[Mariusz]

I would like to hear your opinion regarding optimal bass solution for hornloaded or Single Driver speaker based setup?

Here are two examples which I find very interesting :










Personally, I am dreaming about that Fostex 31.5 inch bass driver. 
Maybe one day. 

Mariusz

[Noseyears]

I read that the foster sub you posted is one of the best for bass below 200hz. Great pics though.

[Mariusz]

I'm pretty sure that those were build by John Kalinowski of KCS.
31.5 inch Fostex is just enormous ...... but it must sound awesome as well.

Personally, I do not use or feel the need for subwoofer in my smallish NY home/listening room but wonder what fellow members use with their horns and single driver speakers?

Couple years ago, I've used REL sub for my HT/2ch Martin Logan setup.
Other then that, my personal experience with subs is very limited.
     

 
 

[JoshK]

The first picture I don't consider a horn in any way.  If you mean bass that has efficiency near that of horns/SD speakers then yeah.

The second is a back loaded horn (yes by KCS) which is a horn hybrid as I see it. 

You want to see an serious horn sub? 
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?26675-For-sale-quot-Big-Bottom-quot-15Hz.-flare-horn-subwoofer
Steve Schell of Cogent fame made this mongo front loaded 15hz flare exponential horn.  Wow! 

[JoshK]

Still to me, ultimate bass would be one that loads the room the best, and as far as I've seen the multiple sub approach seems to have the best chance of doing that.  Efficient bass is efficient at exciting room modes.  I'd rather trade off some efficiency for more even modal excitation.

Also, how low do you want to go?  That is a serious question.  Most folks throw out a number like 20hz without any regards of what their music tastes actually has in terms of lower spectral content.

[Mike B.]

I have a long standing dislike for large plywood bass bins. Comes from all the concerts I have seen back in the 1960's-70's relying on the altec style theatre horns. Terrible one note highly resonant sound. Part woofers, part cabinet.

[Mariusz]

The link is useless Josh since you need to login.

The issue of single or multiple subs is always defended by speakers of both camps.
Practicality and complexity is another issue.

As to quality of bass - I like my bass to be just like my middle range.
Various shades of bass, bland, richness in tonality.

Just asking what others are using with these kind of speakers ...doesn't necessary need to be horn loaded sub.


Mariusz
 

[Kevin Haskins]

I've had some customers building the tapped horn Anarchy and the subjective evaluations have all been glowing.   I've not built a pair so it is all 2nd hand information.    Bass horns are going to be large no matter what you do so about the best you can do is start with a small driver to keep the box a reasonable size.    The Anarchy ones are about 2 cubic feet and people are measuring in-room response to 20Hz.   It falls like a brick under that but for music.... who cares? 

The first guy to build these built four..... powered all four of them with a 200W plate amp and has output to throw away.   Cost him somewhere around $400 to build all four with amplification.   









http://www.techfx.us/web/insubnia/Exodus%20Anarchy%2025hz%20TH.pdf 

[Kevin Haskins]

Here is the modeled response and the outdoor measured response at the mouth of the horn.    This had a 30Hz subsonic filter on it so some of the bottom-end is rolled-off compared to using a lower corner frequency for the subsonic filter.   Still..... if he is getting this outdoors you know that it will easily reach another 5Hz in-room with a more appropriate subsonic filter at around 25Hz.   

[JoshK]

That is very cool Kevin.  I saw that thread.  I am in progress of building some of the volvotreter 38hz THs.  Those had me wondering though.

They are small enough to use many multiple sub style!

[Kevin Haskins]

That is very cool Kevin.  I saw that thread.  I am in progress of building some of the volvotreter 38hz THs.  Those had me wondering though.

They are small enough to use many multiple sub style!

Yea.... I designed a 2-driver version that I'm going to build for myself but this is small enough that it makes a good distributed sub solution and you get killer output, smooth in-room response and you don't need much amplification.    What isn't to like? 

[Mariusz]

That is pretty cool and inexpensive solution.
I would like to put this against my OB sub from GR.
 

[Kevin Haskins]

OBs are great.    In terms of designing something that minimizes room issues.... OBs are hard to beat but you need a lot of swept volume to get deep with any authority.   

It all depends on your priorities, budget and what form factor you are aiming for.    The little tapped horn goes much deeper than you would think with authority but it will likely stimulate more room issues than a dipole.   

[Mariusz]

My listening room is on the smaller side with kind of odd lay out. Generally, I am mostly listening to SD speakers or back loaded horns. But there is no preferences as I like to rotate my gear and speakers with something new every now and then. OB sub is to complement my OB 15" full range drivers. What I am looking for now is something to add on to some bass shy horns.
 
This studio is pretty cool:








Me very horny baby!!!!!