Noob DIY Sub advice please

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 06:19 AM**

Hello,

I would like to build a compact sub woofer am looking to spend around $200. I am going the DIY route for two reasons.. one I live in India and it's very difficult to get quality speakers here. I am also quite keen to go through the whole building your own speaker process.
I am a complete noob and I have no prior experience but I do have access to an excellent carpenter and also my uncle who is fairly proficient (he built a refrigerator in his younger days!) and speaker components so I can go to them for help on this project. However, he is quite old and his knowledge quite dated so he can only help me in putting it together if I have everything i need.

I would however need your help and probably a fair amount of hand holding to get me through this and I would appreciate if you can help me out. I will be hooking up this sub woofer to my PC and will use it for music and movies. I have a pair of Swan M200 and this sub-woofer will be an add on.

Can you please tell me what components I need and where i can get them? (US online stores are fine as I have my cousin there and I can ask him to pick them up for me). Any guides on putting the components together would also be very helpful.

Whew! that was a long post thank you for patience and help

**Mike P.** · **03-26-08, 06:30 AM**

Welcome to the Shack, Arun! Does your 200 dollar budget also include an amplifier to power the subwoofer?

**BoomieMCT** · **03-26-08, 06:35 AM**

Bascially you need a driver (the cone + motor), an amp (what provides the power) and an enclosure (the box). Given a $200 budget here are some suggestions of componants to look at. Please note I have no idea what shipping to India costs.

Drivers
Torrent Audio Minstral 12" (basically the old TC-Sounds dB-500) ($89)
Mach-5 Audio MAW-12 ($96)
Dayton 12" Shielded DVC ($42)

Amps
Dayton 240 Watt sub amp ($99)
Dayton 240 Watt sub amp with bass boost ($99)

Personally I'd put the Minstral in a sealed 1.5 cubic foot box with the Dayton amp with bass boost. That would be a decent sub.

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 06:39 AM**

Thanks for the welcome and really quick response Mike! at the risk of sounding incredibly ignorant and stupid.. I really hadn't thought about the Amplifier.. Can you help me out? is $200 a fair budget for an Amp and a Subwoofer or do you think I need to up my budget? I know this a very subjective question but what you recommend for someone starting out?

**Mike P.** · **03-26-08, 06:46 AM**

"Boom" made some excellent suggestions in the post above your last one. I agree with the Minstral subwoofer and the Dayton amp.

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 06:48 AM**

Thanks Boom.. shipping won't be much of a problem I plan to ask my cousin who lives in Arizona to pick it up for me and bring it along on his next trip to India

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 06:50 AM**

Mike, I will go with the Minstal and Dayton Amp, what else do I need? cable/crossover network etc?

**BoomieMCT** · **03-26-08, 07:22 AM**

Quote:

crisscross wrote:

Mike, I will go with the Minstal and Dayton Amp, what else do I need? cable/crossover network etc?

The crossover network is built into the sub amp. If you were making a passive sub (one without it's own amp) you'd need to build a crossover. Most people go active these days and use the crossover in the amp or they have recievers with a dedicated "sub out" output.

You will still need the enclosure, mounting screws, a grill (optional), feet, paint, etc. You may want to get a few pounds of polyfill (stuffing) from PE for tuning, although you can probably use some local materials as well.

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 07:24 AM**

Thanks Boom! Much appreciated.

**Mike P.** · **03-26-08, 07:42 AM**

You will also need a cable that connects from the audio output of your computer to the input of the sub amp. You'll need to find out if the Dayton amp is compatible with the household voltage you have in India.

**BoomieMCT** · **03-26-08, 07:52 AM**

Quote:

Mike P. wrote:

You'll need to find out if the Dayton amp is compatible with the household voltage you have in India.

Good catch Mike! This would be important.

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 08:01 AM**

thanks guys, it will most likely not be compatible (Voltage rating in India is 220volts) but I do have a step down transformer so should be ok..

**crisscross** · **03-26-08, 09:22 AM**

I am planning on using this design http://www.aespeakers.com/phpbb2/vie...php?f=4&t=1611for the enclosure. What do you guys think?

**Joe L.** · **03-26-08, 10:11 AM**

This amplifier might be a good choice for you. It is switchable for 220 volt use.

http://www.apexjr.com/VegaARPHU2003.htm

Find it at http://www.apexjr.com on sale for $85.

Joe L.

**Mike P.** · **03-26-08, 01:40 PM**

Quote:

crisscross wrote:

I am planning on using this design http://www.aespeakers.com/phpbb2/vie...php?f=4&t=1611for the enclosure. What do you guys think?

The design will work. The Minstral sub will have to be modelled to find the optimum net volume, which will depend on if you want sealed or ported. I suggest you email Parts Express and ask if the sub amp is dual voltage. For 15 dollars more then the Apex Jr. amp, you'll be getting more power for your sub.

**Warmon** · **03-26-08, 07:17 PM**

Quote:

Joe L. wrote:

This amplifier might be a good choice for you. It is switchable for 220 volt use.

Good point! The other 220v Cerwin Vega non-switchable full range is another good option too. At 55 bucks, you could get two and run one to each voice coil...

http://www.apexjr.com/Cerwinfullrange.htm

**crisscross** · **03-27-08, 03:58 AM**

I have mailed Parts Express, will let you guys know what they say, even if the Dayton is rated at 110 volts, can't i just run it using a step down transformer?

**Joe L.** · **03-27-08, 11:56 AM**

Quote:

crisscross wrote:

I have mailed Parts Express, will let you guys know what they say, even if the Dayton is rated at 110 volts, can't i just run it using a step down transformer?

Yes, you can use a step-down transformer... as long as it is rated for 500 watts or so.
(I'm figuring 50% efficiency of amp, even though it should be 60% to 70% ... if it is rated at 250 watt out, it should be drawing a bit less than 400 to 500 watts at peak)

**crisscross** · **03-27-08, 12:09 PM**

I spoke to Parts Express the Dayton is rated at only 110 volts. I guess I will just have to use a step down, I have one rated at 1kva so am guessing it should be fine.

**crisscross** · **06-05-08, 01:27 PM**

Quick update guys, my cousin is coming in August and I can finally order my stuff, the Minstral is no longer available and the Mach - MAW-12 is out of stock. Can you recommend a different driver?

Thanks!

**eyekode** · **06-07-08, 09:06 PM**

This looks like the same sub as the Mistral: http://www.torrentaudio.com/xo12-p-101.html

Another nice/cheap sub is the Dayton RSS315HF:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=295-464

Actually I have heard pretty good things about most of the Dayton subs. And the Titanic is on sale right now...

I would reconsider the apexjr amp for 220v. Seems like a better option then a stepdown transformer.

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