[beolson]

Hello all,

I'm brand new to this forum but I have read some threads and found a sub woofer(Sound Splinter RL-P15) and amplifier(Dayton HPSA1000) that look like they will work for my application. I have not yet purchased them. I would like to get opinions on the combination and I need to know how to figure out the correct box for this application. I am looking for loud and clear bass. I have limited wood working capabilities as I don't have the tools but if I know the dimensions and general building schematic I can get everything cut and built. If you have recommendations on different sub woofer or amplifier that is welcome as well.

The Dayton HPSA1000 is really a bit pricey for my budget but if it is worth getting it over the 500 or another amp I may splurge for it. I am really leaning toward a plate amp because it seems easier. If I was to use a rack mount amp I would want it to be inside the box. I am not sure how to deal with the heating issues with that either. This box and sub wil be moved from this room to several others depending on my living situation over the next several years and I don't necessarily want to build it to the room, just for maximum performance. I have a Harman/Kardon receiver that I plan to use to send signals to the amplifier.

I need a "SIMPLE" box design either ported on sealed is fine. I am hoping to keep my budget around like $500-$650. about $350 for the sub(shipped) and $450(shipped) for the Dayton HPSA1000. Any amplifier that would be comparable for less $$ let me know.

If I am missing some obvious data please let me know.

Thanks ahead of time for the responses and help.

 

[spanish68]

I would go with the ED LT1300 plate amp over the Dayton amp any time. From some of the forums I've read here and at AVS Forum, the Dayton amp puts out a lot less power than advertised. I have the LT1300 plate amp and like it very much. It's powering a sealed TC Sounds 3000 15" sub (somewhat similar to the Sound Splitter sub). If you need a basic eq. with a subsonic filter, the ED EQ2 works well and is easy to use.

 

[beolson]

Well, here is the story. Last night I saw one of the HPS500 amplifiers on ebay and bought it for $200. I guess I'm adding a new part to my question and removing another part. I don't need to know about amplifiers any more. I do want to know if you guys think that 500 Dayton will have enough power to push an RL-P15 or RL-P12. If not recommendations on another high quality speaker would be nice. I still need to know how to build the box. Thanks for the quick reply

 

[Mike P.]

What is the power output into 4 ohms iof the HPS500?

 

[beolson]

Power rating at 4 ohms is 540 Watts RMS

 

[beolson]

Thanks for tyhe reply mike. I have seen that you are the guy to talk to from other posts that I have read.

 

[Mike P.]

I just spend more time on the forums then most. :bigsmile: I won't have access to WinISD to do some modeling for a few days, hopefully someone else will chime in here.

 

[Ricci]

Since you now have the amp we'll design around that. Can you define what your size limitations are for the enclosure? Is huge fine like 24x24x40 or do you need to keep it somewhat reasonably sized like a 20" cube? This will help narrow down the driver choices. What is your budget for the driver?

 

[beolson]

Well, 24"x24"x40" would not be fine but I think the smaller the better. I have to mention that the really important part is that I want a really nice quality speaker so that when I graduate from college I can afford to buy a new amp and maybe 2 or 3 more of that sub and have a really nice set. My price range is $300 or so. I want it to sound good and pound extremely hard. If it came down to mid grade sub for 300 or extremely nice for like $350-400 I may consider it. Thanks.

 

[Ricci]

If you could put some hard #'s with the size of enclosure you are willing to live with it would help immensely. Is a 24" cube too big? The larger you can make the sub the more performance you can extract from it. Especially with a limited budget and power. At $300 there are plenty of nice drivers available:yes: The CSS SDX15 would be a good candidate.

 

[beolson]

is that as nice as the soundsplitter sub ?? I can't say that I know all that much about home audio sub woofers but I do know a little about car audio sub woofers and the Soundsplitter sub looks like better quality. What makes you choose that speaker? Is it based on volume of the box? The box size is not my main concern, Later I can always build a new box. I really want the best speaker that I can get for my $$. I can make it very large if it will make the subw oofer sound better or be louder. Any comments let me know.

 

[beolson]

I should add ... I just don't want the box to be bigger than it needs to be just for fun. I can make the box the size it needs to be to maximize performance.

 

[Mike P.]

I can make the box the size it needs to be to maximize performance.

To give you an idea of box sizes for maximum performance for different subs, click on the link in my signature.

 

[beolson]

Wow, that is a nice little database. Now I guess I need to figure out which sub will give me the best bang for my buck using the HPSA500. Is the CSS SDX15 better than the RL-P15 for the cost? Like I said I really want a high quality sub that if needed I can add a new amplifier to later when I can get a Rack mount and crossovers and all that. I also want it to sound pretty good with the amplifier that I have now (Dayton HPSA500).

 

[beolson]

Just read something else on the forums here on the thread titled "Need advice and some questions answered for a newb". One reply says:


John Janowitz had modeled the AV12H and AV12X w/dual 15" PRs in 20" cubes for me over at avsforum and I think that will be the direction I go. I'm not sure what plate amp to go with yet. I like the eD amps but they have zero SSFs, the O-audio apparently has some weird boost at lower frequecies that many don't like with PR or ported subs, and that leaves the PE Dayton HPSA amps, but there is some debate as to whether they really deliver stated power. Another poster on avsforum said he contacted PE about the amp and they told him that the 500 and 1000W are essentially the same inside except for a bias switch. So, I guess I could have one of my EE friends crack it open and remove the switch and get the 500 and mod it up to be the 1000. As for the cabinet, my boss is finishing up some of his wood-working projects and will probably start on this early next year.

I am interested in this bias switch and making my HPSA500 into an HPSA1000. I replied to that thread but it is pretty old and I want to make sure I get a response. So is this possible? If so how/where can I find more information about it? Or was this guy just a little slow in the head?

 

[Mike P.]

You can try asking PE Technical Support to see if there is any truth to it.

 

[soonerczech]

Here is the thread portion that I took that info from...
(jimstewart posted) Having not heard from PE on Friday I called PE this morning. Had a nice chat with Eric in the customer service department. The note worthy parts of our conversation are as follows.

The 512watt amp is the same at the 1024watt amp internally. (so buy the 512 and get out your screwdrivers)(the 512 is 300$ the 1024 is 400$)
The bias on the input stage is the only difference.
He has tested this amp before and has seen 800watts out of the one he tested.

Now, I have no idea what, if anything, can be done about the bias. I'm not an EE. From all the various tidbits I've picked up, if you are going sealed, you may be able to get away with something with no SSF like the LT1300 from eD. Much better plate amp than Dayton.

 

[Ricci]

Hmm. That's interesting. I haven't heard that about the Dayton plate amps before. :scratchhead:

Beolson,

Either the SDX15 or the RLP15D2 look pretty good in a 7cu ft net enclosure tuned to 16.5hz with a 6" diameter port that is flared on both ends and about 35.5" long, or you could use an equivalent slot port built into the box. For size reference you would need a roughly 25.5" cube to get this much volume. Is this too big? If you can go bigger you can get even more performance, but something like this with either driver should get you 110db output capability all of the way down to 17hz.

 

[beolson]

I spoke with eric today and he said that this amplifier modification isn't really possible. He definitely said it would be a bad idea to try.

Ok, sorry to be back and forth so much but ... I haven't yet mentioned that I also want this sub woofer to play my music at any given time. When I spoke with Eric he said this plate amplifier was definitely not what I was looking for. So ... Now I am planning on selling that dayton HPSA500 back on ebay or something. He said that these amps were not designed for the type of duty cycle that is demanded by music. So ... I am probably going to buy a power amplifier from Behringer. The Behringer EP2500 is relatively cheap and he said that I wouldn't need any type of crossover as long as I used my sub woofer out from my Harman/Kardon Receiver. So, I'm not sure how well you all know about dual use of sub woofers but I want high performance for both applications. So now I will have as much power as I could ever want, and I need to know if the SoundSplinter subs are good for both music and movies. Also do you tune the box to a different frequency if you are using dual functionality for the sub?

Like I said sorry to keep flip-flopping but I am very new to this home entertainment. Any advice is highly appreciated.

 

[Ricci]

He said that these amps were not designed for the type of duty cycle that is demanded by music.

Like I said sorry to keep flip-flopping but I am very new to this home entertainment. Any advice is highly appreciated.

Huh?!:yikes: That's a very strange statement.

The EP2500 is great, but you will need some kind of HPF to go with it if you are doing a ported sub. Did you read the design I proposed above and think about whether something that big is ok?