Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio How to build a system?

I've built about 15-20 for various things from Home theater to mobile audio to PA systems. Most of them car audio back in the day. :-)

All excellent, but I'd go with one good 12" instead of 2 comercial ones.



Next step is to decide on woofer driver. That will dictate box size and how much power you'll need.

Power for the door spekaers? Really, not too much more than 40watts will blow your ears.

I agree with Dave that you're so much better off with DIY drivers like the Dayton/Shiva design. And the generalization about output falling off below 50Hz does not apply to these drivers. One single Shiva in a small sealed box will require about 1/2 to 1/2 the power as most comercial subs in that price range. So, you'll save money on the amp while getting a better sub.

Dave,
"back in the day" You're not that old. BTW, I played with some sine waves at home, 1-50Hz. It's pretty cool to see the cone move so far at 4Hz .

Be careful with those sub 20 hz sine waves! :-)

"back in the day" was starting back in 1988. I may not be old but I've spent about half my life installing and building stereo systems and subs. Started out building with no knowledge of anything. Had many failed experiments, but a few good results...

So what are your initial thoughts of your new home subs? What amp did you end up with?

I've got a multimeter on the sub to check the voltage too!

No amp yet, just using an old Pioneer receiver. Last night was, sadly, my first night to scientifically test. I only had it up to 11v and only measuring at about 1 meter from cone. I need more time because my results aren't clear yet. Sound to my ears? Great! I need to put rubber feat on my bookshelves on top of the subs, though.

I was thinkng about the QSC RMX850 which is down to $365, but the Gemini XPB 1600 looks like a steal at http://www.djtronics.com/geminixpb1600.html. Any word on how good it is?

Yeah, it definitely looks like a steal! 400.00 for a 1600 watt amp. I have no info about the quality of Gemini products but I can check. Pro audio equipment is normally fairly indestructible.

The only information I have is

1600 W RMS mono bridge 4 Ohm, 1000 W RMS mono bridge 8 Ohm, 800W RMS per channel 2 Ohm, 500 W RMS per channel 4 Ohm, 300 W RMS per channel 8 Ohm
Five-way binding posts on 110V version; Speakon? connectors on 230V version
State of the art bipolar technology provides exceptional reliability
Excellent handling of low frequencies as well as clear mids and flawless highs
High output power to drive professional loudspeakers without clipping
Oversized toroidal trans former, filter and heatsinks for better low end, trans parency & stability
Comprehensive protection circuitry with high current speaker protection relays
Three modes of operation-stereo, parrallel mono and mono bridge with mode status indication LEDs
Flexible input configuration with active balanced inputs; additional input connectors to chain amps
True clip LED's for better control
Front to Rear airflow with 2 speed dual fan control
Efficient dual aluminum extrusion heatsink design for thermal stability and reliability
Turn-on in rush current limiting circuitry
Fan Cooled, Protection circuitry, Clip indicators

No user feedback.

I'm trying to get some user feedback for you. I posted a question with the following 5 amps to get peoples impressions.

Crown CE1000
QSC RMX850
Pyramid PA-1000X
Mackie 1400
Gemini 1600

I'll let you know what they say.

Posted on Basslist? You are the man! Thanks! I won't order anything until next week at the earliest. I just have to keep it slightly under reference levels until I have more power. But -10dB is loud

One woofer huh?..I guess I need to think where I am gonna build this thing.

Inital thoughts were in the spare wheel well. Then I thought about something on the sides of the trunk. I could mount changer and amps one one side and sub on the other..or make a shelf for the amps and changer below the rear deck and put sub somewhere.

I do not think I want a box floating around in the trunk. I would like it built in. So maybe a 10 would be better.

oh yeah...back on topic.

If you decide to go with the spare tire well approach, I would highly recommend getting a single 10" from Stryke.com

http://www.stryke.com/SAL10PFPHN.html

This is,without a doubt in my mind, the best 10" when it comes to Sound qaulity and among the best in output. It has a copper faraday ring and a underhung VC, which in combination with each other virtually eliminate all distortion. It would work well in a .5 cubic foot box, but better in anything up to a 1 cu. ft. box. More info in a minute or so.