$700 budget for 2 powered subs

[spacemanspliff]

I have searched and like what I see in AE for the $$ but am lacking in what I need to buy. IB looks cool but I am uncertain as to how to build an enclosure for them. I believe that I would prefer two sealed, self-powered subs.

Basically, what would you buy with a $700 budget for two, all purpose subs? I am building a PJ based HT in my basement. Musical tone is more important than slam but 20hz would be nice. Room size is 20x18x20x18. I want to build a box to contain the screen, center channel behind the screen (acoustically transparent screen of course), and put the subs firing forward beneath the screen.

I would love a pre-made box if possible. The Dayton kits look ok but a bit lacking? I love the MFW-15 but I want two subs and they are a bit pricey after shipping costs.

Cheers!

[Cal Weldon]

I use only one woofer for my HT. Do you need two?

[spacemanspliff]

Oh I understand what IB is. I just have no idea how to build one properly in a front firing setup like my example. I was asking about sealed subs too.

Decor smecor. It is MY room lol. I would probably prefer the 2 x 15 IB with a Behringer 1500 but need plans for the box? Or is it just mount the damn things, seal the speakers rim to the box and leave the back open? If so, never mind, I can handle that easy enough.

[spacemanspliff]

I would prefer two in order to smooth things out but I know nothing of IB or Horns. Basically, whatever works best is fine with me. I think 4 is just showing off lol. Unless you live in an auditorium.

[spacemanspliff]

Ok, I have figured it out. I will make the manifold for 4 x 15 and adjust accordingly. Fascinating stuff. Very excited. I am certain my wife is not lol.

[pjpoes]

the advantage of more sound sources (more separate subwoofers) is smoother inroom response. 2 actually won't fully achieve this, 4 is the magic number that the researchers at Harman came up, and 3 is the magic number that Dr. Geddes came up with.

I would very seriously consider multiple small subwoofers rather than 1 big one. Even if you want to make IB subs, which are fine, you still can and should have multiple sound sources in different parts of the room. Since the way they vent into the room can be nothing more than a air vent, they can be pretty easily hidden.

[spacemanspliff]

So you are saying I should have at least 4 subs in various locations in the room? I could fit 2-4 IB in the back and 2-4 IB in the front easily. Or are you also talking about several sealed subs scattered about in order to make the "sweet spot" larger? I agree with the small subs btw. I think 12" is a perfect size for this room. 15" to 18" might well overpower/kill me lol.

[spacemanspliff]

I am closing on this house for the new build friday btw. I can get exact measurements and pics up then. There really is a good spot in the back and the front of the room for any speaker array. I would actually prefer a sealed solution just b/c we will sell the house in a few years as we move up the ladder of $$ hopefully lol. IB is still a possibility though.

[pjpoes]

no you can use the IB idea, that is fine. The type of subwoofer is really unimportant. If you are going to be cutting up your new house for this, you might want to start with three and see how that works. Just be sure to use non-symmetric positions (i.e. don't stick every one in the middle of the wall of each side). If you want to do 4, that is fine too, in that case, if you want to follow the Harman method, they did use symmetric layouts (middle of each wall, not corners), however Dr. Geddes, who has also conducted similar research to this, apparently found that non-symmetric placement with three subs could achieve similar results.

It has always amazed me when people put 1000's of dollars into a single large subwoofer instead of just building lots of smaller subs. In the end the results would be same, output wise, with a much smoother bass response.

I mean, I have one large ported sub, and at the moment, one smaller true sub, with a small "sub" which is really just a bass speaker. I'm in the process of redoing my whole system (Lightening was very unfriendly to my equipment), and will be going with a bitter different setup. As you might see in another post I brought up, I'm actually looking at the idea of building some bandpass subs. I've been talked with Dr. Geddes about purchasing one of his broad band designs, which would have quite a bit of output in the 50-150hz range (using a B&C 15" driver). Bandpass are notoriously hard to design, and so I've steered away from them, but I've decided to give them a shot for the enhanced efficiency and lower distortion.

Anyway, what has worked best for me, and shown to be true in scientific research, is that multiple sound sources scattered throughout the room give the smoothest response. I'm sure in the past you have noticed that the bass is different depending on where you walk in the room. On top of that, at any one listening position, room modes seek to destroy your nice smooth bass response. These multiple sound sources will smooth the bass response, not only thoughout the room, but also at each of the listening positions. Honestly, people see my setup and think all the equipment is either to show off or for huge amounts of output. Thats not the case at all, I don't watch movies all that loud, its all about a better overall response. I just feel that movie experience is enhanced when I'm not bothered by these issues, and the visceral effect is also enhanced, without having to listen at as loud of levels.

[spacemanspliff]

So what would you choose for say a kit sub? Lets just say that my wife opposes the IB build idea and I have to go with several small subs. The only affordable kit subs that I see are Dayton? Any suggestions would be welcome.