# Trio8 in 10" Sonotube--My First Build!



## jjevans74

I started my 1st HT sub build this week! I've done sealed car subs, but never a ported HT sub, so I'm getting to try some new things. Here's a little background:

I wanted to do a ported 10 or 12, but didn't have the space, and then my budget went away... everybody knows how that can happen. So, I changed my plans to do a low budget bonus-room/bedroom sub using stuff I already had laying around. I have materials, and an old 120w plate amp, so all I had to buy was a driver. I have a piece of 10" sonotube, so I thought I'd try an 8" sub in an EBS alignment. The CSS Trio8 modeled well in 2 cu. ft. ported to around 21Hz, so that's what I picked.

Here are specs, and then some build pics, with more to come!

CSS Trio8 Sub
10" Sonotube, 52" long, 3 15/16" port, 35" long
Net volume is 1.92 cu. ft., so my tuning is about 21Hz
120w amp keeps me under xmax, and with a port that big for an 8" driver, velocity is under 19m/s.

I tried two different methods of routing circles... both had their pros and cons. What I really need is a plunge router, but as you can see from my messy little work shed, I'm not rolling in cash at the moment:spend:

 

 

I'm sure some of these details are self-explanatory for the more experience builders here, but I though some of the gang with limited tools and resources like myself might like to see that it can be done with a little creativity, some brain power and some elbow grease!

More pics; routing flairs and test fitting the driver:

 

 

Here's all the parts, cut and ready for the detail work:

 

Port brace glued in place:

 

Last pic for now, wood filler on part edges.

 

Next is sanding, primer, paint and then assembly. I'm still looking for ideas on legs. I didn't want to do an over-sized base, so right now I'm just thinking 3 small feet, but I'm open to suggestions on what would look good.

J


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## Mike P.

I'll be interested to see how this performs. The TRIO8 is 8 ohm, is your amp 120 watts at 8 ohms?


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## jjevans74

Yes, amp is 120w @ 8 ohms.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jjevans74

Update on my build. Things are progressing nicely. I've got driver baffle and flush mount glued up, port baffle and flair glued up, and feet done.

I decided to keep things sorta minimalist, and just went with round dowel stock for legs. I figured that would work fine for my needs; I'm going with rubber pads rather than spikes since the sub will eventually end up on hardwood.

I also changed my mind and went with a dark brown leather look vinyl instead of paint for the main body. I figure it saved me tons of prep time, it looks great, and the material was on sale to boot. It was a snap to put on with some spray glue.

If all goes well, I'll be primering end caps tomorrow night, and if I'm lucky I'll be firing the thing up sometime this weekend!

More pics to follow, and if anybody has questions on how I did anything, let me know.

J


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## Mike P.

Sounds like it's all under control. Looking forward to the pics.


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## jjevans74

As promised, more pics of my little Trio 8 Sonosub build:

Like I posted earlier, I decided to go with simple dowels for feet. Liquid Nails and a little cleanup and they should work great.


Here is the tube with the vinyl glued on. The seam will be against a wall, so it won't be seen.
 

Final glue up of the port baffle and top cap/flair with some putty to smooth any differences in the transition from port to flair.
 

Driver mount and bottom plate/flair and top plate/flair in fresh paint after a couple of coats of primer and some sanding sessions.
  

Last one for tonight; binding posts installed in the tube. I'm mounting my amp in an external box for easy upgrade-ability.
 

The last few things are damping installation, glue in top and bottom sections and then wiring and driver install. Hopefully she'll be thumping soon!

J


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## jjevans74

*Re: Trio8 in 10" Sonotube--Finish Opinions?*

Tonight's work:

Some poly batting-
 

Fitting the top end-
 

Poor man's clamp after lots of adhesive and cleanup-
 

I'd like some opinions if anyone wants to offer one... leave the top and bottom caps high gloss (like my GF likes), or take them down to a matte finish (my preference)???

G'night All
J


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## Mike P.

Personally I've always been a fan of high gloss.


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## jjevans74

I normally prefer a more matted finish unless I'm looking at a piano, but in this case, I think the high gloss black matches up well with the not-so-shiny brown vinyl I picked out.

I got the bottom section glued in last night. Hopefully this weekend I'll have it wired and the sub installed and will have the change to demo it. I haven't invested in an RS spl meter yet, so I won't have hard data to post, but I'll at least be able to compare with the 2 other subs I've had in the room. I'm thinking I may put this sub in the living room for HT duty and get rid of the small no-name junk I've been using... I guess we'll see how it sounds first!

Thanks for all your advice on this, Mike.

J


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## jjevans74

Well, I finally got it all put together. Here is a shot of the final product. Forgive the poor lighting... I was stuck with my point and shoot instead of the regular slr and it doesn't do very well in low light. I promise better pics later.

 

All I have left is to install some sort of grill for the port opening, and to get the amp out of it's old enclosure and into a custom box that fits the space better. If anyone has any opinions... fire away... I'm looking for any and all criticism.

As for how it sounds...overall, I'm quite pleasantly surprised, and definitely happy with the outcome. I don't have an spl meter or any rta software right now, so I can only give you my opinions and impressions rather than hard numbers.

It's only an 8, so I wasn't expecting miracles, but I have to say, that little Trio8 driver is impressive. It's not shaking things off the walls, but does a very good job filling the room with palpable bass. I'm actually shocked at how low and loud this thing will get... That driver is truly a fantastic piece of engineering... I would put this sub up against just about any of your average HTIB 10, and probably even some 12's. It won't do a big home theater justice, but I'd say if your looking for a sub for an apartment, or maybe for a secondary HT area like a bedroom or the like, and you don't have room for something bigger, you can't go wrong for with the Trio8. :T

Here's a few more I've tested...

Little girl tapping fish tank in Finding Nemo... really fills up the room. Gandalf's fight with the Balrog in the Two Towers really rumbles and is more felt than heard. Club scene in Blade II... nice chest thumping feel to that scene. Foot stomp in T2 had nice impact. The only scene I've gotten it to complain on is the RPG hit in Ronin... Not super low freq bass, but I don't know if I can think of a scene that's louder. Phantom Menace is actually made me want to call friends over so I could demo it and say, "Yeah, I built it... can you believe that's only an 8?!?!" If anyone has suggestions on other good tests, let me know.

This whole process has given me a lot more appreciation for ported subs... particularly the EBS and LLT type alignments... I've always been a fan of the tight, controlled bass and low end extension you get from a sealed sub, but after hearing what an 8 can do in a well tuned vented enclosure I'm ready to build something bigger!

I'm still doing lots of listening. I know I could probably improve things playing with position as well, but right now WAF has lots to do with things. Setup right now was entirely done with YPAO on my Yamaha receiver. I actually had to turn the amp down quite a bit from where I initially had it before the Yamaha software was happy with where it was set. Gain on the amp is probably about 11:00, which is good. Hopefully soon I can get a meter and really see what the numbers look like.

Thanks for everyone's input on my build, it turned out better than I could have hoped.

J


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## Mike P.

Glad to hear you're liking the sub. One thing I did notice, the distance from the back of the driver to the top cap is enough to cause a resonance issue. That is dealt with by packing in 6" of insulation on the top cap.


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## jjevans74

Thanks for the tip Mike. I'll have to pull the driver and see if I can get some more batting packed up under the top cap.


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## robbo266317

That has turned out quite nicely. It's always a buzz when you make something and it exceeds your expectations.
(Like you I steered away from ported subs due to their one note bass in poorly designed enclosures. However after reading the LLT section I felt it all made sense and gave it a go with pleasing results.)


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## ironglen

The budget builds are SO satisfying. I continually have to resist the urge to bring my 10" to a local store for a shootout :nono: Went to one not long ago, I was amazed at the 'shortcomings' offered in the sub dept. I didn't see a cube larger than 14³ loaded with an 8", and these sold for $800 alongside $3000-$8000 TVs :rubeyes:

:clap: , you just saved yourself several hundred dollars, gained personal satisfaction, and a great sounding system!


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## jjevans74

This is probably my last build post... I finally figured out a grill for the port on top. I didn't want to do a traditional automotive style grill, but wanted something that was functional without looking too out of place. I found a piece of perforated steel at work that was about 1/16" thick... cut it to shape and spent some time with wire wheel smoothing and cleaning things up. Some metal primer and then a couple good coats of the same high gloss I used on the end-caps and it turned out pretty good. I used some 1/4" aluminum spacers when I mounted it. The screws in the picture stick out a little, but in person they blend right in.
Again, thanks to all who offered help and opinions... after getting this thing broken in, I'm even happier than when I first fired it up. 

Here's a pic of the grill:
 

J


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