16 Hz subwoofer for organ music

[adason]

I'm working on some DIY speakers for a digital organ for my living room, and need a sub to deal with the infrasonic frequencies. It will only have to deal with the material in the 16 - 32 Hz range, as I am planning to have the main channels go all the way down to 32 Hz. Since I only have to fill my living room with sound, and not a church, I don't want to use the huge cabinets that come with such instruments. Instead, I'd like to build or buy a sub that can truly get down to 16 Hz, even if not at ridiculous volume levels. I can adjust the output of the organ so that the truly low notes are boosted in volume to compensate for some rolloff in the sub's natural response, but it has to have a decent amount of usable output at 16 Hz.

What would you all recommend? I've found some threads about truly huge subs for organs in churches, but those will be too big and are overkill for a living room. It looks like most people don't care about bass below 30-40 Hz, but I certainly do!

http://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_elpipeo.pdf

 

[mlaird]

If your pockets are deep, look at a pair of Velodyne DD-18+ Units [1], or if on a budget, look at a pair of Rythmik F18 units [2] & [3].

I did a little more reading about Velodyne, and was disappointed to read this article:
LiDAR: Velodyne Shifts From Subwoofers to Self-Driving Cars | Audioholics

It looks like they're dropping the serious speaker design that they were known for. I got concerned when I tried visiting their website and found it pretty much dead. There is only one link to one subwoofer, and that takes you to a blank page with an error message.

I'm still trying to get some absolute frequency response curves for the Rythmik units. They don't publish much on what their subs can actually do, so it's hard for me to figure out which unit will produce the most low-end output. Their graphs are only relative to a particular sub, without any absolute reference to compare one sub to another.

 

[whgeiger]

Details

I did a little more reading about Velodyne, and was disappointed to read this article:
LiDAR: Velodyne Shifts From Subwoofers to Self-Driving Cars | Audioholics

It looks like they're dropping the serious speaker design that they were known for. I got concerned when I tried visiting their website and found it pretty much dead. There is only one link to one subwoofer, and that takes you to a blank page with an error message.

I'm still trying to get some absolute frequency response curves for the Rythmik units. They don't publish much on what their subs can actually do, so it's hard for me to figure out which unit will produce the most low-end output. Their graphs are only relative to a particular sub, without any absolute reference to compare one sub to another.

For the information you are looking for, go to Data-Bass.Com website:
dB v2

I own two Velodyne HGS-18's and have been happy with their performance & reliability.

Attached is the dB review of the Rythmik F18.

For your application, I would use a pair of them, due to the your infrasonic requirement.

I would not use BR configurations, due to port noise that is unavoidable at these low frequencies, and also due to the driver unloading that occurs just below them.

Just to much air movement in the ports is required at the 12-16Hz tuning frequency that is needed. Remember, that at these frequencies, all output will be coming from the ports only.

WHG

 

[bentoronto]

..I would not use BR configurations, due to port noise that is unavoidable at these low frequencies, and also due to the driver unloading that occurs just below them.

Just to much air movement in the ports is required at the 12-16Hz tuning frequency that is needed. Remember, that at these frequencies, all output will be coming from the ports only.

WHG

A wise post.

But let me draw a further conclusion: makes sense to engage both sides of the cone in moving air.

Given WHG's cogent dismissal of BRs (and the general applicability of that argument to highfalutin' tuned boxes and to TLs) and given the obstacles to using an OB, that leaves well stuffed long labyrinths.

17 foot pipe sub 12-230 Hz ±5dB

B.

 

[freddi]

couldn't a tapped pipe with that 15mm buyout woofer work ? here's a crude example with no stuffing and exit about the size of a 12" woofer at 40v

 

[freddi]

here's ~230 liters tuned to 16Hz with no stuffing - -GM and others could offer more refined pipes

 

[whgeiger]

A wise post.

But let me draw a further conclusion: makes sense to engage both sides of the cone in moving air.

Given WHG's cogent dismissal of BRs (and the general applicability of that argument to highfalutin' tuned boxes and to TLs) and given the obstacles to using an OB, that leaves well stuffed long labyrinths.

17 foot pipe sub 12-230 Hz ±5dB

B.

 

[whgeiger]

Text Inadvertently Redacted, Presented Here)


OP specified a sub-woofer of small occupancy with infrasonic capabilities for an at-home venue.
Recommendations made by me, meet those requirements.
For a commercial/religious venue, recommendations would be entirely different. WHG