Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles

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Bumpy

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Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« on: 5 Feb 2020, 09:13 pm »
Looking for performance from 50Hz down, phase adjustment and high (speaker) level inputs.

What’s the current thinking?

mikeeastman

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #1 on: 5 Feb 2020, 09:41 pm »
GR Research sevo subs. I don't think you'll find anything better.

ttan98

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #2 on: 5 Feb 2020, 09:52 pm »
Looking for performance from 50Hz down, phase adjustment and high (speaker) level inputs.

What’s the current thinking?
You can use Ripole, 2 *15" woofers in a compact box. I experimented with 1 unit it seems promising. I used 2 cheap 15" drives still works quite well. You can cross at 100Hz and get 35Hz output. I stopped cos I currently don't have the space for housing open baffle speakers. Worthwhile to investigate if one to save some money and two good performance for a low price. GR Research's AMP and woofer combo is quite good but not cheap.

Bumpy

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #3 on: 5 Feb 2020, 10:05 pm »
GR Research gear not readily available in UK and DIY is out for now.
:) :)

matevana

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #4 on: 6 Feb 2020, 01:14 pm »
What about some of the kits that are out there from Parts Express and Madisound? Some have precut baffles so the DIY would be minimal.

I really like plate amplifiers from Yung and woofers from Morel, Satori and Peerless. I'm actually a fan of well integrated small/sealed subs coupled with open baffle full rangers. I've had little trouble getting them to integrate properly and the smaller cabinets can go a long way with acceptance.

BobM

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #5 on: 6 Feb 2020, 01:30 pm »
A fast one... probably something sealed and not ported. I use 2 REL Strata III's with my Apogees and they keep up, but that's a really old model.

rollo

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #6 on: 6 Feb 2020, 03:21 pm »
  Always liked Sunfire Sub with Planars.

charles

WGH

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #7 on: 6 Feb 2020, 04:35 pm »
Looking for performance from 50Hz down, phase adjustment and high (speaker) level inputs.

That perfectly describes the REL speaker lineup, although they are not open baffle. Is your room big enough for open baffle subs? Mine isn't. I don't know what the minimum distance is from the rear facing driver to the front wall but would guess 3' -4' plus I have read dual sub towers work best so they end up dominating a room. You would need either a dedicated listening space or, if set up in your living room, plan to stay single for the rest of your life.

Because REL subs are fast and only do the lowest notes they are easier to integrate, I plopped mine down in the only available spot, adjusted the crossover and volume and it sonically disappeared.

Tyson

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #8 on: 6 Feb 2020, 04:53 pm »
That perfectly describes the REL speaker lineup, although they are not open baffle. Is your room big enough for open baffle subs? Mine isn't. I don't know what the minimum distance is from the rear facing driver to the front wall but would guess 3' -4' plus I have read dual sub towers work best so they end up dominating a room. You would need either a dedicated listening space or, if set up in your living room, plan to stay single for the rest of your life.

Because REL subs are fast and only do the lowest notes they are easier to integrate, I plopped mine down in the only available spot, adjusted the crossover and volume and it sonically disappeared.

That's true only if you have tower speakers.  If you have bookshelf sized speakers, then the OB subs make for wonderful stands that you can set your bookshelf speakers on top of and they take up no more room than the speakers themselves.

WGH

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #9 on: 6 Feb 2020, 05:19 pm »
That's true only if you have tower speakers.

The staying single part?

Actually, good point Tyson. I wasn't thinking about bookshelves because of the 50 Hz crossover, many smaller speakers have a 40 Hz - 50 Hz bump to make them sound bigger and I would think very hard to integrate with a standard sub that is crossed over that high. In that situation an OB sub would be perfect. My sub is crossed over at 30 Hz, the main speakers start rolling off at 34 Hz, the overlap is seamless.

Who sells finished OB subs in the UK? Wonder what Brexit, now that it is finalized, does to the prices?

Bumpy

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #10 on: 18 Feb 2020, 07:51 pm »
I am having great success with an Rel T5i which I pinched from my home theatre set up. It’s fast and integrates beautifully with my OBs. You’d barely know it was there till you turn it off midway through a track and everything collapses. Looking to get a second one now for running with my 45 triode monoblocks.

windupman

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #11 on: 10 Mar 2020, 10:18 pm »
What about some of the kits that are out there from Parts Express and Madisound? Some have precut baffles so the DIY would be minimal.

I really like plate amplifiers from Yung and woofers from Morel, Satori and Peerless. I'm actually a fan of well integrated small/sealed subs coupled with open baffle full rangers. I've had little trouble getting them to integrate properly and the smaller cabinets can go a long way with acceptance.

Hi Matevana,

Are there specific woofers that you would recommend? I like the idea of a smaller baffle. In another thread, you recommended the Morel Ultimate UW1058, but I think they may be out of budget

I started another thread called "newbie with a large room" about the idea, but to sum up: I'm thinking about using Zenith 49CZ601s for the full-range and Jensen RP 108 horns for the tweeter. They are from two different console stereos. I was inspired by the Lampizator P17 (and other P-numbers) but I haven't found the 15 or 18 inch alinco woofers that he recommends. When I saw your recommendation of a small, sealed sub, I thought that might be the answer.

Thanks!
David

matevana

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #12 on: 11 Mar 2020, 07:55 pm »
Hi Matevana,

Are there specific woofers that you would recommend? I like the idea of a smaller baffle. In another thread, you recommended the Morel Ultimate UW1058, but I think they may be out of budget

I started another thread called "newbie with a large room" about the idea, but to sum up: I'm thinking about using Zenith 49CZ601s for the full-range and Jensen RP 108 horns for the tweeter. They are from two different console stereos. I was inspired by the Lampizator P17 (and other P-numbers) but I haven't found the 15 or 18 inch alinco woofers that he recommends. When I saw your recommendation of a small, sealed sub, I thought that might be the answer.

Thanks!
David

If you want to go real small, a Peerless HDS-P830869 in a .75 cu ft sealed box is a real standout in the price/performance category.  I also like most of the Satori drivers, especially the 9.5" offerings. They have a great motor.  The Morel 10" sub with it's huge voice coil is my favorite, but it price is a bit ridiculous.

windupman

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #13 on: 12 Mar 2020, 04:46 pm »
Thank you.

sfdoddsy


Poultrygeist

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #15 on: 20 Mar 2020, 11:04 am »
In addition to H-frame Alpha 15A I'm using a pair of bucket subs powered by a single Yung SD300 plate amp.

https://www.transcendentsound.com/bucket-sub.html







katariat

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Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #16 on: 30 Apr 2020, 02:42 pm »
i would second the bucket sub as well, i only have one alpha 15a and it plays down enough for me...may not have the spl though

Wind Chaser

Re: Which subwoofer is best suited to open baffles
« Reply #17 on: 30 Apr 2020, 04:52 pm »
I think an OB sub would mate a lot better with an OB design. :D

One of these high quality woofers which are specifically designed for open baffles with a plate amp would be superior to any boxed sub.  :D  and if I’m not mistaken, Spatial Audio uses the 15” AE driver in the X-2. So if that driver is good enough to do bass down to 20 Hz in a 10K pair of speakers, I think it would be fantastic as a stand alone OB sub!  :thumb: :thumb: