Mach 5 Audio IXL-18.4 Build

[Mike P.]

I finally finished my IXL-18.4 HT subs. I went with 12 cubic feet tuned to 16 hz. Here are a few pics of the build.

Case contruction.


Bracing.



Foam lining installed.


Test fitting the triple ports. The sub magnet butts up against the center horizontal brace.


Final assembly.


Subs in place along the back wall of my HT.


Next is grill construction. I glued scraps from the build into a 24 inch square 1.5 inches thick. I cut the inside circle just a hair smaller then the diameter of the sub. I sanded it until it snuggly fit over the sub. The sub frame is 1 inch wide and the outside is rounded over with a 3/4 inch round over bit.


Test fit on the sub.


Painted the grill frame flat black. I had some stretchy grill cloth from a previous build.


Hot glued the fabric onto the grill frame and trimmed off the excess.


Final product.


Grills installed.


Painted the port screws flat black. All done!


Retired Shiva sonotubes.


I also have a pair of Ascendant Audio Atlas 15's. one on each side of the couch. They are 10 cubic feet tuned to 17hz.


From behind the couch looking forward. Now it's time to replace the RPTV with a projector. That will be my next project.


Replaced the RCA 480i RPTV with a Samsung 67 inch 1080p DLP LED TV December 2008. Merry Christmas to me!



I have always wondered what it would be like to have enough low end. I don't have to wonder anymore. These subs are awesome. The Atlas subs "strained" at loud passages on movies. With the IXL's now added to the pack, the bass is effortless! What a difference! I'm loving it!

[BoomieMCT]

You got a FR to post?

[Mike P.]

Not yet. I have to get my laptop set up for REW. Lots of learning to do!

[BoomieMCT]

Oh, cool big subs BTW.

[Mike P.]

Yeah, they are big. And are they ever loud and low. I downloaded some frequency sweep tests and it's very obvious there are a couple of peaks. I"ll have to get some measurements done to see where the problems are.

[brent_s]

Very nice.

What are the specs on the elbow pieces you found to turn/extend the PSP ports? The local Lowes/HD don't seem to carry anything approaching the thin wall diameter of the PSP ports. I haven't gotten serious enough to hit up plumbing supply houses.

Thanks.

[jr1414]

Nice subs! BTW, what are your plans for the Shiva Sonotubes? I might be interested in them. PM when you have a chance.

[thxgoon]

Uh.... got bass?? I feel bad for your piano lol!

[Mike P.]

Brent, the elbows are 4 inch PVC, schedule 40, thinwall. The openings were about 1/16 of an inch to big for the port tube. I "stabalized" the tube in the fitting by wrapping one wrap of electrical tape around the tube. I then used hot glue to glue them together, in case I need to "unglue" them in the future if I need to make any adjustments to the length.

James, The Shiva tubes are spoken for.

thxgoon, the piano is doing ok so far. But the emu eggs on top had to be moved! The last time I experimented with test tones I broke some of the wifes crystal glasses. No more "mistakes"!

[FlashJim]

thxgoon wrote:

Uh.... got bass?? I feel bad for your piano lol!

What piano?!?!

[Owen Bartley]

Holy Mike. I was thinking, "hey that's gotta be a pretty nice big sub" ... then "oh MAN, he built 2 of them!" ... and then "What!?, this guy has 2 Atlas 15's in the SAME room!!!???" I think you just blew my mind a little bit. Good for you! I've wondered about rear sub placement, is it noticable, or not really?

Also, how did the hot glue on the grilles work out? I have one that I haven't finished yet because I haven't been able to find staples short enough to not pop out the front side of mine. Glue would be a pretty good solution for me I think.

[Mike P.]

Hey Owen, with 2 subs in the rear and 2 on the sides, the bass is unnoticeable as to where it's coming from. My subs may appear overkill, but with my HT room being in the basement on a cement floor, I had no "tactile affect" from the low end until I added the IXL-18's. Now that I'm happy with the low end output, it's time to redo everything else. Everything is over 10 years old and has survived two teenage daughters growing up with all thier parties! Next project will be a projector and screen and some decent recliners to sit on. Hopefully some time this year.

Hot glue works excellent on grills. After applying the glue, I used a folded up piece of wax paper to press down the grill cloth into the glue. Much easier on the fingers! Just make sure you keep the grill cloth tight as you go along.

[TheEAR]

Congrats,

You have some serious subsonic activity there !

I have one IXL18.4 and il order the second. I am building 13 cu ft boxes, similar tune...using one 8" port...

The Mach5Audio family grows.

[eyekode]

Wow! Nice builds! Really nice cabinet design, the bracing looks great. I wonder if egg crate foam actually does anything at these frequencies?

Where are these crossed over?

[Mike P.]

The egg crate foam stops the sub from sounding "boomy" or "hollow" as some have described it. I had a pair of identical Shiva sonotubes, one I lined with egg crate foam and the other had no foam installed, just to see what the difference was. It was night and day difference between them. The IXL's are crossed over at 80hz.

[Ricci]

Mike,
You need to sell the piano and get a big Kurzweil digital workstation keyboard with orchestra ROM to put in it's place. Patch it into your system and look out! Start working on your pipe organ masterpiece!

[Mike P.]

The house can barely withstand what I have already! I can imagine what a Kurzweil would do! Let's see what you think after you get your "Monster Subs" set up!

[Ricci]

I can only imagine. I do have a feeling that it's going to be more than I need, which is about perfect for me.

Have you ever felt like you were stressing your system in regular use, or ever for that matter?

[Mike P.]

Not at all. With a pair of IXL-18's and a pair of Atlas 15's the bass is completely effortless, even at extreme levels. And I agree, more than you need is just about enough!

[Owen Bartley]

Ah, guys, you're making me sad. One 15 just isn't enough these days. I'm going to have to put some serious thought into a subwoofer upgrade in the next year or so. The only problem is I might be moving into a condo, so I may have to keep size as a design consideration. Keeping up with the Jones' can be difficult!

[Mike P.]

Hang in there, buddy! Condo now, maybe a house later. You can always plan for the future!

[Owen Bartley]

Good point Mike. I've been busy lately and haven't really sat down to enjoy a movie in a long time. I think tonight I'll fire up the sub and the Buttkickers and pop in that Dungeon Siege movie with Jason Statham. I'm not expecting much, but hopefully it will have some good bass content at least and I can content myself for a while longer.

End complaint and minor threadjack.

[titch--]

Mike you want 4 more Atlas 15's?

[Mike P.]

What are you up to Trevor? Changing up your IB?

[titch--]

Want to get 4 Fi IB18's now.

You know the vicious circle of upgrading.

cheers