What systems (and cost) to reproduce low frequencies?

Hi Scott,
I believe, that "Ed" is the Hauptwerker, with the Homewrecker,
But I'm not sure !
I am going to search the forum for it and get back here !

(PS Scott, Last time I tried my 32' output, My wife's collectibles were rattling,
in her cabinets, and she was more than a bit "upset"! )

Mel

So, I saw these guys on something called the "Teres Project" who took a pair of (10 inch?) woofers mounted opposed in a box, and then placed a 54 inch piece of plastic (new, not used ) sewer pipe on top as a resonator. They claim that the speed, clarity, depth and accuracy was surprising.

So I was thinking , make the box about 4 cubic feet, make the woofers dual 18 inch Ultimax, and make the pipe a mitered 16 feet, capped to resonate like a full 32' pipe. Or just leave it an open 32 feet!

Maybe I need to get more sleep or something, or maybe it would work! It would just look terrible. I do have a mudroom adjacent to my music room to hide 'excess' cabinetry or tubing should it be needed.

In all honesty, I think I have more fun planning than doing! Maybe I should build and sell until I'm happy!

~Scott

I would encourage any Hauptwerk user to get in touch if you have an opportunity to visit the Portland, Oregon area. My contact info is on the web site below and we would be glad to let you listen to the Rhythmic Audio sub. It really isn't necessary to use multiple 15" drivers in a medium size home to get down to 16 Hz with authority and without levitating rugs or knocking photos off the walls. I believe Rhythmic Audio is in Austin, TX, so it would be easy to audition their subs in Texas.

I'm not suggesting that there aren't other worthy subs, but most of the non-servo approaches will require extra equalization to remove "throbbing" sounds on the 8' and 16' pedal ranks. I'd suspect that a 12" Rhythmic Audio sub should do the job as well if a roughly 21" cube is too large.

The initial query concerned the cost, so my thought at the moment is $1000 though I'd like to hear about more affordable solutions.

So which one did you build?

Here's the info from the Rythmik order:

Product : Quantity : Price
DS1510 sealed black cone with H600PEQ3 : 1 : 769.00 Upgrade to H600XLR3(with two XLR inputs) : 1 : 30.00

Subtotal : 799.00
Shipping : 61.00
TOTAL : 860.00

I'd estimate I spent another $150 on MDF and materials plus a jig to cut the large holes with my router. Used 2" polyfoam around the interior but not on the front and back. If anyone builds from their front firing plans be sure to double check the depth of the plate amp. That was too shallow for the amp I used -- perhaps the plans have been corrected by now. I used the sealed box version, not the ported version.

Coooooool!!!!

How did you finish it, paint or veneer? I've got some fantastic Bubinga wood veneer that I used on a jewelry box for my daughter, stained it an ultramarine blue. She loved it, says it looks 3 dimensional, like underwater. Thought I might give something larger that treatment too, maybe with black accents.

~Scott

I just sealed the MDF and painted it a very utilitarian matte black. My son was learning to apply laminate on a star trek style game console and I ended up doing a dark laminate on the top of the sub. I have to admit that I don't enjoy finishing and am not particularly good at it. If I were I'd do a lot more woodworking. An exotic wood laminate or a proper "piano" finish would be superb I think. I was surprised to learn how easy the laminate can be so long as one sticks to right angles.

Try bookmatching or geometric patterns!

Here's a link to two photos. Let me know if it stops working...





EDIT: Fixed links -- and again on 2/15/16

[img]i383.photobucket.com/albums/oo276/TheOrganDoc/HouseWrecker[/img]
http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/oo276/TheOrganDoc/HouseWrecker.jpg


(Sorry, I did not remember how to Include photo in HW, but Link works !)

Just to add to the conversation about 16hz not being audible, it is actually very audible within a certain age range. However, the point is not so much to hear it rather than to feel the frequency in the room. The idea of a subwoofer reproducing these pitches correctly is very possible, as there are subwoofers on the market that can reproduce pitches down to 4hz, well into the sub sonic range.

An item seldom mentioned when talking about speakers (esp relating to subs) is speaker cabinet spikes. These permit minimum bottom (speaker cabinet) surface contact with the floor. This makes for better sounding subs when they are placed on a carpeted surface for instance. With these mounted to the bottom of the spkr cabinet, you don't slide them but rather lift and place. There is further info about these available by doing an Internet search. Parts Express, among others, carry them. http://www.parts-express.com/cat/speaker-cabinet-spikes/317 When I mention these, many folks haven't heard of them previously. Handy for leveling a speaker cab as well.

Wonder if anyone has ever considered doing a listening test of speaker systems in outer space where "things" float. Probably not, too far out.

Rgds,
Ed

I'm only aware of two of us on the forum who run the Rythmik Audio subs. The other individual runs two Rythmik 15" subs in a large hall or sanctuary and thinks highly of them. If you have a friend in the area my home is always open to anyone who wants to have a listen. It's Vancouver right next to Portland, OR, not the other Vancouver that's in Canada. I have several sample sets with nice 32' stops and can feed the sub with a test tone to verify its response and power in a typical (?) living room.

I too am using the servo driven sub-woofer from Rythmik Audio.

I built the 15" 600 watt sealed sub using their plans several years ago. At first I thought all of the internal bracing was a bit overkill, but after I felt the 32’ pitch for the first time, I can see where the bracing is necessary. Like you, I also painted mine a satin black. I am quite pleased with the sound and would recommend this subwoofer.

The one problem I have had is tracking down all of the noises from rattling cabinet doors and pictures hanging on the walls. They only rattle when I’m at the console playing so they are tough to locate. I have resorted to placing a weight on the pedals to play a note so I can move around and find the offending objects.

After reading about Leo's experience with two subwoofers and how a resultant 32' rank (16' rank from one sub and the 10-2/3' rank from a second sub) mixes in the air, I am tempted to build a second sub.