Building a Subwoofer

Slappy, good luck with your diy sub.

I am building my own sub with most of the suggestions stated earlier. I am on my third and final prototype before I make the final box. A useful tool you can get is Granite Audio "Super Bass CD" from Quest for Sound on A'gon. Go to the site for info.

I did find out that an external amp and crossover are better than plate amps. I did try both. With external you get more air volume, less chance of an air leak and most likely a better quality amp and crossover.

Also, couple it to the floor as best as you can so it does not move when played. If you have carpet, use spikes, hardwood, as in my case, 1" squares from scrap wood angled down a bit glued to the box with blu-tac on the bottom of the squares.

Get some good wiring, posts and solder. Try Cardas out.

Last, you will need a hand truck to move this around. I do not know why, but diy subs tend to weigh a hellava lot more for some reason.

Again, good luck with your project and new career.

Eldulcesol's suggestion is an excellent one. I sometimes use an NAD 2600A as a subwoofer amplifier with good result. This was their biggest amplifier of that iteration of the Monitor Series. 150 wpc continuous, rated extremely conservatively with the NAD Power Envelope that had either 4 or 6(?) of headroom. I have driven any speaker I have thrown at it, and in the late 80's, there were some extremely difficult loudspeaker loads out there.

The best thing about these are the low cost you can find them for, often under $200. And, if you ever want to use it as a full range amp, it makes very good sound.

Trelja: I've owned 2600's before and don't think it's too bad of an amp either. They do work quite well with Klipsch speakers from my experience. While it might work out reasonably for a sub amp, i don't know where you are going to find one for anywhere near $200. The lowest i've ever seen one go for was $275. They typically go for between $300 - $350 from what i've seen. I didn't have any problem selling the ones that i had at $325.

As a side note, ANY amp that is driving a sub(s) can be improved by increasing the power supply reserve i.e. adding filter capacitance. This can really tighten and stiffen the bass, especially on amps that are noticeably "loose & sloppy" to begin with. Sean
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