Servo Sub Build

russellberg · « **on:** 1 Jun 2020, 04:54 am »

Well, I am brand new to this and I am ever having a good time. I started with Danny's entry level servo sub kit and is it ever something else! I have never really experienced a proper sub and its kind of blowing my mind. I built the cabinet out of ¾" MDF and I had some ⅜" cherry left over from a small chest of drawers project so I decide to clad the box with the cherry, lots of glue and lots of clamps but I have ended up with an enclosure that feels very solid. I do lots of woodworking and I am looking forward to learning much more about the electronics and acoustics of this work.

As I added the ⅜" of cherry to the box I ended up with more wood above the sub than in the original plans. I am hoping that doesn't prove to be a problem.

I inset the plate of the amp so that it would mount flush. I did this by doing the cutout first then I taped 1x4 pieces of wood around the edge of the plate amp so that they were right flush up against the metal. Then I used a flush trim bit that has the bearing above the cutter. I then pulled out the plate amp and ran the router around the inside of the wood frame. This gave me a perfect cutout for the aluminum plate to mount flush.

I didn't get a wiring diagram but there was a great source here https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=149708.0 for hooking up the sub correctly

I was really happy with the way the dark stain on the cherry turned out next to the black components.

All done and ready to be hooked up.

corndog71 · « **Reply #1 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 05:32 am »

That looks fantastic! Great job.

AlexH · « **Reply #2 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 12:58 pm »

Great job. I love working with and the look of cherry, just classy.

DeeJayBump · « **Reply #3 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 01:35 pm »

+3

Gorgeous build, thanks for sharing.

hawkeyejw · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 02:18 pm »

Really beautiful work.

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #5 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 03:02 pm »

Gorgeous work!

Jmitchell3 · « **Reply #6 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 03:58 pm »

Awesome!

Early B. · « **Reply #7 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 06:11 pm »

Very cool.

What are you using for footers?

Tyson · « **Reply #8 on:** 1 Jun 2020, 06:48 pm »

Beautiful. How does it sound?

russellberg · « **Reply #9 on:** 2 Jun 2020, 05:50 am »

Quote from: Early B. on 1 Jun 2020, 06:11 pm

Very cool.

What are you using for footers?

Right now I'm using the brass floor spikes that I ordered from Danny. I saw a website selling 4" thick platforms that they recommend the sub should sit on. I would make my own, but I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this? My application is on rug covered concrete. They are saying that concrete can muddy the sound of a subwoofer and that putting a thick slab of maple underneath the subwoofer makes a big difference. Is this a real thing?

russellberg · « **Reply #10 on:** 2 Jun 2020, 05:57 am »

Quote from: Tyson on 1 Jun 2020, 06:48 pm

Beautiful. How does it sound?

It is my first sub and I dont have my loudspeakers built yet, (still waiting for parts), but when I combined it with some bookshelf speakers I was blown away. There is so much texture and depth to the music that I didn't know existed. Just a wonderful piece of equipment.

Early B. · « **Reply #11 on:** 2 Jun 2020, 12:39 pm »

Quote from: russellberg on 2 Jun 2020, 05:50 am

Right now I'm using the brass floor spikes that I ordered from Danny. I saw a website selling 4" thick platforms that they recommend the sub should sit on. I would make my own, but I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this? My application is on rug covered concrete. They are saying that concrete can muddy the sound of a subwoofer and that putting a thick slab of maple underneath the subwoofer makes a big difference. Is this a real thing?

You should be fine with the floor spikes.

DaveBez · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Jun 2020, 01:49 pm »

I am planning to build one. My biggest question about the build is how to cut out the perfectly round circle without a CNC? How did you cut it? What size of round over bit did you use?

mlundy57 · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Jun 2020, 05:07 pm »

Quote from: DaveBez on 5 Jun 2020, 01:49 pm

I am planning to build one. My biggest question about the build is how to cut out the perfectly round circle without a CNC? How did you cut it? What size of round over bit did you use?

I use a circle jig on a plunge router

Mike

Captainhemo · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Jun 2020, 05:30 pm »

Nicely done man

And yeah, a plunge router & circle jig like the ones from Jasper work well.
We put a .5" roiundover onthe rearside of all our 1" OB bafles woofer cutouts. Probably not necessary withthe long wave lengths the sub is producing but we do it anyway.

jay

abd1 · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Jun 2020, 06:07 pm »

Wow, that's a great looking sub. I wish more subs were available with a finish like that! Great work.

russellberg · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Jun 2020, 08:10 pm »

Quote from: DaveBez on 5 Jun 2020, 01:49 pm

I am planning to build one. My biggest question about the build is how to cut out the perfectly round circle without a CNC? How did you cut it? What size of round over bit did you use?

I cut it out with a simple router, it doesn't even have to be a plunge router, (but that is preferred), if you lower it slowly. I made my own circle cutting jig out of a piece of plexiglass but you can buy them too. A lot of people use Jasper jigs. Their small circle jig is very good. The round over bit was a ¼" radius.

russellberg · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Jun 2020, 08:15 pm »

Quote from: abd1 on 5 Jun 2020, 06:07 pm

Wow, that's a great looking sub. I wish more subs were available with a finish like that! Great work.

There's nothing like real wood, but that is expensive for big companies to do on a large scale. I happened to have a bunch of ⅜" cherry that I had resawn when making a chest of drawers so it worked out nice for me and the extra thickness really adds to the solidity of the unit.

russellberg · « **Reply #18 on:** 9 Jul 2020, 01:56 am »

If you are interested in seeing the mains that I built to go along with these I did quite a detailed report over here. https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=171283.new#new

Danny Richie · « **Reply #19 on:** 11 Jul 2020, 03:30 pm »

Man, that looks good.