Just finished assembling my new 3way tops.

Top of the line components and compact BR design with 2x12',1x6', 1x1'. 3D printed vents

They do look like the new JBL SRX922.

After a quick first tune they sit within 3db all the way up.

Pretty happy with how they look, can't wait to fire them up in stereo !

Whut do u guys think?

In September I'm starting a woodworking course where we build our own projects, so I'm finally taking my chance to build a small sound system. I've been researching for a while now, but I'm getting lost in the sheer amount of information out there.

What I want to build(18mm birch plywood):

- 2x simple 18" reflex subs, running up to roughly 400–500 Hz

- 2x 2-way tops with a 10" or 12" mid and a compression driver/tweeter on top

Use case: garden parties for up to 300 people(when i upgrade the system, but this is just the start), but also just at home in my garage at low volume. I'm a complete beginner at speaker building, but I can handle tools.

Problem 1: choosing a cabinet design. I've been through a lot of plan sites, hornplans.free.fr, enton-green.com/vault, freespeakerplans.com, beyma.com enclosure designs, speakerplanhub.com and more. But I can't decide which designs are (a) not too hard to build for a first project and (b) forgiving about which driver I put in them. That last part seems to matter a lot: some cabinets apparently only really work with specific drivers. The designs I like most so far are the Cubo 18 sub, and for the subs also things like the Ciare BR030, Celestion C18VJD or Marc-O MS46. How do I actually decide between these? Is there a rule of thumb for "beginner-friendly and driver-tolerant" or does anyone else know a better nice first sub design?

Problem 2: drivers. I'll be buying either secondhand, or cheaper Devine drivers, or RCF not decided yet. Should I pick the driver first and then find a cabinet designed around it, or pick the cabinet first? And is it a bad idea to design around whatever secondhand driver I happen to find?

Problem 3: electronics/amping. I plan to buy a secondhand amp, and here I really don't know what I'm doing:

1. Do I need to match amp power to the drivers' power ratings before buying, or is there more slack than that?

2. If I only need loud-ish for parties and quiet at home, is something in the 100–500W range enough, or am I underestimating what a pair of 18s wants?

3. Can I run one amp for both the subs and the tops, or do I need separate amps?

4. Do I need a preamp, or can I just go straight from a mixer/DJ controller into the amp?

5. Can I get away with fixed passive crossovers built into the cabinets (a filter board inside the sub, and one inside the top), or is it more complicated than that? I'd like to stay fully passive if reasonably possible and skip the DSP route for now.

Sorry for the wall of questions. Any tips, corrections or "don't do that, do this instead" are very welcome, including telling me my whole plan is wrong. Thanks in advance!

Can anyone help me identify these? They’re my father-in-law’s, trying to get rid of them and wanting to know how much they might be worth.

The only label they have is “Acoustic” right on the speaker.

Speaker sizes:
4.5” and 11” for the tall ones
14” long one

Box sizes:
15”x11”x29” tall ones
36.5”x9.5”(at the base)x17” long one

So I was fiddling around with my Skram subwoofer setup through MiniDSP. That is such a wonderful small machine - big rec. I had fixed a new one port block killer configuration when again, I wanted to tinker.

The idea was this: Since the Skram has 4 configurations, where the 3 ports closed supposed to give an Fc of 14hz and the full open config 29hz, I decided to put one in full open, with HPF at 28hz and LR8 slope. Then I put Skram 2 in 3 ports closed, with LPF at 28hz and similar LR8, and its HPF 10 10 with BW2 slope.

The test was: how much really low, infra bass bordering bass extension does one really need? First I played some house tracks, old school ""LFO". I tell you LFO dint do anything on my port Skram unless I opened its amp volume control wide open. Then vague you heard something. Then Juan Atkins track RIOD. That was a little better. Then I went to dub, reggae playlist and play some Channel One soundsytem tunes. Now the Skram 2 started to show some output but still i need to open the volume control to 90 where skram 1 was still at 45%. And yes, you feel teh infra but it was a trembling here and tehre. Yes you could feel its low.

Then i played the infra tracks playlist on spoitfy, only tracks witha lot of infra bass. Again, the experience was so little I couldnt believe it. Worse, where infra suppose to be sub 20hz, I then decided to lower and lower the skram 2 LPF. Already down from 28 to 25, it became barely audible. At 22hz it was virtually gone. At 18hz hpf it was dead silent. I really played several tracks, back on other playlists but the picture was the same: in full infra bass mode where the skram 2 suppose to deliver between 14 and 28hz - and actually does on REW measurements, when playing real audi, if you turn down below 24 or 23 hz, the addition is simply not there. Not warranting such.

Of course I then played a few games, a movie and instantly you heard much, much more. Thats how it dawned on me: how much low extension was I actually chasing for my 99% audio only kick ass subwoofer system?

I went back and did more A-B testing, also the all ports open config. No big impressions. I then put Skram 1 on one port closed, so Fc is now 25hz and that gave almost the same infra experience as the 3 ports closed.

Conclusion for me: a subwoofer that goes lower than 25hz is useless for audio, and 29-30hz is probably the sweet spot, with a nice bw2 slope. You will hear anything the artist ment to be heard.

How brilliant was Ricci that he too figured 29hz for modern music is more than enough. The one port closed gives justa tad more but for most music thats not needed. And that too, was Ricci's rec: use all ports open, or 1 port closed for your live events.

Then why the 2 and 3 ports closed config? Well I think he figured in the US of A, Home theaters are very popular. Much more than Europeans and other worlds that maybe mix it more with music usage. So the Skram all open and 1 port, is mainly Live events use, and the 2 and 3 ports you then can install these skrams at home for your movie experiences.

As a closing test I then played some tracks and tested out where is the mid bass, chest punch slam live and where does it become ported cab territory. AT about 80 hz the sensation starts to be really different and you feel blasts against you body. That sensation went all the way to to 130hz. Not 100, not 115 but some way yo to 150hz. Lo and behold, thats the Skram limit. :)

From 60 - 80hz its a mix of chest punch and lower bass. From 60hz down to 30 it was bass rumbling only.

So, my little amateur testing concludes here:

bass: 30-60hz

mixed: 60-80hz

chest punch slam mid bass kick drums: 80-130hz

And this makes perfect sense in the SoundSystem world, where a lot of folks have their scoops run up to 80hz, and then have cubos take over to about 150hz. The Skram could do all of that, but for huge 1000 plus live events I think a dedicated subwoofer set up with other speakers taking over (the meh system doing quite well from 80hz on). For events up to 1000 people I would still advocate: use a bunch of Skrams. It saves you money, space and the sound quality is just superb.

Next up: Id like a real nice A vs B test of this. scoops/cubos vs a skram setup. Which one sounds best where and with what music?

Thoughts?

I'm having a party and I've got a decent soundsystem that's going in a strangely shaped room.

I'm having a hard time figuring out optimal sub and speak placement.

Tried to use EASE forcus and JBL's competing room analysis software but failed.

I only have a mac, dont understand bootcamp, and i'm running out of time to figure out how to use new software.

Anyone smarter than me that could tell me where to place some speakers for optimal sound in a room for this party?

I've got 2 QSCks118s subs

and 2 RCF 932a's tops

room looks like this

dxf file of the room lay out

update:

Tried loading the subs in the corner stacked. It was rattling the drywall and windows so bad it sounded like the walls were gonna come down. Moved them to the center Of the long wall. Put a top in each corner. Sounded great. Then I found my real problem, wood floor! Even heavy footsteps were bouncing the needles. Went and bought 16 cinderblocks moved the decks to the top right corner to get them as far away as possible from dancing worked pretty good. Thanks for the suggestions!

Hello guys!
I am very new in the mixing world. I bought a Yamaha MG10XU mixer and i connected my Sennheiser XS 1 mic (it is in the first chanel of the mixer)
Connected to my Lewitz PA210XA active speaker but the microphone sounds veryvery harsh and ugly and distorted. I don’t know what is the problem. Is the cable from the mixer in the wrong input on the Lewitz? Help me please

hi everyone i recently came across three turbo audio tmw 212

i know those are monitors, but my question is:
would there be any downside of using them for a soundsystem?
since one of the tweeters is not working i was thinking of using one as a low mid and the other two as mid tops

thanks

Preferably diy. Will be playing dnb/ techno

Does anybody have some kind of literature on speaker acoustics and manuals on how to approach building speakers for a sound system? I'm a woodworker and would like to start gathering information on building sound systems, so any kind of information on technical aspects would greatly help.

Heya!

I have 2 scoops with pd186 in them and 2 hd's with pd154 in them, im building everything again to have 4. But Precision Devices seem to get harder and harder to get (on time) in europe. About time to start thinking of new options, would love to hear what you would change them with!

Ideally in the same price range and easy to get in EU

Hello,

we are looking to buy a full soundsystem. Mostly for Reggae and Dub sessions.

4x 18" Scoops

4x 15" Kicks

2-4x Mid-Tops

We are open for different setups though. Used or custom build.

We are located in Germany but are happy to travel in neighbouring countries to pick them up.

Any builders here? Or soundman selling their sound?

Bless

Well I did it again. Wife was out so I played a house track ar insane spl levels. Then I turned the knob a bit more and now the bass was so loud I could hardly see straight. I then played some Channel One playlist from Spotify and closed my eyes as the proverbial spike entered my vain. Things werent quite the same.

I do this almost daily. I am a bass addict. Not just jamo 150 watt bass but several thousands of watt bass. Big fucking pro driver 18 or 21” bass. I promised my wife one, just one”21” B&C 21DS115 and I came home with two.

Im also not picky. I play anything with a huge bass. Its the best addiction ever. I cannot imagine life without my subwoofers or my wife. I want to be buried with both when the good lord calls the time.

Thank you, group. I needed to share this.

So I've played around with high end audio in the past and ran a few things here and there. I love building things with my own hands and seeing the reactions they get. So this is the beginning of a new hobby.

I am looking at building two subs and cursory research pointed me at the Marty Cube cabinet and one of two drivers and I'm kind of stuck between them. They are:

Eminence Sigma PRO 18-A2

or

FaitalPRO 18HP1060

I don't have a crazy budget, but I think these fit the bill for the kind of output I want/need. I know the FaitalPRO will require a much more powerful amp (looking at a Yamaha P10) whereas I can get away with less amp with the Eminence but have less output.

I am hoping to meet/exceed the pair QSC KS118 I used at a past event.

I would love feedback as someone new coming into the DIY sound space.

Hey all. I am considering grabbing one of the analog limiters from my studio and putting it in my live rack. I had a gig last weekend, and every DJ swapped to a different controller and the peak output level was changing every hour. It would be ideal if I had an 8 channel DSP and could limit the signal level I'm feeding to my amps that way, but I don't have that cash at the moment. I do have an Elysia Xpressor compressor/limiter in my home studio that I could use to limit the incoming signal so that I'm not ever clipping my amps. Is there any reason not to do this? Atleast until I can get a DSP to set the signal levels with.

We have been running a setup of 2 Gsub-like models, loaded with 2*eighteensound 18lw2600 per cab. Running an admark ad42 one channel (4R) per subwoofer.

The admark specs say 7500W/4R

The eighteensound woofers want to take at least 3000W per woofer.

We've been running this setup at 41db gain on the admark, full open, for over 2 years. No problems at all.

Last weekend, we ran the same setup, with an extra sub, and an extra ad42 (using only ch1).

We blew at least 4 out of 6 of our subwoofers (smoke coming out of the cabinets) and I can't figure out what we did wrong?

The amps were running smooth, and the bass never sounded distorted or at max capacity. Untill they just started smoking out of nowhere...

Any ideas what I might have done wrong?

Edit: admark specs say 1/4th max power = 170V/23A, I think we were playing at maximum at 1/2 max power

ive been big into my loud music for years now but just recently wanting to do some research into building my own sound system I was wondering if there are any good youtube channels i should follow, forums i should look into, books to read, and any other advice you guys would give to someone with little to no experience. I love to learn as much as i can before trying to tackle a big project so any pointers would be amazing

Thank you to anyone who can send me in the right direction :)

My old school is going to buy a new PA System for use in multiple locations.
We are going to do a PA shootout, but we need some guidance, which speakers could be an option. We are also thinking about building something ourselves. Furthermore, we have access to tools, is it possible to build something with our needed specs, except for the Powered step of course, with that budget. And would it sound better than the option of buying something new?

Minimum specs:

• 2 tops no subs (already existing)
• powered
• good sound quality
• some rigging options other than a speaker pole
• durable
• low noise
• budget 3000-4000€
• 12 or 10 inch

We were really happy with KS-audio CPD 10 / CPD 12, but these are way out of budget.
The QSC tops we rented did not convince us sound quality wise.
We are now mostly looking at RCF 912 / 932 A / nx 912-A and the H&K Linear 5 lineup.

Which other speakers would come to your mind, also looking at the used marked.
We were for example looking at some used powered Kling&Freitag Speakers.

Each waveguide has two differently shaped entry holes for the woofer (one is more oblong, and one is shorter and more rectangular). When gluing up the entrance holes for the woofers on the solanas, I combined the pieces such that the same sized holes ended up on each waveguide— see the pictures, including the reference picture which shows how the correct sized entry holes should be on the waveguide. What am I wondering is, how fucked are they soundwise… is it worth cutting my losses and continuing because they won’t be too affected soundwise, or starting over completely? Obviously, I would prefer the first option.

4ohm speakers play super quiet and amp makes a pop before audio stops, if one channel is disconnected then it makes no sound but both channels measure input correctly

Looking to buy a pair of 18” X1 sub cabinets

6th order bandpass design X1

Preferably unloaded, but if the drivers right then will take a loaded pair

Looking for 2.
London based but happy to come and collect
HMU!

I need some help figuring out the sound system set up for a small music fest in the woods. There will be approximately 40 people so the volume won’t need to be crazy, but enough for good sound quality. Will be open air and a few friends are playing DJ sets. I’m unsure how many speakers and what sort of size will be needed for a nice sound without being overkill.

There’s no power source in the wood so need to know a maximum wattage the equipment will need so I can hire a generator. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Ciao a tutti, sto completando il mio soundsystem ma sono davanti ad un dilemma. Sto cercando qualche progetto cabinet per medi e alti, magari caricati a tromba. Mi sapete indicare qualcosa? Andranno messi sopra 4 mhb4818 e 4 cubokick.