Hey Guys i have 2 15 inch JBL subs. one is a 2225h and the other a 2226h. i need to build a "directional subwoofer out of them. both in the same cabinet if at all possible. they would be in an enclosure with a square back and a triangle sticking out from the front such that the subs are on the outside of the front. one pointing 45 degrees left. the other right. they are to be used for my company so need to be tough, loud, and solid. i am thinking of building 2 of these if i can get another 2 15 inch subs. i am also thinking of using a behringer EP2000 2000 watt stereo amplifier. which will do 500 watts per channel at 4 ohms. I would also like this sub to be able to be "table danced" on with as many people as the size will hold. I also need it to be as loud as possible, although it can be more laid back because i use 2 18 inch subs as well with 136dB each. couple to i believe 139 dB with the +3 increase per additional sub. i would however like it to hit at least 115 dB. these subs are rccomended to be in an enclosure of between 3 and 8 cubic feet. the two together would need 6 to 16 cubic feet correct? the height needs to be between 17 and 24 inches tall to fit under a table if neccessary. now for the next question. one is rated at 600 watts and the other 400 watts. can i use them both on the same channel of an amplifier without being worried about blowing the 400 watt one. is there a way to use resistors or the like to tone down the wattage to the one? i will provide TS paramaters if requested. ported is fine sealed will probably work better. but i would really like a TH or similar enclosure. but since it has to be portable it should probably be sealed to educe size. now the height restrictions will allow it to fit through a door. but the weight should be manageable by 2 people. IE no more than 300 pounds. also it will probably have to be lugged up and down stairs as well. as some venues have stairs in order to get to the performance room. I also have 2 10 inch subs to work with as well just in case i need to use them. another thing i have is a 150 watt 8 ohm plate amp that i could use if it would acceptably power the 15's. i hope i didnt get too off topic and provided enough pertinent information to be able to get this designed some. for bracing i will probably use 1x1's or 2x2's because then theres no fancy cuting aside from the angles to brace the front. i will probably use 3/4 inch plywood or MDF to build the cabinet itself. plywood is preferable. and i dont want to have to do too many crazy cuts as well. i am pretty skilled with woodworking as well so i can rout the hole and countersink the subs for protection. i will probably be putting a grill over the subs as well... Long read but i figured i should provide all pertinent information.
you mean in other threads? i built a couple of them then posted about others and the threads died GRRRR. in this one i am referring to only 1
The concept of "directional" is a bit odd for a sub-woofer. For anything much below 300Hz, is is not possible to tell the direction from which the sound comes - your ears are just too close together.
i know i called it "directional" for a reason. basically all i need is a sub with the drivers 60-90 degrees from each other pointing out so that it can be placed in the middle with the other subs 30 feet on either side to fill up the middle of the room
i don't know the numbers of the jbl's you listed, but it seems you are planning to walk the long way around the mountain when you could just turn around and be there.
building monster ported or sealed cabs to be carried up/down stairs and be really loud doesn't make sense.
why not sell the two non-matching speakers you have(problem solved). buy two 12" speakers that correspond to a sub-horn design. they will be 1/4 the weight. use 1/4 the power. and have the same spl and thunderous effect.
i have two 15" loaded sub-horns that when coupled at a 45 degree will knock you down or make you sick with such a strong thump(literally). all this with a 500 watt amp. at half volume you will have to leave the room from too much bass. they weigh 75lbs each.
it does require more time to build than a cubed box, but the outcome is way worth it.
you can also check out this forum for "tapped horn" for a slightly less loud horn, but easier to build.
no need for directional sub anything. to fill the room just turn it up or down. if you have a dead spot you have a out of phase problem. place the sub in the corner of the room and use the natural effects of the room to fill it up. i got a tiny sub in my living room corner that can be heard loud and clear all over the house in everyroom!!!!
building monster ported or sealed cabs to be carried up/down stairs and be really loud doesn't make sense.
why not sell the two non-matching speakers you have(problem solved). buy two 12" speakers that correspond to a sub-horn design. they will be 1/4 the weight. use 1/4 the power. and have the same spl and thunderous effect.
i have two 15" loaded sub-horns that when coupled at a 45 degree will knock you down or make you sick with such a strong thump(literally). all this with a 500 watt amp. at half volume you will have to leave the room from too much bass. they weigh 75lbs each.
it does require more time to build than a cubed box, but the outcome is way worth it.
you can also check out this forum for "tapped horn" for a slightly less loud horn, but easier to build.
no need for directional sub anything. to fill the room just turn it up or down. if you have a dead spot you have a out of phase problem. place the sub in the corner of the room and use the natural effects of the room to fill it up. i got a tiny sub in my living room corner that can be heard loud and clear all over the house in everyroom!!!!
Last edited:
im not too concerned with weight my amp rig is over 300 pounds and my other 2 subs are over 100 pounds each and need to be carted up and down stairs to get out of my storage area. so weight as long as it can be handled by 2 people isnt a problem. width can be up to 8 feet and depth up to 3 feet. the only constricting dimension is height. which would have to fit under a table at just under 24 inches.
(EDIT: Many posts while I was typing)
1. Never heard of a directional sub.
2. These are woofers, not subs.
3. Avoid using different woofers in the same box
4. Why do you want persons dancing on the woofers and how will that happen if they are under a table?
5. Why do you need these when you already have 18" units? Use multiples of them not different drivers. (i am assuming these are the units you bought for $125?)
6. What's up with your desired placement of the drivers on the box?
7. Forget the 10" woofers.
8. Plywood is good, so is bracing and rebating your drivers.
9. Sealed will be the easiest to manage, TH gives you bang for the buck.
10. Try to avoid resistors in the woofer path, that just wastes power.
I let others steer you from here on in.
1. Never heard of a directional sub.
2. These are woofers, not subs.
3. Avoid using different woofers in the same box
4. Why do you want persons dancing on the woofers and how will that happen if they are under a table?
5. Why do you need these when you already have 18" units? Use multiples of them not different drivers. (i am assuming these are the units you bought for $125?)
6. What's up with your desired placement of the drivers on the box?
7. Forget the 10" woofers.
8. Plywood is good, so is bracing and rebating your drivers.
9. Sealed will be the easiest to manage, TH gives you bang for the buck.
10. Try to avoid resistors in the woofer path, that just wastes power.
I let others steer you from here on in.
to el'ol its quote unqoute directional for sarcasm. i dont want true directivity. i want it to fill up the middle of the room so my other subs can be a bit quieter and not be risked to blow. also so that i can have table dancers at gigs. Im a professional DJ starting a company so i figure instead of buying another $1000 sub i would build it with what i had.
FCOL DIRECTIVITY IS NOT THE DISIRE.
2 i just need some bass it doesnt have to be sub bass or even low bass just midbass.
3 i knew that but was wondering if it could be done.
4 if i had table dancers they wouldnt be under the table ... DUH
5 the JBLS are the ones i got for $125, the 18s will be 60 feet apart i need something in the middle so the bass is more present.
6 so as to direct sound more outwards and fill the space
7 i figured someone would say that
8 i knew plywood would be good as well as bracing
9 i like sealed but would wilingly go with TH if its more efficient
10 i also knew resistors would be a bad idea
I hope this clears up some of your pre-mis-conceptions
2 i just need some bass it doesnt have to be sub bass or even low bass just midbass.
3 i knew that but was wondering if it could be done.
4 if i had table dancers they wouldnt be under the table ... DUH
5 the JBLS are the ones i got for $125, the 18s will be 60 feet apart i need something in the middle so the bass is more present.
6 so as to direct sound more outwards and fill the space
7 i figured someone would say that
8 i knew plywood would be good as well as bracing
9 i like sealed but would wilingly go with TH if its more efficient
10 i also knew resistors would be a bad idea
I hope this clears up some of your pre-mis-conceptions
Let's keep the personal attacks out of this. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I agree, you have to get fancy with multiple phased drivers in a very big box to achieve any directivity at all in the bass region.
Please im not in this for humour or "personal attacks" could we please keep this thread on topic as i would like to resolve this system before my next gig on friday. if not possible then before the next one after that
if midbass is all you need then build two rectangular boxes, port them to the speakers requirements and point them where you need it.
you can build 45 degree mouths to the front of the boxes, insetting the speakers and get more sound in the range you are looking for. can't really go wrong unless you don't use a port calculator to get it just right.
if the two speakers are not matched, just throw in a filter to take the lower power one down. your amp ain't gonna like that though.
you can build 45 degree mouths to the front of the boxes, insetting the speakers and get more sound in the range you are looking for. can't really go wrong unless you don't use a port calculator to get it just right.
if the two speakers are not matched, just throw in a filter to take the lower power one down. your amp ain't gonna like that though.
I thought at first you wanted a cardioid sub until I read further.
Actually, cardioid subs are fairly common in higher-end Pro applications, and several are really quite sensibly sized. The dV-Sub comes to mind.
In a typical setup, subs will create a "power alley" down the center of the room. Actually, system designers try very hard to avoid this and smooth the response throughout the room. If your subs are not creating this phenomenon in average rectangular rooms, you either have system issues to solve first or you don't have "enough rig for the gig".
Actually, cardioid subs are fairly common in higher-end Pro applications, and several are really quite sensibly sized. The dV-Sub comes to mind.
In a typical setup, subs will create a "power alley" down the center of the room. Actually, system designers try very hard to avoid this and smooth the response throughout the room. If your subs are not creating this phenomenon in average rectangular rooms, you either have system issues to solve first or you don't have "enough rig for the gig".
Trust me ive got enough rig for the gig deafening 60 hz sine wave hits. and my response is quite smooth from what ive been able to measure.topping out at... LOUD im not sure the actuall dB measurement of it because i havent got a SPL meter. what im looking for is something to add to the bass in the middle of the room as it will be sub 30 feet DJ rig 30 feet sub. i would like something in the middle
So, are you wanting to add a sub in front of you- at your position, or 30ft out into the room with the punters?
right in front of a person right in line with the others this rig will all line up side by each along a line to my left and right
You can try adding a sub in the center, but you might just need to work on your deployment. If you're just setting your subs in a generic left/right config with the high packs on top, the subs should naturally couple in the center of the room between 3-6 dB. There are conditions that would cause a negative node in line and dead center with the subs, but you would be able to hear it either way.
There's a number of ways to array subs from evenly spacing them across the front of the stage to close packing them together as one sub at stage center to making a shallow arc in front of the stage, the list goes on. My point is that simply adding a sub in the center might to more harm than good.
There's a number of ways to array subs from evenly spacing them across the front of the stage to close packing them together as one sub at stage center to making a shallow arc in front of the stage, the list goes on. My point is that simply adding a sub in the center might to more harm than good.
the tops are not going to be directly on top of the subs. they will be about 5 to 10 feet either side of center. though your probably gonna say "well move the F***NG subs under the tops then, Problem solved" ... Iwould like the subs out at the sides so i can actually utilize the $100 50 foot cables i had to buy and for other reasons.
I feel you pain, believe me decent cables are not cheap. You could wrap the excess figure-8 style to minimize emi problems if they were to ever be a problem, but then you'd be wasting some power. You could always just cut them in half and have twice the number of shorter cables.
Though, $100 for a 50ft cable is pretty steep.
Though, $100 for a 50ft cable is pretty steep.
Last edited:
- Status
- Not open for further replies.