- Feb 14, 2004
- 50,048
- 6,332
- 136
Build thread on Home Theater Shack
Quick specs:
I started this project last year. I think I was originally inspired by Yoyo's cylinder sub from SVS. I like to build stuff, so I decided to give it a shot as a DIY project. HTS's Mike P. gave me some great help:
It was a really easy build, even for my limited woodworking skills. The hardest part was cutting the circles - I got a circle-cutting jig from Jasper, but looking back, I would have skipped that and just used a string or a small board with a nail in it. I used MDF for the wood and some basic enamel Rustoleum spray paint. I went with heat-activated vinyl for the wood grain on the legs (basically fancy contact paper, you can get it from Rvinyl online or Orbi vinyl on eBay).
I made 3 caps - top, bottom, and floor. For the top & bottom of the tube, I did two sets of rings - an outer one for the outside, and an inner one to glue to the inside (sort of like a spool of thread). Most people don't do a floor cap, but I liked how it looked vs. just the legs so I cut one out a bit larger for balance.
Review:
This is tricky. Initially I was extremely disappointed because of the absence of any physical effects. It completely lacked any chest thump - there was no "thud" or "boom" that you normally get from subwoofers. My tuning was set to 20-80Hz, powered by a 300-watt sub amp, so it had plenty of power & the proper range, but I just wasn't getting that immersive feel that most subs give you. One weird side effect my particular sonosub is that it more or less pressurizes the room and makes your ears pop, like in an airplane.
While it lacked physical impact, what it did give me was an extremely clean, almost what I'd call audiophile sound - a reference bass sound instead of a trunk thumper bass sound. Best thing I can compare it to is headphone bass on a quality set of cans - all of the sound, none of the physical thump. And 300 watts is more than plenty - I can't even turn it up past 50% without rattling the house. I'd call it an articulate bass sound - for example, in Thor, the King of the Frost Giant's voice came out super-clear with the low notes.
I'm going to add an 8" box sub from Parts Express behind the couch next week to see if that helps with the thump (40-140Hz, so more of a mid-bass to fill in that range), so I'll see how that goes. Anyway, cool project, gets super low, nice & clean sound, lacks thump (on mine at least, I don't know if that's the case for SVS or all DIY Sonosubs), and very impressive to show off to friends :thumbsup:
Quick specs:
- 39" tall
- $500 total
- 20Hz tuning frequency
- 12" subwoofer in an 18"-diameter Sonotube
- Sonotube delivery (only available in 12' sections)
- Cut down to size (36" height)
- MDF fit test (with carpet glued on the tube)
- Fit-test post-paint & vinyling
- Initial testing
- Classy shot of the legs
- Size reference
I started this project last year. I think I was originally inspired by Yoyo's cylinder sub from SVS. I like to build stuff, so I decided to give it a shot as a DIY project. HTS's Mike P. gave me some great help:
It was a really easy build, even for my limited woodworking skills. The hardest part was cutting the circles - I got a circle-cutting jig from Jasper, but looking back, I would have skipped that and just used a string or a small board with a nail in it. I used MDF for the wood and some basic enamel Rustoleum spray paint. I went with heat-activated vinyl for the wood grain on the legs (basically fancy contact paper, you can get it from Rvinyl online or Orbi vinyl on eBay).
I made 3 caps - top, bottom, and floor. For the top & bottom of the tube, I did two sets of rings - an outer one for the outside, and an inner one to glue to the inside (sort of like a spool of thread). Most people don't do a floor cap, but I liked how it looked vs. just the legs so I cut one out a bit larger for balance.
Review:
This is tricky. Initially I was extremely disappointed because of the absence of any physical effects. It completely lacked any chest thump - there was no "thud" or "boom" that you normally get from subwoofers. My tuning was set to 20-80Hz, powered by a 300-watt sub amp, so it had plenty of power & the proper range, but I just wasn't getting that immersive feel that most subs give you. One weird side effect my particular sonosub is that it more or less pressurizes the room and makes your ears pop, like in an airplane.
While it lacked physical impact, what it did give me was an extremely clean, almost what I'd call audiophile sound - a reference bass sound instead of a trunk thumper bass sound. Best thing I can compare it to is headphone bass on a quality set of cans - all of the sound, none of the physical thump. And 300 watts is more than plenty - I can't even turn it up past 50% without rattling the house. I'd call it an articulate bass sound - for example, in Thor, the King of the Frost Giant's voice came out super-clear with the low notes.
I'm going to add an 8" box sub from Parts Express behind the couch next week to see if that helps with the thump (40-140Hz, so more of a mid-bass to fill in that range), so I'll see how that goes. Anyway, cool project, gets super low, nice & clean sound, lacks thump (on mine at least, I don't know if that's the case for SVS or all DIY Sonosubs), and very impressive to show off to friends :thumbsup:
A fellow ATOT'er finished it and said it was unbelievably amazing :thumbsup:
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