Scooter's trying to boost his knowledge, trying to learn some ISH!! Subwoofer talk

[scooter99]

First things first, N8, I had this started in the General Section, and then thought that since I was talking about subwoofers, I might put it in the Subwoofers and Enclosures section. Hopefully that was correct. If not, my appologiez.

So as the title says, I'm trying to boost my knowledge about subwoofers (no pun inteneded). Is there somewhere that someone has done an extensive explination on how the subwoofer actually works? I've looked around in here and there is some information, but not a lot of it on this subject as a whole. In here anyway.

What do I mean?

I'd love to know all the parts of a subwoofer, easy enough to look up I suppose. But how do the parts all intertwine to make the uber sexiness we know as bass? Cones, and dustcaps, and formers and windings, and ohms, and all that stuff. How does one effect the other and what specifies which sub would be better in a sealed vs a ported, or bandpass enclosure.

What are the basic understandings of Thiele-Small Parameters? I know there are a bunch of them, but how does one read them to understand why the sub does what it does? How are Thiele-Small Parameters determined and why are they different between different brands?

Why would a 4" coil be better than a 3" coil or a 2.5" coil, etc? Is it as simple as power handling? Or is there more to it than that?

I'd like to know all of this to get a better understanding of the subwoofer so I can try and better understand "the chase" that we all love to follow.

I'm going to do my own research of course, but my hope is that some of you out there that really do understand the way a subwoofer works, might help those of us out there that don't understand it by explaining it as completley and as much in basic terms as possible. For instnace - "This is the (blank) and it is responsible for the (blank) and the differenece in size (if applicable) is this." Make sense?

I'll post up some links of what I find that might be of some help.

Here's my disclaimer: You all know me by now, you know I'm a very inquizative person. I ask questions. If you tell me oh it's does this, but don't explain why, I'm going to ask you why and for more elaboration on your answer. I'm not being a dick, I'm not calling you out, I just really want to understand it and i would love for there to be a good explination for someone who comes on here to learn and sees this and says "damn I get it now" after reading it. So if I ask you, and you don't know, just say, "I don't know it was just my understanding from when I was told", or simply "I don't know", and hopefully someone on here can pick up and answer why it is what it is for you. See, then we all learn something!

Ok enough talking from me now. I'm off to do some research.

[scooter99]

I'm reading up on this link right now. Seems to be very informative. http://education.lenardaudio.com/en/05_speakers.html

[n8ball2013]

I got to the part where you almost posted in general audio and glossed over

[never knows best]

good site for basics-

http://www.bcae1.com/

[never knows best]

also more good info here-

http://www.termpro.com/asp/pubs.asp?Category=2&Org_ID_Filter=0&Year_Filter=0

[scooter99]

I love reading something informative from someone who likes to throw in a little comedy!!

This is from that link above I posted, and he's talking about the gap and voice coil and vibrations etc.

"Hopefully the voice coil has been perfectly centred in the gap. The clearances are very very small, less than half a bees dick."

Made me laugh.

[Krakin]

I highly recommend reading up on AC circuits in this book.

http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/AC/AC.pdf

And if you need some background you might want to start with the DC Circuits book.

http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/DC/DC.pdf

This site has a lot of great stuff.

http://www.subwoofer-builder.com/

http://www.silcom.com/~aludwig/

https://sites.google.com/site/amateuraudio/theory/compression

One of the best sites I use.

http://sound.westhost.com/articles.htm

With this specifically dealing with T/S Parameters.

http://sound.westhost.com/tsp.htm

Have fun with the Germans.

http://www.hifi-online.net/

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/Lesson-5/Resonance

One big ass book on Helmholtz Resonators (ported enclosures)

https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=Xy4DAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&pg=GBS.PA46

Small acoustics lessons

http://www.trueaudio.com/st_spcs1.htm

http://www.sonicdesign.se/optimum.html

Best site I have for acoustic lessons and speaker lessons.

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/publications.htm

JBL Document

http://www.pispeakers.com/ssdm_99.pdf

Pi Speaker's Documents

http://www.pispeakers.com/Speaker_Crossover.pdf

http://www.pispeakers.com/Speaker_Crossover_Lab.pdf

More Speaker Stuff

http://www.stonessoundstudio.com.au/stone/diy_speaker_info/diy_introduction_p1.htm

Diaphragm Materials Somewhat Explained

http://www.stonessoundstudio.com.au/stone/diy_speaker_info/diy_driver_types_p3.htm

Absorption coefficients of common building materials and finishes

http://www.stonessoundstudio.com.au/stone/speaker_enclsoure_box_materials.htm

Physco-Acoustics

http://www.avforums.com/threads/sub-psychology.661795/

For the most detail about eddy currents in general:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_current]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_current]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_current

For the most detail about EMF:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromotive_force]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromotive_force]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromotive_force

Back EMF:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-electromotive_force]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-electromotive_force]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-electromotive_force

The rest of these will be those and other things like impedance but in specific application:

basic explanation and equations:

http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py106/Electricgenerators.html]http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py106/Electricgenerators.html]http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py106/Electricgenerators.html

More very basic explanations:

http://www.prestonelectronics.com/audio/Impedance.htm]http://www.prestonelectronics.com/audio/Impedance.htm]http://www.prestonelectronics.com/audio/Impedance.htm

This is a forum, but the guy answering knows his stuff so just double check anything you read but aren't sure about:

http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py106/Electricgenerators.html]http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py106/Electricgenerators.html]http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py106/Electricgenerators.html

https://www.boundless.com/physics/induction-ac-circuits-and-electrical-technologies/magnetic-flux-induction-and-faraday-s-law/back-emf-eddy-currents-and-magnetic-damping/]https://www.boundless.com/physics/induction-ac-circuits-and-electrical-technologies/magnetic-flux-induction-and-faraday-s-law/back-emf-eddy-currents-and-magnetic-damping/]https://www.boundless.com/physics/induction-ac-circuits-and-electrical-technologies/magnetic-flux-induction-and-faraday-s-law/back-emf-eddy-currents-and-magnetic-damping/

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newsletter/speaker_impedance.htm]http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newsletter/speaker_impedance.htm]http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newsletter/speaker_impedance.htm

http://sound.westhost.com/project56.htm]http://sound.westhost.com/project56.htm]http://sound.westhost.com/project56.htm

http://sound.westhost.com/patd.htm]http://sound.westhost.com/patd.htm]http://sound.westhost.com/patd.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_characteristics_of_dynamic_loudspeakers]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_characteristics_of_dynamic_loudspeakers]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_characteristics_of_dynamic_loudspeakers

http://www.churchsoundcheck.com/imp1.html]http://www.churchsoundcheck.com/imp1.html]http://www.churchsoundcheck.com/imp1.html

For your goals about designing, here are your 2 new best friends.

http://sound.westhost.com/tsp.htm]http://sound.westhost.com/tsp.htm]http://sound.westhost.com/tsp.htm

http://www.diy-audio.narod.ru/litr/FaradayRingsVoiceCoilImpedance.pdf]http://www.diy-audio.narod.ru/litr/FaradayRingsVoiceCoilImpedance.pdf]http://www.diy-audio.narod.ru/litr/FaradayRingsVoiceCoilImpedance.pdf

A GREAT Book that is used by many Universities around the world.

http://www.avatar.com.au/courses/PPofM/

Some more explaining boxes

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_5_2/cmilleressayporting.html

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/vent_tuning.htm

Transmission lines.

http://www.t-linespeakers.org/design/MJK-for-dummies/index.html

And the Handbook of OP-Amps.

http://www.ti.com/lit/an/sboa092a/sboa092a.pdf

[scooter99]

Damn son!! That's kick ass!! Thanks! Hang on, let me grab my glasses and I'll get to work!

Thanks Krakin!

[Krakin]

I kind of forgot if I linked some stuff and didn't want to double post any so I may have left a few out of my list.

[scooter99]

Well this is great. It's appreciated. Thank you.