2 12" DC lvl 3's in Home theater.. Is it worth it , or will it not work

[40nBelow09]

Ive been debating what to do with my lvl 3 12's for a while.. Sell them and upgrade , add a few more and do a wall , sell them outright, or to just keep them and attempt to make an enclosure for them for my HT... I know i know, they are not made for HT etc etc,,.. And i did actually put them in my buddies HT setup once.. He has a Amp that somewhere around 1k @4 ohms so it was perfect... but obviously sounded like ass... my old polk 10 sounded 10 times better and deeper than both of these things.. and i realize there in a near 4 cubic foot enclosure tuned to 34 hz but i thought they might work...

So my question is, if i got this amp ( http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.c...tnumber=300-808 ) And made an enclosure tuned to around 22-24 hz would it sound better, worse ... i have no clue.. ..?? I have built enclosures for years and have been a carpenter for 10 so i know what to do, i just need some guidance from rusty or someone who has tried this...

I know ppl who have put SS subs, tc sounds, soundsplinter subs etc in HT but they seem like they were more designed to be there than the DC stuff, no idea why... Im just debating because i do need a sub in my HT as now i have an all new 2009 5.1 setup but am really missing the low end..... If this will not work more than likely i will just keep the 1000 watt dayton amp and buy 2 of these 12s, http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.c...tnumber=295-404 or a single 15 http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.c...tnumber=295-420

thoughts or suggestions???

[Noobtastic14]

Build the box for a HT purpose and it will sound VERY good.

I had a 15" lvl 3 in my room for a day or two

-Drew

[dr hypothesis]

I think they'll do just fine in an HT setup. I definitely recommend tuning low like you're planning. My home sub is tuned to 20hz and with just a PE 275 watt plate amp it'll move your pant legs a little bit. Two DC 12s would definitely rock the house. Shouldn't cost much to whip up a nice box for them and try it out. You planning on aeroports?

[40nBelow09]

Build the box for a HT purpose and it will sound VERY good.

I had a 15" lvl 3 in my room for a day or two

-Drew

I know these subs CAN sound good, but in HT HOW do you make it sound good... there basically in a car spl type enclosure tuned in the 30's.. When i put it in my buddies basement for testing it dropped out around 35 hz, Just got very loud and vibrated the shit out of everything... not to great for HT

So what im asking is can i tune a box that low.. possibly even lower ( i would like to tune to 18 hz or so ) with that much power still?? i know id have to tune it and keep an eye on the gains, cuz 1000 watts in my spl enclosure is alot better for these things than 1000 watts in a 18hz 6 cf HT enclosure..

I just dont wanna mess up the subs, nor do i want to waste time and money building these into a HT setup, if i could just buy one or 2 of those titanic subs i linked ,

[40nBelow09]

I think they'll do just fine in an HT setup. I definitely recommend tuning low like you're planning. My home sub is tuned to 20hz and with just a PE 275 watt plate amp it'll move your pant legs a little bit. Two DC 12s would definitely rock the house. Shouldn't cost much to whip up a nice box for them and try it out. You planning on aeroports?

of the probably 30+ enclosures ive built ive never done an aero... but i believe is a must if i do this

[Noobtastic14]

HT is a lot of preference.

I like my HT in a smaller box tuned low. if this were my setup- i'd do 3cuft @25hz with ~38-40sqin of port

For this idea, make a big box that has changeable volume and tuning!

6cuft then cut to 5 then 4 then 3

then change your tuning from 28 to 25 to 18 in these alignments. I guarantee after this you will find an alignment suited to your taste and you'll learn about that particular rooms acoustics, corner load if possible.

-Drew

[dr hypothesis]

HT is a lot of preference.

I like my HT in a smaller box tuned low. if this were my setup- i'd do 3cuft @25hz with ~38-40sqin of port

For this idea, make a big box that has changeable volume and tuning!

6cuft then cut to 5 then 4 then 3

then change your tuning from 28 to 25 to 18 in these alignments. I guarantee after this you will find an alignment suited to your taste and you'll learn about that particular rooms acoustics, corner load if possible.

-Drew

x2 I like your thinking Drew. There's just some movies that you'll be glad you have that super low tuning. I can't really hear anything below 20hz, but definitely feel it.

[matt402]

i prefer either downfire ported or bandpass for ht. its all in the box.

[40nBelow09]

HT is a lot of preference.

I like my HT in a smaller box tuned low. if this were my setup- i'd do 3cuft @25hz with ~38-40sqin of port

For this idea, make a big box that has changeable volume and tuning!

6cuft then cut to 5 then 4 then 3

then change your tuning from 28 to 25 to 18 in these alignments. I guarantee after this you will find an alignment suited to your taste and you'll learn about that particular rooms acoustics, corner load if possible.

-Drew

newb HT question... Larger enclosures..... More boomy and louder

smaller enclosure tighter and lower?

Im seriously lost.. i think the room acoustics of a house F@&k with me...

And why in your tuning did you go a little higher? i was assuming under normal tuning , that a HT setup tuned to 18-22 hz would peak around 38-40 .. which is room dependent i understand , buit as a general idea is this true?

[40nBelow09]

x2 I like your thinking Drew. There's just some movies that you'll be glad you have that super low tuning. I can't really hear anything below 20hz, but definitely feel it.

any worries about over excursion and bottoming out with 1000 watts tuned that low????...

Another thing .. what makes a HT sub so much better than a car sub.. what specs of the driver do you look at ... I took a pic of a sub i have and it sounds pretty good for what it is... hell of alot better than the DC , but cant figure out why... especially with the comparison...

what do u think ..

MY ROOM

Edited August 18, 2009 by 40nBelow09