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I have an idea for a DIY sub and would like you to share your opinion.

4333 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  BigLouis1971, 
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The driver I plan to use: Infinity Reference 860W inside a cardboard cylinder 12" in diameter and 46" long with a 4" in diameter X 35" long port.

with this amp: TAS5630 and this power supply: 24V 30A

with this auto crossover: Boss BX55. How do you think it will perform? Is that amp enough to power that driver?

I also would like to know what's the difference in sound quality between that amp, a car amp and a 2 channel home receiver; and I mean an average car amp and home receiver.
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I know very little about all this yet but if you have downloaded WinISD and Sonosub V2.03 (both free) and get your speaker parameters from Sonic Electronix

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18896_Infinity-Reference-860W.html

It looks good to me with a 26" long 12" tube and a 1.5" port tube 6.63" long. 40 liters inside hits about 22Hz. That's about as big of a tube as I would push it. Probably should be smaller like 24.6 liters at 26Hz.

If you do try this in your ride do a simple test by setting it on a 14" bicycle inner tube with a few pounds of air in it and bungee it down to something. That is if you set it in your trunk.
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Dezine said:
I know very little about all this yet but if you have downloaded WinISD and Sonosub V2.03 (both free) and get your speaker parameters from Sonic Electronix

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18896_Infinity-Reference-860W.html

It looks good to me with a 26" long 12" tube and a 1.5" port tube 6.63" long. 40 liters inside hits about 22Hz. That's about as big of a tube as I would push it. Probably should be smaller like 24.6 liters at 26Hz.

If you do try this in your ride do a simple test by setting it on a 14" bicycle inner tube with a few pounds of air in it and bungee it down to something. That is if you set it in your trunk.
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I forgot to say that this is for a home theater, that's why I need the power supply to run the amp and the crossover. Can you be more specific about the bike tube? What is it for? Sorry but I'm a newbie.
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Yea I got the PS for home use. I know someone else whom has done this.

I made a sealed box for my BMW some years back and had many reflected vibrations resonating throughout the car. Many use Dampmat stuff inside every door, panels, floors, etc. That stuff is expensive and a labor to apply so many places. I found floating the sub on a tube solved the problem. I was able to get 30% more bass out of the sub before the pressure itself started moving things.

I am in the middle of a tube sub for home use using a JBL GTO1514D I got at Sonic for $100. I am going with 24" diameter at 48" tall. Not sonotube though. I will use a tempered hardboard, soaked, and wrap it around a frame. 8" port 24" long. Should get me around 20.5Hz.

I have done this wrapped thing on 3 cat castles. I think 24" diameter is about as tight as I can bend that .125" hardboard.

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GPM
Dezine said:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18896_Infinity-Reference-860W.html
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Hmm, didn’t see any useful specs, but found them here:

http://pl.harmankardon.com/tl_files...heets/Reference/Reference/860w/860W_PI_EN.pdf

GM
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I was thinking about getting at least 3 cylinders and fit them inside each other and glued them together so the walls have the thickness of three cylinders instead of one. The thickness of 0.125" seems too thin for me and I thought about that solution. Will that help the sound? I know for sure that will help the cylinder to become more solid.
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If you go with the big tube like you what it won't see that much pressure from that 8" sub. The paper tube is somewhat dense not like my hardboard. Some members use one tube with 18" subs. I might try your style (shorter) for a car sub later on. My 24" x 48" tube yesterday.

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willis7469
BigLouis1971 said:
I was thinking about getting at least 3 cylinders and fit them inside each other and glued them together so the walls have the thickness of three cylinders instead of one. The thickness of 0.125" seems too thin for me and I thought about that solution. Will that help the sound? I know for sure that will help the cylinder to become more solid.
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Hey big Louis! First off, that would be quite an inexpensive DIY sub. Having said that, for simplicity, I'd check eBay or PE(parts express) for a bash 300 or 500, or a yung, or Dayton. PE always has close out deals and such for amps. The simplicity would make it worth any extra cost. (Not much).
http://www.parts-express.com/cat/subwoofer-plate-amplifiers/332
Here's a link to give you an idea. I just think it would be more reliable for the long run. Maybe a little more now will save you some later. Just sayin...
For the tubes? I built a replica of my SVS pc12 plus. The wall thickness is around .25. It's the exact same tube they use, and It worked for me too. I also followed suit with fiberglass batting, but PE also has acoustic foam. Might be easier. You don't need anything else to make it "sound" any better.
The 2nd sono I built was similar but with a 7.25" inch driver from an htib(don't ask lol). I used a 10"(nominal) tube for that one, and tuned it to 28hz, with a PVC port. I also used fiberglass there for damping. The little thing sounds great. The point I'm getting at, is I'm afraid you'd be needlessly over complicating the tube.
Also, how big of a space are you using this in?
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willis7469
Also, in looking at the t/s, the fs is 29.5. Although it's not the be all end all parameter, it tells me that this driver will struggle to go much lower. If this were sealed, it would likely respond down to 20, but it would eat itself doing it, and due to its size, you might not move much air in the process. It's freq response is also listed as 30-400 hz. This shows it's true colors as a car sub. I feel like this would be good as a desktop computer sub. If I'm way off, I'm happy to back pedal! Just want you to spend your money the best way.
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RTS100x5
BigLouis1971 said:
I forgot to say that this is for a home theater, that's why I need the power supply to run the amp and the crossover. Can you be more specific about the bike tube? What is it for? Sorry but I'm a newbie.
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If this is for a HT why not use a comparable plate amp ... reason is I doubt that the PS you chose will hold up to any serious output..a dedicated plate amp just seems a more reasonable application.... my guess is you have those parts laying around and want to make use of them...
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RTS100x5 said:
If this is for a HT why not use a comparable plate amp ... reason is I doubt that the PS you chose will hold up to any serious output..a dedicated plate amp just seems a more reasonable application.... my guess is you have those parts laying around and want to make use of them...
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I don't have the parts. Is just that they are more affordable than 2 plate amps because eventually I'll have 2 subs. Two 250 watts Dayton audio plate amps will cost me about $250 vs $182 or the amp, crossover and power supply. I read good reviews about that type of amp in the customer reviews of the shops that sell them and I was hoping that members here can give me their opinions as well.
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I was looking at doing something similar a few years back. Using a power supply to power a car audio amp but I was persuaded not to by some very bright people. It may be cheaper in the beginning but I think it would be a better idea to sell your amp and buy a plate amp. A power supply may add noise to the system and a high quality power supply may cost similar to a plate amp
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orion said:
I was looking at doing something similar a few years back. Using a power supply to power a car audio amp but I was persuaded not to by some very bright people. It may be cheaper in the beginning but I think it would be a better idea to sell your amp and buy a plate amp. A power supply may add noise to the system and a high quality power supply may cost similar to a plate amp
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I'll drop the idea and be patient and get two Dayton Audio SPA250 plate amplifiers.
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I forgot to ask, what about those mods for computer power supplies? You can convert a computer power supply into a bench power supply either way via mod or atx breakout board. Will that add noise to the system?
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