# Music Oriented Subwoofer Build



## Photomatt32 (Jan 25, 2014)

Currently I have an 8" Dayton Audio DVC subwoofer for listening to music in my room. I have decided that although that was a great super low budget build, I definitely need something with more power and range. I have narrowed my search for drivers to the Dayton Audio Ultimax 15", and the Ultimax 12". Keeping in mind that I will use this sub for music listening (75% rock, 20% electronic/dubstep, and 5% acoustic) which do you think would be better? How low does a music oriented sub need to go? As low as a home theater subwoofer below 20hz? Sorry I'm not to knowledgeable about this, but this is my second time building a speaker or sub (I'm 16). Also, complex box designs are not at all an issue due to the fact that both my dad and I are pretty good at woodworking and cabinet building. Thanks so much for any help!

Matthew


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## gazoink (Apr 17, 2013)

Photomatt32 said:


> Currently I have an 8" Dayton Audio DVC subwoofer for listening to music in my room. I have decided that although that was a great super low budget build, I definitely need something with more power and range. I have narrowed my search for drivers to the Dayton Audio Ultimax 15", and the Ultimax 12".


Either would provide you with more range and handle more power. You have the amp for that, right? Really more of a question of how big you want it to be, and how much money you have. Obviously, in the right box, the 15" will be more of a beast than the 12". Both will benefit from good box design and good tuning.


Photomatt32 said:


> Keeping in mind that I will use this sub for music listening (75% rock, 20% electronic/dubstep, and 5% acoustic) which do you think would be better?


There's no such thing as a music-oriented subwoofer. All subs have the same task, your choice of music doesn't make a lot of difference, unless you listen to classical chamber music and that wouldn't requie a sub at all. Some of that electronic/dubstep stuff will really light up a sub. It'll also rot your brain...just sayin'. 


Photomatt32 said:


> How low does a music oriented sub need to go?


 Ever looked on a spectrum analyzer to see how low your music goes? Audacity has one for free...


Photomatt32 said:


> As low as a home theater subwoofer below 20hz?


Very few HT subs can produce a lot of SPL at 20Hz, even fewer below. That is the world of expensive and large subs, and usually more than two. Of course, you're probably more limited by the room and placement than the sub anyway.


Photomatt32 said:


> Sorry I'm not to knowledgeable about this, but this is my second time building a speaker or sub (I'm 16).


 Don't apologize for lack of knowledge. Asking questions is how you learn, and of course, building more subs!


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## Photomatt32 (Jan 25, 2014)

gazoink said:


> Either would provide you with more range and handle more power. You have the amp for that, right? Really more of a question of how big you want it to be, and how much money you have. Obviously, in the right box, the 15" will be more of a beast than the 12". Both will benefit from good box design and good tuning.
> There's no such thing as a music-oriented subwoofer. All subs have the same task, your choice of music doesn't make a lot of difference, unless you listen to classical chamber music and that wouldn't requie a sub at all. Some of that electronic/dubstep stuff will really light up a sub. It'll also rot your brain...just sayin'.
> Ever looked on a spectrum analyzer to see how low your music goes? Audacity has one for free...
> Very few HT subs can produce a lot of SPL at 20Hz, even fewer below. That is the world of expensive and large subs, and usually more than two. Of course, you're probably more limited by the room and placement than the sub anyway.
> Don't apologize for lack of knowledge. Asking questions is how you learn, and of course, building more subs!


Thank you so much for your reply! You are awesome! Just a few more questions. One, what are the advantages of a ported box over a sealed one and vice versa, and two, how do you decide what to tune the box to?


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## corradizo (Jan 19, 2014)

The Sealed vs. Ported is always a debate. If the um15 is in your price range, you may want to consider the Stereo Integrity 18" @ $159.00. Many many many projects here and on other forums use this sub. I would recommend the 4cuft sealed flat pack from diysoundgroup.com to go with this @ $120.00. For under 300 before shipping it's a great deal and plenty of sub for a room.


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## MetropolisLake (Sep 22, 2014)

gazoink said:


> There's no such thing as a music-oriented subwoofer. All subs have the same task, your choice of music doesn't make a lot of difference, unless you listen to classical chamber music and that wouldn't requie a sub at all.


Ideally yeah but realistically I'm not sure I agree. I actually have two of the UltiMax 18's. They usually sound good but there are some down sides when playing music. 

Biggest issue seems to be that they are stiff and heavy. So, they like real low stuff where they can flex. Material in the higher frequency range where more definition is needed such as bass guitars is kind of mushy. There's not much attack, they're kind of slow. 

This also makes them not very efficient. It takes a lot to get them going. Most of the time your music listening is at low volumes so generally speaking no I don't think these are very good for that. 

They are great for explosions and when some big heavy movie character stomps their feet but otherwise no they're not the greatest music subs especially if you have a high crossover frequency. 

I would recommend a lighter more efficient and lively sub that can attack better to get a tight and crisp sound that can also play well at low volumes. However, if you want to listen to some pipe organs, mine would be amazing.


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## MetropolisLake (Sep 22, 2014)

Photomatt32 said:


> what are the advantages of a ported box over a sealed one and vice versa, and two, how do you decide what to tune the box to?


sealed, pros:
smaller enclosure
usually tighter and more defined
controls low end excursion better, the sub can handle more power
drops off in volume below the tuning frequency but nowhere near as fast as a ported box
cons: nowhere near as loud down really low

ported, pros:
much louder down really low
can tune to almost whatever frequency you want
cons: sometimes a huge box, response drops off very fast below tuned frequency, sometimes sounds sloppier


To figure out what frequency to tune to, you figure out what your sub can handle, how big of a box you can build, and what material you listen to. For example if you have a ton of room, have some powerful 18's, and want that room shaking low material in movies, you'd probably tune to 15 hz. For rap, you'd probably tune higher so you can fit more drivers in the same area and get obnoxious output around 40 hz. If you listen to jazz and have small and weak full range speakers you'd probably tune higher than that. It all depends on your equipment and what you listen to.


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## gazoink (Apr 17, 2013)

MetropolisLake said:


> Ideally yeah but realistically I'm not sure I agree. I actually have two of the UltiMax 18's. They usually sound good but there are some down sides when playing music.
> 
> Biggest issue seems to be that they are stiff and heavy. So, they like real low stuff where they can flex. Material in the higher frequency range where more definition is needed such as bass guitars is kind of mushy. There's not much attack, they're kind of slow.
> 
> ...





MetropolisLake said:


> sealed, pros:
> smaller enclosure
> usually tighter and more defined
> controls low end excursion better, the sub can handle more power
> ...


Some of the above is generally true, but may not be in specific. The performance of sealed boxes is a function of box size, Fs and Xmax. A tuned port system is far more complex, many parameters are interactive, and tuning not a simple process. Many ported subs are studies in compromise, mostly because of the lack of an affordable, truly high performance driver. That means optimal tuning may not be achieved, giving rise to the above assumptions. However, if you've ever heard a really well designed ported system, they are as musical as any other design, but the extension is there at high SPL. 

Sealed boxes are easy, no tuning required beyond box size and selecting a driver with low Fs and highest XMax possible, so for the DIY project, pretty easy.


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## minahelox2 (Aug 4, 2021)

Hier is also what I'm looking for for mobile music and ringtones nowadays


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## kiynaga (Aug 29, 2021)

Photomatt32 said:


> Currently I have an 8" Dayton Audio DVC subwoofer for listening to music in my room. I have decided that although that was a great super low budget build, I definitely need something with more power and range. I have narrowed my search for drivers to the Dayton Audio Ultimax 15", and the Ultimax 12". Keeping in mind that I will use this sub for music listening (75% rock, 20% electronic/dubstep, and 5% acoustic) which do you think would be better? How low does a music oriented sub need to go? As low as a home theater subwoofer below 20hz? Sorry I'm not to knowledgeable about this, but this is my second time building a speaker or sub (I'm 16). Also, complex box designs are not at all an issue due to the fact that both my dad and I are pretty good at woodworking and cabinet building. Thanks so much for any help!
> 
> Matthew


What's about quality?


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