Custom RE XXX Subwoofer Build

**Ricci** · **04-25-08, 05:24 PM**

Regarding the cost of this thing, shipping, etc...All I will say is

**mdrake** · **04-25-08, 06:30 PM**

Do you have a pic of the woofer that is going in this box?

**Ricci** · **04-26-08, 10:13 AM**

**mdrake** · **04-26-08, 10:57 AM**

WOW that is big! What Brand of woofer is that? I have never seen anything like that!!!

Thanks for posting that!

Matt

**Ricci** · **04-28-08, 04:15 PM**

It's a Resonant Engineering(RE Audio) XXX 18. Like the thread title states

.

Nathan,
It's been a few weeks...anything new to report? I'm trying to be patient!

**mdrake** · **04-28-08, 04:16 PM**

Oh,

I figured the XXX was where the model number was supposed to be.

Matt

**MatrixDweller** · **04-28-08, 05:22 PM**

Quote:

Ricci wrote:

That almost looks like some sort of a shrine. Add a few candles and/or some incense and the "god of thunder" might appear.

**Ricci** · **04-28-08, 05:32 PM**

LOL! Nah it's just the bar area of the house where I live. We'd just had a little get together. It's a little "eccentric" around here

.

**Owen Bartley** · **04-28-08, 10:42 PM**

Wow, that is one giant driver. The basket and motor structure look almost comically big! I keep scrolling back up to look at it... and it looks like it should be attached to some industrial machinery or something... it just looks so powerful and serious.

**funky_waves** · **04-28-08, 11:37 PM**

Here is another pic for you, just before the front went on, the inner flow guide installed.

**Mike P.** · **04-29-08, 07:37 AM**

Nice job on the bracing!

**Ricci** · **04-29-08, 03:47 PM**

Looking good Nathan! The pic of the bracing and the flow guide are great. I'm going to send you an e-mail shortly, just wanted to go over something with you.

Guys when you look at the pic of that port keep in mind that is a 10" sonotube. The driver is an 18 that actually measures 19". I just picked up a second one

.

**MatrixDweller** · **04-29-08, 05:10 PM**

I think you're going to get noise complaints...from houses a couple miles down the road. That thing's going to be a beast

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**Owen Bartley** · **04-30-08, 07:57 PM**

So Nathan, does the flow guide work better than a flared port by itself to reduce chuffing, or does it have something to do with tuning as well?

Josh, I hope you have some help ready to move your final project... with 2 of those monsters it's going to be heavy!

**funky_waves** · **04-30-08, 08:28 PM**

It is suposed to be at least as good as a large flare, but it is also suposed to lower the tuneing for a given port length. I have never biult a sub with this port design so I am not sure how well it accualy works. looks good in theory.

**Ricci** · **05-01-08, 11:33 AM**

Owen,
This cabinet is for only 1 subwoofer. If I like the way this turns out, maybe I will commision Nathan for a duplicate later on. Yes it will be a bear to move.

The port is based on a design that is patented and was made available for DIYer's. I have never had a sub that uses this port system either so we are kind of taking a shot in the dark with it. I have faith though

. There is a lot more discussion of it in the thread that I started called "My RE XXX18...What to do with it?" It's in DIY Subs Sealed and Ported. I don't feel like typing all of that out again. I'll bump it up for you.

**Owen Bartley** · **05-02-08, 01:17 PM**

Awesome, thanks Ricci. I'll go and have a read, it seems pretty interesting. I think it will be hard to make a poor sounding sub out of this equation. Even if you guys don't' manage to get to the theoretical maximum of the design, I'm sure it will sound great.

**funky_waves** · **05-10-08, 08:54 PM**

Here are some more progress pictures.

In the last picture in case you can't see I am behind my son Josh, yes inside the subwoofer standing up

**Ricci** · **05-10-08, 11:38 PM**

Sweet Bejeebus that's big

! I mean I knew how big it would be, but actually seeing it in scale is...whoa.

How old is your boy Nate? Mine just turned 3. Good times.

**ISLAND1000** · **05-11-08, 08:14 AM**

Yikes!

**Ricci** · **05-11-08, 12:01 PM**

Wait a minute. I thought that you were joking about standing in the sub, but now that I look closer I think I see a shoe. You were serious!?

**Blaser** · **05-12-08, 09:52 AM**

What is very interesting is the port design. Is it a variable area port? if so how does it work? Was screwing achieved by turning? Pls explain

**ISLAND1000** · **05-12-08, 10:45 AM**

Quote:

Ricci wrote:

Wait a minute. I thought that you were joking about standing in the sub, but now that I look closer I think I see a shoe.

You gotta be "Joshing" me . . . . . with all that bracing he's got in there he'd have to be a contortionist to be able to standup inside that dual side by side sarcophagus. I believe what you might be seeing is one of his wife's black jewelry boxes. The young boy does like baubles just like his Dad. LOL

**Ricci** · **05-12-08, 04:25 PM**

Quote:

blaser wrote:

What is very interesting is the port design. Is it a variable area port? if so how does it work? Was screwing achieved by turning? Pls explain

Blaser,
The port system is based on one devised and patented by Polk audio in the mid nineties. They had a nice write up about it in Audio magazine(RIP) in MaY 96 and offered a simple calculator that they had devised for it and other plans for people to DIY the port system with. Basically the principle is that you increase the port mouth area through expansion and lower the tune. It supposedly offers much better laminar air flow capability and since there is no straight line path to the outside of the enclosure it also helps with port resonance. See the 2 pics below the first is a normal port and the mouth is highlighted green. The second one is this design and the mouth is now the entire circumference of the area highlighted in red and green.

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Everyone I discuss this with seems to say "Oh that's nothin special, I don't understand how it's going to accomplish that,or it's just a waste of time". Normally to tune a 10" vent to 11hz in an enclosure this size it would be 62.5" long. This vent, if it works as proposed will accomplish, that same tune with a straight length of only 36.5" and at the same time increase the port area at the mouth to the equivalent of a 14.8" diameter port. I've read the patent papers and am confident it will work. Also have you ever heard of placing your ports close to a panel to get a lower tune? Many of the top sub designers will use this technique( the EPIK Conquest and SVS Ultra13 both do). So much for keeping your ports at-least one circumference from any walls huh? I think this is also involved here with the distance of the disks. It is more than I can explain. If you really are interested have a look at the patent papers.

5,517,573
5,809,154
7,162,049

**funky_waves** · **05-12-08, 05:09 PM**

Josh is 15months, Here is a better pic of my legs, if you look at the picture of braceing there is the front hole and above that three large holes in the braces that line up almost straight to the top. My head is a little bent though I am a little taller than the 60"s inside.

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