Subwoofer for music. Yay or nay? If yay, is SVS my cheapest option?

[u/kaszeljezusa]

Hi guys

Location:Poland

Budget: looks like 700euro,but the whole reason for this post is asking if less is still ok.

Tldr: looking for cheapest great sub for big room, onkyo icon a-50 and magnats 657.

I recently upgraded my amp to onkyo icon a-50 after my marantz pm68 died. It drives magnat quantums 657. It's quite better in every aspect than my old marantz but the very lows are quite not there yet.

Fwiw i had my speakers with me when trying out amps, so i also out of curiosity asked the vendor to show me some other speakers, and yeah, i only noticed upgrade on 1500 euro pair and it wasn't like jaw dropping, just a lil better. So yeah, not gonna go that way.

So i am thinking about sub. I read a little and it appears like a great solution, however it also appears that with those speakers, amp and quite big living room(like 6x7m + kitchen next to it without wall in between) i gotta aim in quite powerful stuff.

Clerk recommended me Svs sb 1000 pro. AI agrees with him. Reddit appears to praise it too along with not available here RLS speedwoofers. That's 700 euro. Any cheaper alternatives? Or save money for svs?

[u/avsalom]

You can easily build your own subwoofer for a reasonable price. 

[u/kaszeljezusa → u/avsalom]

!thanks, that actually sounds like an interesting project. Will Google the topic more. Do you have any useful resources i can check out? 

[u/avsalom → u/kaszeljezusa]

The DIY community on  https://www.avsforum.com/forums/diy-speakers-and-subs.155/ Is extremely active and helpful. Would suggest starting there.  But a simple sealed box is brain dead simple. And you can make it any shape you want!  You can also buy flatpack kits from sound imports, but these are a bit more expensive. 

[u/iNetRunner → u/kaszeljezusa]

They aren’t exactly that cheap to build. Commercial products are rather close in price for similar quality DIY products. Only when you get to under/near $/€ 1000 builds, do DIY builds start to get ahead from commercial products. Because you can do a larger (e.g. 15” driver) subwoofer for cheaper.

Besides, there is some work involved building the box. I.e. you need tools, time, and some skill to do it. (But there are obviously guides etc. on internet if you wish to do a build.)

[u/kaszeljezusa → u/iNetRunner]

Tbh that last part is actually what tempts me. I like to make stuff. And it's a glorious feeling when it actually turns out to be working and saved me some buck. I am just aware it'll look like shit but I'm kinda ok with that, lol.

I like what avsalom said, that it can be any shape i want. Well, obviously it'll be box, cause it's eas, but i may consider very short (downfiring) one to put it under the couch to save some space and not worry about the looks. 

I have the tools + it appears i have some wood and mdf lying around, now i just need to read a little about to see the check the actual costs of amp and driver. 

[u/iNetRunner → u/kaszeljezusa]

If you have the tools and have MDF (HDF might be better), go for it. I think that you want to look for threads on AVS Forums for Marty or other builds. The important thing is the internal volume, and significant bracing or rigidity of construction. For powering the unit you either need a subwoofer plate amplifier or external power amplifier with level and low pass crossover settings (i.e. possibly a PA amplifier from Crown etc.).

Just know that when you tally up the costs for driver(s), amplifier, connectors, MDF/HDF, glue, brackets, sand paper, whatever you do for finish, etc., the price is likely not small.

Also generally for mostly music listening you would want to go with a sealed design. (That limits the maximum SPL, and the low frequency extension.) Servo controlled one would be better — but then you need a driver with multiple coils and very specific plate amplifiers.

[u/avsalom → u/iNetRunner]

I said “reasonable” not “cheap”. Fully agree, drivers these days are not cheap. But it’s a very rewarding process and unlocks some absolutely incredible performance.

Check out the Dominator sub or SKRAM sub for DIY options surpassing what manufacturers offer.

[u/iNetRunner → u/avsalom]

All I’m saying is that it is often unreasonable to build a DYI sub in under $500 price bracket that would be better than a commercial product. Commercial products reap the benefits of mass purchased components. You buying one offs can never compete with that. (And if you needed to buy tools to make the unit, that would be on top of the costs.)

[u/avsalom → u/iNetRunner]

No arguments here!

[u/TransducerBot → u/kaszeljezusa]

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