The DIY discussion thread: post your projects!

[Evilsizer]

Oh, for the specs, its a Dayton Hi Fidelity 12" Reference. In a 4.0cu ft box, and a 4" Precision port, And a Bash 300w amp. Sounds great!

*boom boom*
hey son how is the sub and amp?
huh speak up
*boom boom*
LOL

 

[shard]

*boom boom*
hey son how is the sub and amp?
huh speak up
*boom boom*
LOL

Wow, talk about a literal quote from when I first installed it

 

[Evilsizer]

what made you choose the hf over the ho. cause from looking at that pic looks like i will need to go with a ho for a smaller box. never realised how big something around 3-4cuft is.

 

[shard]

what made you choose the hf over the ho. cause from looking at that pic looks like i will need to go with a ho for a smaller box. never realised how big something around 3-4cuft is.

No, it realy doesnt matter, I chose the extra large box for the extra low excursion ability, and this is more for HT then music, even though it aces both!

The HO just didnt seem to have the accuracy that I wanted, and seemed to need more power to drive effectivly, but it can get louder due to the larger amount of power it can handle. And you can get away with any size box with either type, hell, many people have used the HF in pretty small sealed boxes and still have loved it, the biggest thing is how clean it is for the price, and how easily it hits low notes. But either of the reference drivers are top notch in my opinion, the aluminum cone does great, and the magnent is very large. Just make sure you build a very solid box, with plenty of power, and you will love it.

 

[Evilsizer]

No, it realy doesnt matter, I chose the extra large box for the extra low excursion ability, and this is more for HT then music, even though it aces both!

The HO just didnt seem to have the accuracy that I wanted, and seemed to need more power to drive effectivly, but it can get louder due to the larger amount of power it can handle. And you can get away with any size box with either type, hell, many people have used the HF in pretty small sealed boxes and still have loved it, the biggest thing is how clean it is for the price, and how easily it hits low notes. But either of the reference drivers are top notch in my opinion, the aluminum cone does great, and the magnent is very large. Just make sure you build a very solid box, with plenty of power, and you will love it.

hmmm, looks like when i have the money then im getting the 15in rs.

 

[shard]

hmmm, looks like when i have the money then im getting the 15in rs.

In my opinion, worth it.

 

[shard]

Hmm, got a small problem, after the first time the heavy bass starts right after I turn the system on, the first hit is like a thwomp sound from the sub, but after that plays like a champ, what is cuasing it to do that? And how can I fix that?

 

[Evilsizer]

Hmm, got a small problem, after the first time the heavy bass starts right after I turn the system on, the first hit is like a thwomp sound from the sub, but after that plays like a champ, what is cuasing it to do that? And how can I fix that?

sounds like the amp does not have a "soft start" or "Delay On". That happens with amp that dont have these features. Where the amp does not connect the outputs after a 5-10sec delay. I have this thump when i power on or off my sub. Mine is a older 12inch altec lansing HomeAudio sub(not there computer speaker crap).

 

[shard]

sounds like the amp does not have a "soft start" or "Delay On". That happens with amp that dont have these features. Where the amp does not connect the outputs after a 5-10sec delay. I have this thump when i power on or off my sub. Mine is a older 12inch altec lansing HomeAudio sub(not there computer speaker crap).

No, not when the amp first starts, its the first time I get a note in the 40-30hz range, it acts like the sub is distorting, and then gos right along playing, I know it aint distorting, becuase I can play bass tests to my heart's content.

 

[Evilsizer]

No, not when the amp first starts, its the first time I get a note in the 40-30hz range, it acts like the sub is distorting, and then gos right along playing, I know it aint distorting, becuase I can play bass tests to my heart's content.

*shrugs* im out of ideas then. why not ask over at partsexpress forums?

 

[shard]

*shrugs* im out of ideas then. why not ask over at partsexpress forums?

Lol, I didnt know that they had forums, ok, I will poke around over there. Thanks!

 

[ilikepie]

Cmoy

 

[Droban]

I picked up a pair of radio shack "optimus" speakers from a local pawn shop for cheap. The cabinets are nice, and I figured I would use them with new drivers, etc.

I am new to speaker building, and I wanted some suggestions.

I will for sure use the Dayton 8". The speakers are originally 3-way, but I was thinking of putting a dayton tweeter in the midrange hole, and putting a port tube in the tweeter hole of the cabinets. I would probably just buy crossovers from partsexpress as well.

My main concern was which port tube will fit in the hole(2 inch diameter)?

Also, please share thoughts on the conversion from 3-way to 2-way, as well as having a port in the front rather than the back. Thanks!

 

[Evilsizer]

I picked up a pair of radio shack "optimus" speakers from a local pawn shop for cheap. The cabinets are nice, and I figured I would use them with new drivers, etc.

I am new to speaker building, and I wanted some suggestions.

I will for sure use the Dayton 8". The speakers are originally 3-way, but I was thinking of putting a dayton tweeter in the midrange hole, and putting a port tube in the tweeter hole of the cabinets. I would probably just buy crossovers from partsexpress as well.

My main concern was which port tube will fit in the hole(2 inch diameter)?

Also, please share thoughts on the conversion from 3-way to 2-way, as well as having a port in the front rather than the back. Thanks!

look at this
http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_files/Projects/Lyra/lyramain.htm

might want to do these then for a 8inch 2way
http://www.wadsnet.com/~dtenney/dayton_8MT.htm

 

[soulrider4ever]

sticky!

 

[Jileb]

Lol, very impressive.im not a big fan on 3 way bookshelf speakers but, i dont know why, proberly because i have never had any

 

[PRIVATEpastry]

I have quite a bit of experience with car audio, but minimal experience with home and computer audio. Here is the equipment that I will be using for my sub build:

Amp:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-784&scqty=1

Sub:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=295-485&scqty=1

I'll be building a 1.5 cuft sealed box out of 3/4" MDF (too much left over from car builds...) because I don't have the room for a ported box (~2.5 cuft). I had some leftover 1/2" MDF, so I used 1/2" MDF for 3 sides, and 3/4" MDF for the amp mount side and the top, bottom, and sub baffle.

My table saw blade took a crap on me, so I used the handheld radial saw. Here are the pieces with the sub baffle cutouts and the amp cutout:




I added a 3/4" x 2" strip in between the long sides for bracing. You can't see it in this picture, but here she is all put together (upside down):




I had this idea a while ago, but I've never tried it before. I thought I'd try it out on this box.

I wanted an easier/cheaper way to seal the sub and amp mount areas off. So I got some clear caulk and put a line around the sub mount and amp mounts and smoothed it out with my finger.




I got some wood filler at HD and went over all the ends and spots where the sides didn't level out with each other.




I decided to add some weather stripping because the caulk idea didn't turn out too well. When the sub and amp came in from PE, the flush mount baffle turned out to be a tad too small all the way around, so I had to sand it down. Here's a picture of the box with all the sanding of the flush mount baffle done and the weather stripping applied:




And here is a picture with both the amp and the sub in for the test fit:




Here's a picture of the box after sanding down the wood filler. It is sitting on the end of a broom handle that I stuck in my yard:




And here it is primed:




I decided to use flat black spraypaint - it looks nice with the brushed metal of the amp. Here's the box after three coats of flat black:




Here it is with the amp and sub installed under the desk by my computer:



Amp: $50
Sub: $30
Rubber feet: $3
MDF: $0 (scrap pieces)
Wood filler: $4
Sandpaper/sponges: $8
Paint/primer: $9
Shipping (amp, sub, and feet from PE): $10

Total Cost: $114

 

[shawkins]

PRIVATEpastry - thats a nice setup, how much did that run you?

 

[PRIVATEpastry]

Edited original post with the prices of the items I used and the total cost.

I spent about $114, as I calculated.

 

[techun]

yay, at least someone's still building things
my 12" DVC crapped out on me, so im going to put a different sub into that box around december 25th