Sony SA-W303 Subwoofer

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Well it's all installed, but unfortunately, I can't say the results were so good. The port makes a very obnoxious sound whenever it goes ~40hz and lower. Otherwise, it sounds much, much better than the Sony sub. Maybe if I took out the port, it would sound better?

EDIT: I actually took out the internal plastic port piece and it got rid of the sound. It peaks a little bit up higher, but otherwise it sounds pretty good.

Thanks Cokewithlime for the driver choice, and thanks everyone for their input and help! I will post some pictures later tonight!


Ironically i Tried the same things you Tried....i Removed the Internal Plastic Port Piece and the Chuffing did go away...but i hated the higher peak.

i Stuffed the Port too...and it sounded real good then,i lost tons of output of course and the sub was extreamly quiet.
 
Hmm...maybe block up the port and then stuff the box? I can try it hopefully today or tomorrow.

i Dismanteled the Driver...tore the box apart...and Wrecked the amp on mine.

Though im curious as to what some of that Acousta-Stuff stuff could have done for it?

you know one time i stuffed one of my speaker boxes with toliet paper to see if i could get that effect (this was a long time ago) lol😀
 
Alright, here's an update:

1. Stuffing the box seems to have eliminated the peak. I put in about 10oz of polyfil.
2. I tried putting the port piece back in and stuffing it, but it still gives that rattling noise, so I just took it out.
3. Sealing the port took away a lot of volume and it made some rattling as well, so I just left that be.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this project. If I turn it up more than 50%, it seems like the driver shakes the box and makes some noise though, and that's the only problem I could only think of (maybe putting on a thick rubber surround or something to absorb the movement?). The bass is low and tight, and it will complement my speakers nicely. It's still breaking in, but it already sounds much better than the Sony driver. Thank you everyone for your input and help!

Here's a pic BTW:
Yfrog Image : yfrog.com/2s1016101646j
 
I'm glad you are pleased with the results of your upgrade. If you have the inclination to open the box again you should check that, a) you didn't leave a loose screw/part inside on the the bottom of the box, b) that there are no wires or internal pieces touching the frame or magnet of the driver.

Finally, think about installing spikes, they will help stabilize the enclosure and somewhat isolate it and vibrations from the floor.
 
im glad as well that you are happy with the results...i was thinking that if you could Fabricate a MDF Box of Deeper Proportions but of the Same Height and Width...you could drill holes at the same points as the current faceplate inserts into and maybe see some good results....that would be primarily to keep the Plastic Faceplate lol


im curious....does any noticable amount of Air Leak from around the Phase Plug?
 
I'm pretty sure I got all the old screws out of there, but I'll definitely check again. How well do the spikes work on carpet? Because I have a very thick carpet and they'll sink in a good half-inch or so lol.

I felt around the phase plug, and I couldn't feel any air coming from it actually. An MDF box would probably sound way better than this particle board haha, and expanding the box would work wonders.
 
I'm pretty sure I got all the old screws out of there, but I'll definitely check again. How well do the spikes work on carpet? Because I have a very thick carpet and they'll sink in a good half-inch or so lol.
Spikes where originally designed for use with carpeted floors, the idea is to couple the cabinet to the wood under the carpet. I think if you do add them (I would use 1 1/2" spikes) you will find that it will tighten up your LFs even more. Those Sony cabinets are very flimsy and light - with the new driver that digs a lot lower, you also may want to add some weight(that won't vibrate) onto the top of the enclosure to help the spikes.
 
Yep they would be fine, you will also have to get 4x 1/4"-20 hurricane or T nuts, since they don't come with the buyout spikes.

im curious...how much more isolation is possible with Spikes Verses typical rubber feet?

also how big is the Advantage of T or Hurricane Nuts Verses using standard wood screws?

i think they will remain strong while wood screws loose grip after the first few removals.
 
If the enclosure is to be used on carpeted floors the spikes are the way to go as they will couple the enclosure to the underlay wood rather than having the enclosure bouncing around in top of the carpet. If you are using the enclosure directly on wood floors or any hard surface then rubber feet work fairly well.

Those spikes already have a threaded 1/4"-20 shaft as integral part of their construction - the only practical way to use them is drill holes in the base of the cabinet, install 1/4"-20 hurricane or T nuts and then tighten the threaded portion of the spikes into the hurricane or T nuts .
 
Hi guys, just read thtough this whole topic and found it very interesting. I have the same sub....sorry woofer as you and have been thinking about building a new case for it as the late 90's plastic look doesnt fit in with my system.
You guys seem to know what you are talking about so is there anything i should consider...bigger box..differnt shape port etc. Also was it worth spending the money on the new driver..did it make THAT much of a difference? Many thanks.
 
I have the same sub....sorry woofer as you and have been thinking about building a new case for it as the late 90's plastic look doesnt fit in with my system.

My $0.02 worth - if you replace the Sony driver and built a new sturdier enclosure you are still left with a very underpowered Sony amp driving the whole thing. For not a lot more $$ I would just recommend building a new sub from scratch and a real dramatic improvement over what the Sony sub was capable of
 
My $0.02 worth - if you replace the Sony driver and built a new sturdier enclosure you are still left with a very underpowered Sony amp driving the whole thing. For not a lot more $$ I would just recommend building a new sub from scratch and a real dramatic improvement over what the Sony sub was capable of


Cheers dude, i was thinking just getting a different sub...it annoys me i have to turn it off and on manually!!

think i can get a semi decent one for around £100, my house is only a small terrace in the UK so cant get anything to big 🙁

Cambridge Audio S90 Oak | Subwoofer | Richer Sounds
 
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