How would you build the biggest bass bomb ever?

[boukisan]

I have a friend who is a DJ. We were talking today about how clubs have sorry bass in their setups. Our solution is to build a large subwoofer and amp unit to the tune of a waterheater/55 gallon container that we can take to each show, plug into the wall and send a signal to. I liked a design that I found showing a sonotube with facing speakers:

http://www.hometheatertalk.com/DIY_P..._projects.html

...but then after hours of reading into this subject, I realized that there is an art to it, and there must be a group of people who have experience with this sort of thing.

Our 'base' assumptions are that we would need two large subwoofers facing each other from the ends of a large reinforced tube (plastic 55 gallon drum or huge sonotube), a tuneable port, probably made of large diameter PVC, a very powerful amplifier, in turn powered by a transformer, maybe a cooling system would be required. We want to get bass that you can feel - this isn't hi-fi audio, just pure, brute bass of the strongest magnitude that we can build.

Enclosures, speakers and amp configurations are endless, but if you had a budget of $2-6k (and we will burn more if necessary), how would you do this?

[Cal Weldon]

With PA drivers.

[imix500]

If you have 6K to spend, you can totally get a pair of used servodrives or two pair of EV MTL4's and a crown MA5000.

[boukisan]

This is great - I didn't expect a response so soon.

I'm interested in these ideas, although I must say that my knowledge about audio doesn't go far into what you know. Although I'm sure I can figure out how to build this thing, I am not yet familiar with the products you guys have mentioned above.

Would you mind elaborating on your suggestions?

[Buckapound]

Have you seen this?:

http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/

Some very thoughful approaches to bass in a PA setting.

--Buckapound

[tinitus]

http://www.cowanaudio.com/ "Horn Sub jr."

http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=hornplans

I suppose that 4 x 18" pro woofers in BR will do the same

[boukisan]

THANKS.
Keep 'em coming.

[AKN]

Hi,

Ok...
http://www.dancetech.com/aa_dt_new/index.cfm

Dual 18" horn:
http://www.dancetech.com/aa_dt_new/pa/eaw_bh_882.cfm

[boukisan]

I think we're narrowing it down some.
Regardless of that - keep these recommendations coming.
We want to know, with a flexible budget - what list of components would we put together to achieve this level of bassitude.

This design seems good, don't know if it's the best, or better than the EV MTL4 cabinet?
http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/T48.html

or...

Something else, maybe plans for a cabinet like the EV MTL4? Where would I find plans for something like that?

Or maybe some of you think that there's a way to make more powerful bass that we can bring into the club?

cabinet design
speakers
amplifier
other components

We're going to grow and evolve this system over time. It's going to be used in small to medium local dance clubs to make people feel bass in their chest. For some reason we've rarely felt this kind of bass in atlanta clubs anytime in the last 8 years. I'm wondering what it was that Planet of the Drums was using that made it so powerful, mainly so that we could beat it - eventually...

[boukisan]

Thanks, Anders - this is the most informative source so far.