive. When talking about distortion , i suppose I meant "clipping". Driving the speaker beyond the capability of the plate amp or speaker itself was the issue . Hence the direction to the " bigger must be better" SubZilla. Thanks again for the offer of your obvious wealth of experience.

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