Dayton 12 " Titanic Mk III Enclosure Design?

[ThunderMonkey]

Hi, I'm planning to build an enclosure for a 12" titanic mk iii subwoofer which I want to use for both home theatre use and generally for listening to music. From what I've read ported enclosures seem to provide a superior, deeper bass reponse if you have a big enough box. This is a bit of an ambitious project for me since I'm only 16 and have fairly limited experience with building speaker cabinets. I've downloaded winISD and played around with it quite a bit although I don't completely understand it yet. Could anyone advise me about some dimensions and a port size for the subwoofer that would give it optimal performance? I don't really mind how big it is but I would prefer it to be a rectangular shape. Thanks

[johnr66]

What amplifier are you going to use to power it? I punched in the parameters for WinISD and it seems to like a 3.25 Cu ft. cab. Using twin 3" ports, you need an effective length of around 21" inches (a bit longer for flared ports that are recommended). You can build a slot port as part of the cab, but it is more complicated for a first build.

I like efficient speakers too, but after trying a sealed design, I'm quite impressed with the quality of the sound. With some equalization, you gain back that deep bass response.

That driver in a sealed cab needs only 1.5 Cu ft., but to aid in equalization, I'd put it into a 2 cu ft. box.

[ThunderMonkey]

Thanks for the reply, I'm planning on using a Dayton hspa500 500watt amplifier, although I might decide to go with the o audio 500w . Either one should be good to give the sub enough kick.
I am tempted to build a sealed box just for the simplicity, but I think I'll risk it and stick with the port. There are a few things I am unsure about though. Does it matter where the port is located on the box? 21" is a bit long so is there a way to use a shorter port? Would it matter whether I used 3/4" mdf or 1" mdf?

[revboden]

How low (Hz) do you want the box to go? To tune a box low you need a long port or really big box. Since that driver dosen't want to be in a box larger than 6ft^3 (5ft^3 seems optimal) you will need at least two 4" or one 6" port to keep the air speed velocity within the optimal range, they will be between 22 and 34" long to tune for HT (depending on the diameter). You can use an large radius elbow to bend the ports inside the box. The port openings need at least the diameter of the port away from any inside wall to breath.

I recommend getting 'Flare-It' and 'Boxnotes' to help you with the basics. Design at Subwoofer-Builder.com

[revboden]

Originally Posted by ThunderMonkey

21" is a bit long so is there a way to use a shorter port? Would it matter whether I used 3/4" mdf or 1" mdf?

not really, you'll need to brace the panels either way. The front baffle should be double thick (1.5"-2")

[bjorno]

Originally Posted by ThunderMonkey

Hi, I'm planning to build an enclosure for a 12" titanic mk iii subwoofer which I want to use for both home theatre use and generally for listening to music. From what I've read ported enclosures seem to provide a superior, deeper bass reponse if you have a big enough box. .. I don't really mind how big it is but I would prefer it to be a rectangular shape. Thanks

Hi,

An optimal ported box for this driver in a Bass-Reflex box would be large and IMO hard to get right.

See the calculation of an optimal volume for a BR box and the corresponding HR plots in the submitted picture.

I think an small footprint OD-TL or a T-TQWT should be a better choice as they are much more forgiving when built and easier tuned and IME offer better SQ performance than a huge footprint BR box would ever do.

b

[revboden]

Hey B,

and our young speaker builders head just exploded...

I agree, the Tapped - Tapered Quarter Wave Tube does look good.

lol,
later
rev.

[johnr66]

With that kind of power, I'd put it in a 2 cu ft. sealed box. A T-TQWT will be relatively large and complex. Probably not the best to cut your teeth on.

500 watts with this driver in a sealed cab. plop it in the corner, crank it up and the cops will be knocking on your door...

A ported cab looks like it will have serious group delay issues according to WinISD.

[NEO Dan]

SPLAT

[BP1Fanatic]