30hz - 40hz PA soundsystem

Hi everyone - I've cruised through speakerplans once or twice before but i've just now registered and this is my first post so I want to say a quick thanks to those who manifested this great place in cyberspace 

I'm writing mainly because in the next couple of months I will be throwing a once a month electronic music event featuring lots of bass heavy music and I need to buy/construct a PA system that will shake the walls of this little 75 person bar ...

BUT I'm a virgin to PA setups ... And to DIY speaker assembly... The "essential reading" list thread is so huge that its going to take me some time to comb through  so I was wondering if in the mean time you kind folks could possibly offer me some advice - pointers, ect ...

The General plan :::

Initially I was hoping to construct something retarded and overkill but I dont think I need to break glass in this small place , not yet anyways ... I think maybe 35-40hz response would be good for now ...

And for what I see myself using this soundsystem for in the next 2 years is - this small bar , maybe another slightly larger bar and some indoor and outdoor house parties that I could use a handcart to move my equipment into ... If I could rock this small to semi-small spots i'd be happy ... Of course , as long as the whole place was rattling 

My MAIN concern is DOING THE MUSIC JUSTICE. Giving the songs their proper range of sound .... And since i'm a bass fiend [dnb - dubstep - breakz - hiphop] the low end is my nirvana ...

range of bass is more important than overall loudness , considering this place is so small... But I do want it to be a wild dance party so I need enough volume and bass to rock this little bar. 


I'm thinking I wont spend more than 2k unless the ratio of performance and value was dramatically increased proportional to the amount of cash increased. 

I do want new equipment ...

any help is appreciated

thanks

~ meta

Edited by metaverse - 05 September 2008 at 11:19am

2 X1 subs and 2 X15 mid-tops with budget amps (proline,berry ep series, etc) and behringer ultradrive processing should come in at 2 grand or slightly over and will be enough to trouble a 75 person bar.

I built a pair of X1 variations ( changed the shape of the cabinets to fit my existing stacks ) and loaded them with PD1850..

Thanks for the information guys ...

I've been able to narrow things down pretty well so far - I've got this thread going on as well:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1603939#post1603939

I've come to the conclusion that i'm about 95% sure i'm going with the x1 cabinet design however petermoller scared the hell out of me when he said:

"most drivers will self destruct in that cab"

So I guess my next question is how would I know what wont self destruct LOL?

The drivers being suggested are the SD18 over and over again however someone else in the other thread on diyaudio suggested using a void V18-1000 and another point was brought up that I shouldn't just go for 18's in the cabinet because size doesn't increase the bass output and he suggested the Eminence Lab12 Generation II 12" sub ... I was hoping to get some of your opinions on these ???

Then there's the situation with the mids/highs , more than likely i'll go with the x15 cabinet design as it is the only one really suggested and i'm assuming its the one of the most complimentary to the x1.  As per biotecs suggestion the x15 will probably fill my needs just fine and that sounds good to me.  Although there is the issue of the needing mids that go down around 80-90hz response to cover up for the SD18 assuming I go that route - any suggestions ??

As far as crossovers go - i'm leaning towards the Ultradrive as that seems to be the most widely suggested for abilities and cost however the reliability has also been spoken about as questionable - this kind of makes me uneasy so i'm also considering the dbx DriveRackPX with is about 1/3 more the price however if it can do all the same things and is rock solid reliable i'll go with it for the extra few bucks - Opinions/Suggestions??

Then there is the case of amps which I haven't really even begun to explore , ideas??

Thanks again guys

~ meta

metaverse wrote: The drivers being suggested are the SD18 over and over again however someone else in the other thread on diyaudio suggested using a void V18-1000 and another point was brought up that I shouldn't just go for 18's in the cabinet because size doesn't increase the bass output and he suggested the Eminence Lab12 Generation II 12" sub ... I was hoping to get some of your opinions on these ???

Once upon a time, people would ask your question, and someone who didnt know what they were talking about, would reply with utter crap..

Not this time, Biotec is spot on.


If you use 2x15"+2" comp driver Midtop, I would say there are 3x simple sub solutions.

1) 1x pair of X1s :
Best driver for this: 1850, 2nd Best: V18-1000, alternatives: Dont know

2) 1x pair of custom 2x18 reflex:
Give each 18" 215litre chamber (15litres used by driver + bracing), tuned to 35hz, and there's plenty of 18"s in the US that would work in that, especially Eminence,  B&C and FANE 18XB.

3)1x Pair of Superscoopers or Eminence 18" Scoops
B&CTBX100, FANE 18XB are easily located in US, and in the above scoops would rattle your place to bits from 40hz up, and be just as loud as a pair of 2x18, with the same power input.  I hear Eminence Sigma 18 might even sound ok in those as well, but wont be as high power as 18TBX100 or V18-1000.

Lev, what about the throw problems with the scoop though, seen this first hand recently with the usual Reflex system replaced by scoops and then Labs for special nights.

Edited by nickyburnell - 07 September 2008 at 9:31pm