| Taterworks |
To build a sub that small, you're really going to have to shell out for both the driver and the passive radiator. Essentially, in a box that small, you're going to need drivers that are capable of both massive excursion and high pressures (and word to the wise, you'd better keep both these things in mind with your box design as well, or else your box will "chuff" with leaks at seams and driver gaskets, or begin wobbling around on the floor*).
You need a passive radiator with a ton of linear excursion for the passive side of things, and an active driver with a ton of magnetic force (BL) to generate the high pressures needed in a box that small. Even a TC-2000 wasn't strong enough, in my own modeling, to mate with a TC Sounds VMP 12 in a small enclosure. Look for drivers with absolutely massive motor structures - double-stacked and triple-stacked. You can skimp on the driver if you can live with a slightly higher box tuning frequency -- in a sub that small, I'd shoot for around 30-35 Hz.
For the passive, I'd use a GR Research PR-12 passive radiator, which has a massive surround. I wouldn't recommend the active 12" driver they sell for an ultra-small sub like we're considering here, because it really needs a larger enclosure to work well. Now, if you'd be willing to double your box size and place both the active and passive drivers on the same enclosure face, we'd be in business, but if you want to stick with your ideal of a Sunfire-style "cube" sub, you'll need something beefier.
*Polkaudio's new Sunfire-style subs with high-mass active drivers actually do quite a bit of visible shaking at high output levels. |
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