Here's another vote for the Dayton Ultimax. Amazing subwoofer. This is my UM15-22, sealed, 80 liter, EQ'd with a MiniDSP and powered by a Crown XLS1002. Honestly not much to complain about here either. Plenty of bump for movies but also lots to tweak and play around with using the MiniDSP. This isn't a PE flat pack, but is similar, bracing is a bit beefier, 19.5" cube all the way around. Can easily recommend this route.
-
WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
Considering a DIY Sub - got a favorite?
- Thread starter MrPotatoHead
- Start date
I'd like to read on your rt1.3we and rs180 stand mounts if you have a thread on them.
Wolf
Anyone familiar with the SpeakerPower SP1-700-HTB Standalone amp? It appears to have the same guts as their plate amp with similar part number, except it's in a case for cabinet use. The 700 watts into 4 ohm looks pretty good for my DIY project (taking class D specs with a grain of salt).
I have to admit I'm not familiar with the brand, I've just seen their products in the DIY forums. Looks like the former owner has a respectable level of experience with JBL and QSC.
It checks all my boxes: decent amount of power, balanced input, ability to run stereo signal to subs (with two amps).
I have to admit I'm not familiar with the brand, I've just seen their products in the DIY forums. Looks like the former owner has a respectable level of experience with JBL and QSC.
It checks all my boxes: decent amount of power, balanced input, ability to run stereo signal to subs (with two amps).
AllanMarcus
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Messages
- 32
- Likes
- 23
I built one of these! I like it, but I only use it for low volume music at my desk. Once I retire in June, I will convert my office to a listening room and really put the sub through some measuring. It's called the "Freaking Fantastic Redneck Subwoofer"
My build here
efnord
Member
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2023
- Messages
- 5
- Likes
- 7
Hey how do you like it now that you've had the chance to enjoy it for a while? Did you ever get around to that testing? Parts Express has the driver for that 25% off if you get it used right now, and I'm having a hard time resisting the impulse to order a couple.
AllanMarcus
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Messages
- 32
- Likes
- 23
Haven't measured it yet, but I like it. I use an SVS plate amp I pulled from an SB13 Ultra, so a pretty beefy amp. The plate amp is just sitting in some packing foam now, but I will build a box for it. My last of work was today!
The sub is in my new listening room, which isn't really built out yet, but it puts out quite a bit of bass. I'm not sure I would us it for home theater, but I think it will work well for music.
efnord
Member
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2023
- Messages
- 5
- Likes
- 7
Nice, thanks for the update! Is it a volume issue, or low-end extension, or something else that makes you say these wouldn't be good for HT use? Four of those drivers are $132 with free shipping and I can totally find four places to stash 5 gallon buckets.
AllanMarcus
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Messages
- 32
- Likes
- 23
It's my understanding that multiple subs don't really add better bass for HT. Multiple subs helps you eliminate room modes. 4 subs might be a serious challenge to calibrate.
If you want more impact fort HT, get or make a better/bigger sub. In this case, (woofer) size matters so you can move more air. A decent sub amp will cost you $200-400, plus the parts for the subs. For 4 subs you might as well get an SVS PB-3000 from the outlet.
There is also the matter of the room you will put the sub(s) in.
AllanMarcus
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Messages
- 32
- Likes
- 23
here is my attempt at a measurement. there are likely some pretty bad room modes, but you can see the sub does seemingly ok down to about 30hz. green is with the sub and red is without the sub
jamescarter1982
Active Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2021
- Messages
- 186
- Likes
- 54
what size roundover did you use on the front please and we're the speakers cncd or handmade ? thanks
I love my RiPol subs. They sound wonderful and just look cool. The configuration was patented by German speaker builder Axel Ridtahler, and the name "RiPol" is short for a "Ridtahler dipole".
A RiPol is basically a compact, folded-baffle dipole with two woofers in an opposing push/push configuration. Its radiation pattern isn't the classic dipolar figure-8, but cardioid shaped with a pronounced frontal lobe, and similar off-axis nulls.
Perhaps the most unique RiPol feature is its effect on the woofers' resonance. Every woofer has a natural resonance, which is typically loud and certainly undesirable because it's a distortion that isn't in the music. A conventional sub enclosure forces the woofer's resonance higher than it's resonance in free air (FS). But a RiPol lowers the woofer's resonant frequency by about 10Hz, and this has a profoundly positive effect on tonal quality.
Let's say we are using woofers that resonate at 30Hz in free air:
- A conventional enclosure forces the resonance upward (more so in smaller box, less so in bigger or ported box, but always up/never down), which puts it squarely in the audible bass band. And if the music contains any energy at that frequency, the resonance will be excited and its distortion will be heard.
- A RiPol forces the woofers' resonance downward about 10Hz (down to 20Hz in this case). Most music contains little or no energy down at 20Hz, in which case the resonance would not be excited so would not occur. And even if the music does contain energy that low, 20Hz is at the threshold of human hearing, so you might feel it but you wouldn't actually hear it as a tone.
Another advantage is the dipolar off-axis nulls, which tends not to excite room resonances that can render the bass sluggish and inarticulate, or even produce the dreaded "one note boom".
Dipolar bass isn't very efficient so I always recommend a pair of RiPol's rather than just one, and they don't pressurize the room in the same way as conventional subs. Not everyone likes them because they don't hit you in the chest like a sledge hammer... but I LOVE them. Their sound arises from nowhere and recedes back to nowhere-- wonderful for jazz, and simply the cleanest, most unobtrusive bass I've ever experienced.
Modak Akustik in Germany markets a similar sized RiPol sub which uses the same Peerless SLS woofers.
A Product Review of this sub by 6-Moons Audio includes the following statement:
"For music-first listeners who prioritize speed, articulation and enunciated clarity, it's the long awaited messiah."
Srajan Ebaen, 6moons.com
I share that sentiment, and I will share my drawing & parts list with anyone who asks-- just PM me an email address.
A RiPol is basically a compact, folded-baffle dipole with two woofers in an opposing push/push configuration. Its radiation pattern isn't the classic dipolar figure-8, but cardioid shaped with a pronounced frontal lobe, and similar off-axis nulls.
Perhaps the most unique RiPol feature is its effect on the woofers' resonance. Every woofer has a natural resonance, which is typically loud and certainly undesirable because it's a distortion that isn't in the music. A conventional sub enclosure forces the woofer's resonance higher than it's resonance in free air (FS). But a RiPol lowers the woofer's resonant frequency by about 10Hz, and this has a profoundly positive effect on tonal quality.
Let's say we are using woofers that resonate at 30Hz in free air:
- A conventional enclosure forces the resonance upward (more so in smaller box, less so in bigger or ported box, but always up/never down), which puts it squarely in the audible bass band. And if the music contains any energy at that frequency, the resonance will be excited and its distortion will be heard.
- A RiPol forces the woofers' resonance downward about 10Hz (down to 20Hz in this case). Most music contains little or no energy down at 20Hz, in which case the resonance would not be excited so would not occur. And even if the music does contain energy that low, 20Hz is at the threshold of human hearing, so you might feel it but you wouldn't actually hear it as a tone.
Another advantage is the dipolar off-axis nulls, which tends not to excite room resonances that can render the bass sluggish and inarticulate, or even produce the dreaded "one note boom".
Dipolar bass isn't very efficient so I always recommend a pair of RiPol's rather than just one, and they don't pressurize the room in the same way as conventional subs. Not everyone likes them because they don't hit you in the chest like a sledge hammer... but I LOVE them. Their sound arises from nowhere and recedes back to nowhere-- wonderful for jazz, and simply the cleanest, most unobtrusive bass I've ever experienced.
Modak Akustik in Germany markets a similar sized RiPol sub which uses the same Peerless SLS woofers.
A Product Review of this sub by 6-Moons Audio includes the following statement:
"For music-first listeners who prioritize speed, articulation and enunciated clarity, it's the long awaited messiah."
Srajan Ebaen, 6moons.com
I share that sentiment, and I will share my drawing & parts list with anyone who asks-- just PM me an email address.
Last edited:
Thanks!
The yellowish tint on the red oak plywood is powdered turmeric mixed into the natural oil stain.
The center section is white oak with a dark red oak stain. The finish is sprayed satin polyurethane.
Last edited:
312elements
Active Member
What’s the response look like? Specifically how high can you cross them over?
I don't have REW so I can't show you a response graph.
The Peerless SLS 12 woofer's response is the ultimate crossover limit. However, the cavity resonance of the RiPol's front chamber (a sharp peak at around 230-250Hz) would require a notch filter or parametric EQ to tame it, if one chooses a high crossover (let's say within an octave of the resonance frequency).
Many RiPol builders notch out the cavity resonance with a passive filter or a parametric EQ, and then cross the sub in wherever they wish, and report no problems with that.
Modal Akustik in Germany markets a commercial version which uses the same SLS woofers, and I believe it includes a passive notch filter to tame the cavity resonance and allow a higher crossover.
I don't need mine to play high so, in lieu of a notch filter, I prefer to simply avoid exiting the cavity resonance by crossing them in at least one octave below it, using using a steep (24db/oct) filter slope. I'm crossing mine in at 70Hz and the cavity resonance isn't a problem. I consider them <120Hz subs, and that's all I need.
Since I prefer a low crossover in lieu of a notch filter, I would not choose woofers larger than 12" because a larger cavity would resonate at a lower frequency, which might not leave enough bandwidth below it to use an octave-lower crossover (i.e. larger enclosure reduces usable bandwidth).
My RiPol's are supporting a pair of homebuilt hybrid electrostats which have their own 12" woofers, so I don't need the subs to play high. I'm also using a DSP crossover and steep filter slopes. Monopole subs typically don't blend well with dipolar ESLs but the RiPol's blend with seamless perfection.
Last edited:
Similar threads
