Sirch Sound Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hi, I am looking into building a pair of my own sub woofers. I have been looking closely at the cerwin vega earthquake speakers and was wondering if you could sent me and info you may have on these, including some more detailed plans that the ones found on their website, which has no measurements at all. Is there any other subs than can be built that you would recommend instead? I am looking for an 18" cab, Med to short Throw, and ideally fairly compact and light, without impairing the sound quality or volume. Oh and there will be used for mainly rock gigs but for discos and clubs aswell. CheersRich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Beesley Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I doubt guys here will have plans for Cerwin Vega products... you could try looking at Speaker Plans for something similar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirch Sound Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Yes I was doubtful and have to admit that they were a bit disco for me aswell but I heard a pair of them on the weekend and I really liked the sound of them. Yes I built the 18" scoop cab of the speaker plans website before but I didn't like how long it took to build so im looking at something slightly simpler, although im still not keen on a simple front loaded cab. I was looking at a pair of the EAW cabs but they are twin 18" and I don't have the amplification or the need for that much bass at the minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieR Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I think - and others on here may agree - that trying to copy a manufacturer's speaker cabinet and get something that sounds and performs the same it very difficult. I don't know if you already have good carpentry skills but building cabs like this do require a reasonably good skill level and can be incredibly time consuming - esp if you don't have the right tools. Personally, I would save up and let the original manufacturer do the hard work. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 A scoop is a really bad choice for rock gigs. It has a slower transient response than other designs, and has a dip in frequency response in the upper bass. Try taking a look at the 186 and 1850 folded horns on the speakerplans website. Either will compare to or outperform the earthquake loaded with the correct drivers. Also if you search the speakerplans forum for the USB bin, you might find a better bin altogether for your needs. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 What Rich said, and what Steve said. As for copying boxes, its not just about the cabinet, its what you put in them. Often a manufacturer will make their own drivers or source OEM products, get a well known manufacturer to design a driver specifically for that box rather than an off the shelf driver like a pd1850 of a 18xb etc. So once you've sourced the correct drivers for the box then you have something that sounds the same don't you? No, as then there is work goes into processing with SOME manufacturers. So this needs to be sorted properly. Some manufacturers have their own DSP units which you need to use in order to get the right sound from the box, others (D&B for example) use DSP built into their own amps, with the exception of a couple of boxes, you MUST use their own amps to power them. So its a little more complicated than a few sheets of ply and some screws and glue. You can pick up some great deals on some older subs second hand which whilst they might not be in tip top condition, they're the real thing and will sound as they should. Turbo 718s, Martin WSX, and for a little more money F1 F218's, All outputting around the 140dB mark for a few hundred quid a box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Alcock Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Rich, Take a look here: Bill Fitzmaurice Speaker Building Site There's some pretty wild claims, and some interesting(!) designs. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norty303 Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 If you only need medium to short throw then build either a basic reflex box or some sort of bandpass horn hybrid. Longer horns will need to be used in bigger multiples to get the frequency response you require at the lower end, whilst being bigger and more cumbersome than you really require. The single 18" turbosound horns (forgotten the model now) take a lot of beating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirch Sound Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Hi, Thanks for all the input so far. My carpentry skills are pretty good, and I have a full wood working workshop, its my hobby, but from what you guys are telling me its not the building that sounds to be the problem. I was looking at some second hand subs, however I was hoping to be able to make a pair for a couple of hundred quid, but the cabs I have been looking at are at lead a couple of hundred quid each. Im just a bit reluctant to spend more money on this system, as I have put enough well earned cash into it in the first place!! Although just not really enough research behind my spending it would appear! Are there any other descent second hand cabs that you would recommend? looking for 18" drivers and about 600wrms. Anyway Thanks for the help Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I could give a list of lots of boxes containing 600watt 18 inch drivers. the main problem is, 600watts doesn't really tell us much.What we would really want to know is how loud do you want it to be, and how low must it go. Peavey do an 800watt 18inch sub, Martin Audio do a 600watt 18inch sub that is 10dB louder. Unfortunately you wouldn't get either for £200 a box though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 The chance of replicating a proprietry speaker in sound, build and at a better price is NIL. The design of the cab is a part, and you have prob cracked that if you are a good, well equipped chippy. However the driver is critical and may not be a retail unit. even the finish -paint etc, will be better applied by the specialised process. You can make a bass bin cheaply, it may be good, it is unlikely to compare with top proprietry units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 The chance of replicating a proprietry speaker in sound, build and at a better price is NIL. The design of the cab is a part, and you have prob cracked that if you are a good, well equipped chippy. However the driver is critical and may not be a retail unit. even the finish -paint etc, will be better applied by the specialised process. You can make a bass bin cheaply, it may be good, it is unlikely to compare with top proprietry units. Can you replicate a specific cab? Usually not due to OEM drivers, but you might get close, and you might better the sound with a Superior driver. Can you make a bass bin that will out perform proprietary units? Yes you most certainly can. Rich, Take a look here: Bill Fitzmaurice Speaker Building Site There's some pretty wild claims, and some interesting(!) designs. Pete. Yeah I'm not so sure about that site Pete. There's one guy on the Speakerplans forum who's a big fan but I'm not convinced. Take the cross firing peizo arrays in the omni tops for instance? And the use of a W bin up to 2KHz? I notice all comparisons are made to reflex loaded bass bins as well, I'd like to see comparisons to "proper" commercial horn loaded solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Fair bit of marketing, using what figures they can that suit, but its business at the end of the day, everyone does it. the thing is with the designs on there, if you like the look of the figures, and that is equal to or on top of what you want from a box then that's fair enough, and you may be able to save yourself some money (but make yourself alot of work) and have none rider friendly boxes that will probably sound very good. Its a case by case thing really, it depends on your application, and of course your building skills. there are many older boxes that will still perform extremely well and sound very good indeed that can be picked up for not much money at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAATW Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Sorry to drag this chesnut up again but if your after a decent sub on the cheap then this might be better than anything you can build: http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_box_pro_tp218-1600.htm 2 decent 18" drivers will cost you nigh on £400, let alone the ply, glue, paint, time etc needed to put the thing together. Heard some pretty positive stuff about it so far too - think Rob mentioned he had too? And they'll even deliver it for their standard 15 euros charge - madness! Rob - if you know where to get F218's for a few hundred quid second hand we need to talk! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 might know of 12 going for a few hundred quid a piece within the next 12 months. ok when we say a few hundred quid, maybe 8 or so. heard fantastic reports about the 218's, though the older version which were oddly enough a short horn design rather than the one you link to which is of course a simple reflex design. they both boast the same figures. I'm thinking of buying a pair for the sake of it. They're bound to come in handy for something. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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