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How Cheap is Your Sub?

oivavoi

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Yes but do not have a miniDSP so have not actually implemented the results. When I get time and a miniDSP to play with...

Andy is also a member here and is a very nice, and sharp, person (at least online... ;) ). He is very supportive and very upfront about what the program can and cannot do.

Cool. I saw now that it's already been discussed. Will probably try it out in the future.
 

Sal1950

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A sub that can do DC. So there.
What would be DC in Audio terms? Cannot wrap my head around the concept of O Hz
Any sub can do DC, just hook up a small battery to the speaker terms and the cone will move one direction and stop. Reverse polarity and it will do the same in the other direction. Easy Piesy :p:p:p
 

RayDunzl

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What would be DC in Audio terms?

Static pressurization or rarefaction in a sealed room.

Or unsealed if you can overpower the leaks.
 

j_j

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Any sub can do DC, just hook up a small battery to the speaker terms and the cone will move one direction and stop. Reverse polarity and it will do the same in the other direction. Easy Piesy :p:p:p

Nope, won't work except in a sealed room. But the fan above will do DC even in a leaky room.
 

andyc56

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Yes but do not have a miniDSP so have not actually implemented the results. When I get time and a miniDSP to play with...

Andy is also a member here and is a very nice, and sharp, person (at least online... ;) ). He is very supportive and very upfront about what the program can and cannot do.

Rumor has it that he does not suffer fools, although it's also said he's happy to answer questions from actual users of his software.
 
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amirm

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Rumor has it that he does not suffer fools, although it's also said he's happy to answer questions from actual users of his software.
Andy, at the risk of getting on your banned list :D, can you create a little intro to your software here? I have heard through Don a few times the work you have not try to find the details on AVS. Where is the software. What does it do. Some results, etc.

As payment, we will give you a few likes. :D
 

Wombat

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What would be DC in Audio terms? Cannot wrap my head around the concept of O Hz.

Silence except for the possible sound of a distressed voice-coil.
 

Sal1950

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Silence except for the possible sound of a distressed voice-coil.
It's called a solenoid, they usually make a clicking sound. :eek:
 

DonH56

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What would be DC in Audio terms? Cannot wrap my head around the concept of O Hz.

As RayDunzl said, at least IIRC from those long-ago grad classes, pressurizing the room is the equivalent of a DC signal. I suppose depressurizing could be a (-) DC signal. Don't get the bends.


Rumor has it that he does not suffer fools, although it's also said he's happy to answer questions from actual users of his software.

Whew, not me, at least not yet...
 

restorer-john

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The cheapest Subwoofer I bought was $2 from a thrift store (a Magnat 120w 10" powered). Perfect condition.

I picked up a 200W Aaron (australian) twin 10" powered subwoofer off a curbside pickup (a spade terminal had slipped off the speaker to amp and it was 'dead') for free. Cabinet was ugly so I stripped it. Nice drivers and amp. Was going to put the drivers into a big poly tube to make an extreme outdoor bluetooth speaker for the boys along with some nasty piezos for highs all run off a few laptop batteries and a Class D bluetooth board.

I've got a Bowers and Wilkins ASW-600, two Energy 150 watt 10" powered units (identical), a couple of JBLs and and few other randoms.

I gave most of the others to my boys (10yo and 13yo) and they run them in their rooms with TPA-3116 Class D bluetooth amps and whatever tower speakers I give them this week. I figured if I gave them 'extreme bass' systems (all the boys care about), they would stay away from my gear...

Thing is, I don't use any subwoofers in my system, they just gather dust.
 

Sal1950

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I give them this week. I figured if I gave them 'extreme bass' systems (all the boys care about), they would stay away from my gear...
The neighbors must love ya when everyone rocks out at the same time. :eek:
 

Thomas savage

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The cheapest Subwoofer I bought was $2 from a thrift store (a Magnat 120w 10" powered). Perfect condition.

I picked up a 200W Aaron (australian) twin 10" powered subwoofer off a curbside pickup (a spade terminal had slipped off the speaker to amp and it was 'dead') for free. Cabinet was ugly so I stripped it. Nice drivers and amp. Was going to put the drivers into a big poly tube to make an extreme outdoor bluetooth speaker for the boys along with some nasty piezos for highs all run off a few laptop batteries and a Class D bluetooth board.

I've got a Bowers and Wilkins ASW-600, two Energy 150 watt 10" powered units (identical), a couple of JBLs and and few other randoms.

I gave most of the others to my boys (10yo and 13yo) and they run them in their rooms with TPA-3116 Class D bluetooth amps and whatever tower speakers I give them this week. I figured if I gave them 'extreme bass' systems (all the boys care about), they would stay away from my gear...

Thing is, I don't use any subwoofers in my system, they just gather dust.
@Cosmik your title ( cheapskate) is coming under extreme pressure here ...
 

Timbo2

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I have a Boston Accoustics ported 10 inch subwoofer that I bought new in 1987 in college for around $300. Somewhere in the late 1990s I had to replace foam speaker surround. I rember watching one of the Star Wars films and hearing the woofer rattle and wondering what happened.

In the past 10 years I replaced the original amplifier. I never liked it. It had a fixed crossover point and an annoyingly high turn on point. As a result it used to shut off during the soft portions of movies. A $100 plate amp from Parts Express got rid of both issues around.

My entertainment room is quite small so a single 10 inch sub and 75W RMS amp is plenty.

So my cost is something like $425 over the course of 30 years and 5 different residences.

(I'm going to pretend I don't know to inflation adjust the inital purchase. HiFi wasn't easy to do cheaply back in the 1980s.)
 

restorer-john

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The neighbors must love ya when everyone rocks out at the same time. :eek:

They have a rule, only one system blasting at a time, and we are sufficiently distant from the neighbours not to worry...

DSC_1437.JPG
 

DonH56

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cjfrbw

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I use four different subs, bought and added at different times. Total cost prolly around $1200 or so. A rebuilt vintage Velodyne 15 inch, a James 15 inch, a VonShweikert 10 inch and a Martin Logan 10". Two up front, two in back with one above ear level on a record rack a la Geddes, I believe. They are DSP and volume matched by Yamaha YPAO program, although I have a separate preamp for the combined outputs that can be volume adjusted up or down with a single preamp volume control to taste. They are in mono mode, can't see the point of stereo mode crossed over at 80 hZ.

It seems to work very well, no testing, but I am not particularly sensitive to the alleged sonic differences engendered by differing components.
 

ljubisa_05

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Sorry, but I can't help but think this topic should have a soundtrack that matches the title:


But seriously, I've read about two radically different schools of thought when it comes to subs:

1. If you have high SPL, low distortion mains, you need a 1-2 very expensive subs if you hope to hit >100 dB with distortion low enough to match the mains.

or

2. Our ears aren't very sensitive to bass distortion, but they are sensitive to room nodes. More, but cheaper, subs (2-4) fixes the real problem, which is the room.

Where do you weigh in and how cheap are your subs?
How cheap is your loveeee :D
But seriously, I think 4 cheaper subs beat or at least equal 1,2 expensive ones. Room nodes for the win :D
 
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