looking for a 6.5 or 8 inch sub for HT application

[mat3833 10+ year member]

ok, well i just got a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 setup as a "home theater" for the bedroom. i dont have much space so a true home theater system was a no go. now, if you are looking for a decent settup to add some bang to ur TV for less than 160 bux. GO FOR THIS SETTUP! the amount of sound that these things produce is nuts for the price.

but its not eough low end for me. the sub chanel is rated at about 100W RMS and im going to pull the sub out of the box and check the Ohm rating to see what kind of "amp" i have to work with. now im looking at either making a new enclosure for the sub i have or getting a 6.5 sub and making a box for it.

im looking for something i can tune to 20 or so Hz as this will mostly be used for watching movies. but i will still be playing music on this settup. i want it to get nice and low as well as decently loud for a 6.5 on only 100W.

im also not looking to spend a whole lot on the sub. i have a little of my tax return money left and i would still like to take the misses out to a nice dinner. feel free to toss out suggestions along all price ranges. i just dont want to be disapointed with what i buy.

Matt

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[R34P3R 10+ year member]

Tang Band

I've seen a lot of praise for these things but never actually used one myself. It says they are only rated at 50rms with 100 watts max, but if your feeling daring, $38 wouldn't be such a huge loss.

Larger 8" Brother

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

hmmm, well i just tested the sub chanel from the amp and it seems to be putting out about 60W at full tilt. which seems to be perfect for that sub, only thing im concerned about is its Fs value. i kno it doesnt mean that much but if im going to tune down to 20hz that could pose a slight problem... but 38 bux isnt bad at all. im sure i can find one for cheaper than that too.

im going to pull the sub out of the factory box and see if i cant find any ID markers that might give us a clue about what it really is. but i can say the box feels prety **** hefty and the sub is no slouch.

i hope someone can chime in about these subs. i would like to hear some first hand experiance.

Matt

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

Tang BandI've seen a lot of praise for these things but never actually used one myself. It says they are only rated at 50rms with 100 watts max, but if your feeling daring, $38 wouldn't be such a huge loss.

Larger 8" Brother

That 6" will fit the bill nicely but you will have to use a tad larger box than recommenced to help with the sub 30hz response.

This will do better for you IMO and should get you closer to the response you are looking for.

Dayton Audio SD215A-88 8" DVC Subwoofer

If you build from scratch, look into something like this. Small and it gets it rather good. I built one my self but with the 10" PR and 100watt plate amp.

Parts Express DIY Project

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

well im about to try and figure out what the box is tuned to. if it is tuned at 30 or so hz i think i might just toss the TB woofer in there and call it a day for now. the box is VERY well built. all seams have a double layer of silicone, sub hole is countersunk a little and there is a nice foam gasket glued to the hole. im also wondering if i can possibly change the port volume in an easy way. the box is 9.5" (24.13cm) x 9.8" (24.9cm) x 10.2" (25.9cm) according to the Klipsch site. and response is listed as 30hz to something.

perhaps i can remove the factory port and add an external one? factory port looks to be about 8 inches long and maybe 2.5 inches in diameter. (the 2 year old seems to have hidden ALL of my measuring tools except my micrometer....

Matt

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

Well if the wood for that box is 1/2" thick, you have about .4cuft. A 2.5"X8" port tunes you to around 55 hz.

If the box is .75" thick, you get about .34cuft and with the same port, about a 63hz tuning.

Here is the calculator that I used. The round port is up a little bit on the page.

slot port caculator

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

ok well i checked the port diameter and it looks to be 2.25inch, but the tape measure i found was one of the keychain "semi tape measures". as for length i cant really estimate due to the fact that it is a curved port and there isnt much room inside of the box to measure it. but i would guess it is 8-9 inches. but that makes tuning WAY higher than the 30 HZ they say.

if thats the case i will have to build a new enclosure either way i go. i might be able to externally port and gain a little low end tho right? i want to do this with the least ammount of building and money as possible. im not sure how well the misses will take having her Dinner money being spent on MORE car audio/home theater crap. lol

but i think i have decided on the TB 6.5 since i can just throw it in the box until i can make a new box for it. as for box designes im not sure if i want a slot port, or aeros. and im debating on tuning, especially since the TB 6.5 has an Fs value of 38. looks like i have some SERIOUS looking around to do as well as convincing. time to buy some flowers and chocolate boys. wish me luck.

Matt

 

[R34P3R 10+ year member]

If the original subwoofer and box are in good condition, I would try to sell them locally. That way, you are able to build a small custom box tuned to your exact needs and still have money left over. Also, I would not hesitate to buy anything with the Dayton Audio name on it. They make fantastic products for the price.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

ok well i just used a tone generator to try and estimate the box tuning. it seems that the tuning is between 50 and 52 hz. now im wondering if maybe a lower tuning on this box will make a difference with the current settup. sigh, decisions decisions.

Matt

 

[ciaonzo 5,000+ posts]

ok well i just used a tone generator to try and estimate the box tuning. it seems that the tuning is between 50 and 52 hz. now im wondering if maybe a lower tuning on this box will make a difference with the current settup. sigh, decisions decisions.
Matt

I was about to suggest the same thing, just lengthen the port to get the results your after.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

the only problem with that is that i would have to lengthen the port to about 20 inches acording to the program to make the tuning correct. and there is no simple way to make that work..... however if i had a 1 inch port the program at psp-inc.com says i would only need about 10 inches of port sometimes i wish audio could be ALOT simpler.

Matt

 

[FtheNutHuggers]

It doesnt matter what the FS of the driver is. that tang band driver is pretty cool, very easy to manipulate into many alignments. Some variant of a transmission line, possibly a horn variant is likely to be right up your alley. If you are game to build something cool and maybe challenging, PM.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

its funny you mention the TH enclosure. i just spent some time looking at horn theory. however i honestly dont want to do something THAT complicated for my first build. im working with limited space, but i wil make room if i have too to have the TB driver perform how i want. if someone could help me with modifying the enclosure i have then i might be up too building something really trick and unique. especially if the TH design will give me what im looking for(and so far i have read that it will).

Matt

 

[FtheNutHuggers]

It fully depends on location as to whether a horn of some variant, TL of some variant or any other alignment will get your specific request done at the target listening point.......or simply which one will come closest to your desired performance. All of that 1w/1m response is garbage when it comes to listening to something more than 1m away in a non anechoic chamber. Plus, most horns and tapered transmission line enclosures are extremely easy to build. They look a whole lot harder than they are. Most are comprised purely of 90 degree butt joints, 45 degree wave guides and ONE angle butt joint where the baffle and mouth connect.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

i am confident in my building ability, it is my math that i have a problem with. i want to modify the enclosure i have now so that if the new enclosure i make isnt up to par i have something to fall back on.

Matt