| sammydee |
Hi all.
I live in the uk, and recently got hold of an 8 inch rel subwoofer driver intended for use in about a foot cubed enclosure (I think).
I want to build an enclosure for it and make a little subwoofer for my room at university, but I need an amp as well. This sort of thing would be perfect, but I can't find anything remotely similar available on this side of the pond. Does anybody have any idea where I might find something?
Parts express do ship overseas, but the power is incompatible - here in the uk we use 240v real man's electricity, none of this pansy 110 volt rubbish :D .
Any ideas from fellow uk diyers?
Sam |
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| kelticwizard |
PS:
I would check with BK to see if their 100 watt sub amp has a variable crossover. They list the frequency range up to 240 Hz, but the guess here is that one of those knobs is for adjusting the crossover frequency. |
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| AndrewT |
Hi,
a add on sub for a university dorm may be the best way to get evicted. |
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| sammydee |
Well next year I'm in a house with people I know so it should be ok.
Those uk amp sellers look very good, but expensive. I was really not looking to spend more than about £120 in total.
I might see if I can get a half decent second hand sub off ebay, a rel quake or something. I wish we had US prices over here...
Thanks for the help.
Sam |
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| kelticwizard |
Sammy:
Just thought I would point out that the BSBP 100 actually costs a little less than £120 , and it's power is about the same as the Dayton unit you specified.
Still, if you can get a cheaper deal, by all means go for it. |
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| sammydee |
kelticwizard, yes I saw the BSBP 100
I meant less than £120 in total on the entire amp. If I spend £111 on the amp, I have already spent £20 on a driver, then I have to build my own case (very difficult to make it look good).
I wonder if I could get more bang for the buck going second hand...
Sam |
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| kelticwizard |
Well, I assume the driver you are getting is second hand, so if you want to make this "best bang for the buck", a second hand sub amp, if available, would be the best way to go.
Over here, subwoofers have a tendency to find themselves in yard sales, etc. The drivers might not be as good as your Rel driver, but I suspect most sub amps are made at the same factory in China and the only difference between them is the power rating and the label. So the amp from a cheap sub, assuming it is listed as being of comparable power, is probably the same as the amps from better subs with the same power rating.
In your situation, I would go second hand if possible. |
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| sammydee |
In that case, perhaps a second hand sealed box and amp from a cheap chinese manufacturer with the rel driver might be an idea?
Are the cheap amps good enough do you think? I want this sub for listening to music more than movies - accurate bass is more important than raw power to me.
Sam |
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| kelticwizard |
I don't know what amps Rel uses but it would not surprise me if it was from the same Chinese factory so many other manufacturers use, and where Parts Express gets it's amps as well.
I get a chuckle looking over subwoofers from different manufacturers and seeing what looks like the same sub amp in all of them, from store to store. I am not saying there are no sub manufacturers using different amps, but the Dayton amp is a dead ringer for the types of amps I see in most subwoofers. So if you were all set to buy the Dayton amp, (Parts Express' own brand), I would feel safe in buying a functional second hand sub with a similar power rating and using the amp. Whether you want to use the cabinet as well from the old sub is up to you, some of those can be rather cheaply made. Use your own judgment there. |
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| sammydee |
Wow I can't believe manufacturers like Rel who make such a big deal of their special exclusive technology for better sound actually just use the same cheap chinese amps as everyone else.
This is interesting food for thought... If I can pick up a very cheap sub second hand I can rip the amp out of it and use that... hmm...
I will see what I can find on ebay and the local classifieds. Thanks for the help! Maybe building my own enclosure can still be reasonably cost effective, as long as I can find some way of finishing it nicely...
Sam |
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| Grumpy_Git |
I have been led to believe that the BASH amps at parts express can be modded to 240V.
You can but ask.....
Nick. |
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| sammydee |
Well presumably it's a case of rewinding the transformer coils... Not sure I really want to open up an amp and start rewinding coils by hand though...
I'll ask on partsexpress.
sam |
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| richie00boy |
CPC sell the same amps as those plate amps from Parts Express, but are a longstanding UK company. From memory they are abotu £100.
However, the BK amps really are much better. |
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| sammydee |
Would the BK amp likely be any better than the amp found in a rel quake or something similar?
I'm really just trying to work out whether it is more cost effective to build my own sub or find one second hand here. The problem with building my own is that I'm not especially skilled at woodworking, and I want it to look at least acceptable. Does anybody sell enclosure kits in the uk? All I need is a solidly built mdf sealed enclosure about 1 cubic foot - I'm sure it can't be too hard to put some sort of pine vinyl covering on it or similar to make it look nice - can it?
Sam |
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| AndrewT |
you'll be struggling to get Sub-bass performance from 1cub ft.
You could get reasonable bass performance from 1cub ft if you choose an appropriate driver and adequate, but not excessive, EQ. |
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| sammydee |
Andrew:
I'm in total agreement about the sub-bass performance from a small driver and small box. However, with such a limited budget, I'm not sure I really have much choice in the matter.
Of course I'd love a 15 inch 1000 watt monster, but if I want any sort of decent sound quality rather than one big boom, I'm never going to get close to that sort of size with my current budget. I'm not looking for house shaking earthquake-level bass here. Just a nice tight bass that fills in the bottom end of the music is good enough for me.
Plus any bigger than 1-2 cubic feet and it gets seriously difficult to carry around - this sub has to come with me to uni and back three times a year.
Sam |
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| sammydee |
Hang on the EQ circuit isn't included in the amplifier?
If I build my own subwoofer do I need to also design my own EQ circuit?
Sam |
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| AndrewT |
| quote: | Originally posted by sammydee
If I build my own subwoofer do I need to also design my own EQ circuit? |
design is the operative word.
Do a bit of research on Linkwitz transform. |
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| dangus |
| quote: | Originally posted by AndrewT
Hi,
a add on sub for a university dorm may be the best way to get evicted. |
Don't dorms still have STEREO WARS on the weekends? I wish I could loan my 18 year old self an amp or two and a couple of Adire Tempests... with the horn loaded cabinet plans.
The plate amps are convenient, but not always the best value for money. Thanks to "made in China", semi-pro power amps have become much cheaper, and if you can find one used they can offer incredible boom for the buck. Try music stores, pawn shops, Craigslist, and maybe eBay (for nearby sellers, since the cost of shipping may limit enthusiasm by other bidders). |
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| sammydee |
Well I ended up buying a 275 watt BK XLS200 and it sounds VERY nice, so I'm pretty happy with that. And as for stereo wars... there weren't any, I always used to dominate everyone else :D.
Most people at uni aren't interested in nice sound systems anymore, they buy those crappy JBL or Creative 2.1 setups and think that it's good quality. Of course they were all totally blown out of the water just by my NAD amp and Kef iQ3s :D
Shame I'm not in halls any more because with this subwoofer I might just be able to bring the entire building down :devilr: |
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