Hi everyone,
I recently looked at the small powered sub from Fostex that uses a 200mm driver and was wondering if there were any designs using even smaller drivers?
I know the (sorry to use the 'B' word) Bose Acoustimass literature says it uses 3 smallish 5.25" drivers in a seventh-order band-pass config (3 chambers + x-over?)
Are there any known designs that use a 4 or 5 inch driver(s) in a small cabinet to give sub-woofery-type noises?
I have access to a CNC router, so cutting fiddly bits isn't an issue.
For all I know, small drivers and subwoofer may be competely incompatible,
but I thought I would ask.
Any help will be appreciated.
I recently looked at the small powered sub from Fostex that uses a 200mm driver and was wondering if there were any designs using even smaller drivers?
I know the (sorry to use the 'B' word) Bose Acoustimass literature says it uses 3 smallish 5.25" drivers in a seventh-order band-pass config (3 chambers + x-over?)
Are there any known designs that use a 4 or 5 inch driver(s) in a small cabinet to give sub-woofery-type noises?
I have access to a CNC router, so cutting fiddly bits isn't an issue.
For all I know, small drivers and subwoofer may be competely incompatible,
but I thought I would ask.
Any help will be appreciated.
KEF use (admittedly larger) 6.5" force-cancelling drivers along with 1,000 W RMS of amplification.
It's not the cabinet construction that's the problem, I would think it's finding small drivers with huge excursion and huge power handling capacity.
It's not the cabinet construction that's the problem, I would think it's finding small drivers with huge excursion and huge power handling capacity.
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I think you'd be struggling with drivers smaller that 6.5" in a subwoofer design.
The Cambridge Audio Minx X201 uses two 6.5" Auxiliary Bass Radiators (ABR) in addition to its primary 6.5" powered driver - another design approach.
It includes 200 W of power and the ever-so-necessary Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
The Cambridge Audio Minx X201 uses two 6.5" Auxiliary Bass Radiators (ABR) in addition to its primary 6.5" powered driver - another design approach.
It includes 200 W of power and the ever-so-necessary Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
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Hi,
You could use 6.5" driver in a transmission line and do it, but the enclosure won't be "tiny."
Very best,
You could use 6.5" driver in a transmission line and do it, but the enclosure won't be "tiny."
Very best,
It really depends on what kind of SPL you are looking for. That's where the smaller drivers tend to suffer most, since they typically trade sensitivity for low-end extension. And they also have limited volume displacement, so it's not like you can make up for everything with more and more power. When they're out of excursion, they're out of excursion.
Most smaller drivers struggle getting down below 40-50 Hz also, so some wouldn't even consider that a subwoofer.
Here's one example using the TB W3-1876S
This link has specs, which include 76 dB sensitivity and 30 watts of power handling. And of course the price isn't low either, so at some point it typically just makes more sense to use a larger woofer if you have the room.
https://www.parts-express.com/Tang-Band-W3-1876S-3-Mini-Subwoofer-264-909?quantity=1
If you really need it to be small (desk speaker, sound bar, etc.), then small "subwoofers" can be useful, but they are pretty limited in comparison to more typical woofers.
I've tried many of the small full range and "subwoofer" models trying to make desk speakers that are very small, but still satisfying. The TB W3-1876S was one of the better ones I came across to get down reasonably low in a small box.
Most smaller drivers struggle getting down below 40-50 Hz also, so some wouldn't even consider that a subwoofer.
Here's one example using the TB W3-1876S
This link has specs, which include 76 dB sensitivity and 30 watts of power handling. And of course the price isn't low either, so at some point it typically just makes more sense to use a larger woofer if you have the room.
https://www.parts-express.com/Tang-Band-W3-1876S-3-Mini-Subwoofer-264-909?quantity=1
If you really need it to be small (desk speaker, sound bar, etc.), then small "subwoofers" can be useful, but they are pretty limited in comparison to more typical woofers.
I've tried many of the small full range and "subwoofer" models trying to make desk speakers that are very small, but still satisfying. The TB W3-1876S was one of the better ones I came across to get down reasonably low in a small box.
Roman Bednarek's Cerberus with the TB W6-1139 is one, but use a 2" diameter port 17" long would be better.
Paul Carmody's Voxel uses the TB W5-1138 vented in the size of a shoebox.
My Triumph or Biumph design uses the W5-1138 in a PR loaded cube of 9.5".
The newer Dayton MMAG HE woofers are able to compete here, but there aren't many designs done as yet. Tom Zarbo has done a few with them, with youtube vids to go along with them.
Paul Carmody's Voxel uses the TB W5-1138 vented in the size of a shoebox.
My Triumph or Biumph design uses the W5-1138 in a PR loaded cube of 9.5".
The newer Dayton MMAG HE woofers are able to compete here, but there aren't many designs done as yet. Tom Zarbo has done a few with them, with youtube vids to go along with them.
Oh- I have used the TB W3-1876S woofer as well. In a very small 5" cube in a PR-loaded bandpass, these are quite respectable at about 15W each, and better in opposed pairs.
EDIT: More as stout woofers in a bedroom system, PC subwoofer, or bluetooth box. These do not go ultra low, but the sealed box keeps the woofer happy.
EDIT: More as stout woofers in a bedroom system, PC subwoofer, or bluetooth box. These do not go ultra low, but the sealed box keeps the woofer happy.
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The comment above is funny and I get your point, but in fairness if you search "ppd subwoofer diyaudio" on Google it's the first result that appears.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/ppd-subwoofer.393371/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/ppd-subwoofer.393371/
I did that before posting, and what I saw was a 15 inch driver, which doesn't have much to do with the 4 or 5 inch the original poster requested. So I says to myself, "Self, either you're not seeing what they're talking about, they're talking about something random, or they're feeding the same thing into multiple threads trying to push something." Maybe myself will get back to me later with more insight 😏
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I was referring to the size of the case. Here's a subwoofer I made on a 10-inch speaker. Its dimensions are 300x300x120mm. Plays from 28 Hz. It is quite suitable for computer acoustics.
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...are about all you will achieve with small drivers
Yes, they are, if you want to reproduce very low ('sub') frequencies at anything above a whisper. Musical instruments get bigger as their sounds become lower - same with speakers to reproduce them. What frequency and level are you hoping to achieve?
I second the w6-1339, impressive for a small driver, very power hungry though.
I would look at the Vd (Sd x Xmax), the bigger the better for sub.
"This link has specs, which include 76 dB sensitivity and 30 watts of power handling."
This is the epitome of the small subwoofer problem. Your 30 watts is producing the same volume a larger sub can so with just 1 watt. I have disassembled a number of small, ported commercial subs in recent years and conclude the following: on a desktop system you'll need at least a 5.25" driver in an 8l cabinet for subwoofery type noises. You said the 'B' word: The Bose Companion 3 uses a dual coil 6" driver in an 8l cabinet and performs poorly. 6.5" drivers like 10-12 litres. 8" generally like at least 20l.
I don't have T/S parameters for specific drivers but I have noted the driver size, cabinet volume, and port tuning frequency for every sub I've dismantled.
This is the epitome of the small subwoofer problem. Your 30 watts is producing the same volume a larger sub can so with just 1 watt. I have disassembled a number of small, ported commercial subs in recent years and conclude the following: on a desktop system you'll need at least a 5.25" driver in an 8l cabinet for subwoofery type noises. You said the 'B' word: The Bose Companion 3 uses a dual coil 6" driver in an 8l cabinet and performs poorly. 6.5" drivers like 10-12 litres. 8" generally like at least 20l.
I don't have T/S parameters for specific drivers but I have noted the driver size, cabinet volume, and port tuning frequency for every sub I've dismantled.