Posted June 20, 201114 yr I am starting a IB build for my H/T in our new house.We finally bought a house that we (wife and I) really like and are trying to keep it very nice inside. I am going to design a complete 5.1 system for the living room with everything being stealth. In walls, no visible components, flat screen flushed into wall, etc... I want to have decent bass and really thought long and hard about this for the last 2 months.IB was the logical choice, but we are going to finish our 1200 ft2 basement next year, so having a big-ass manifold hanging from the floor joists down there would also be a no-no. After carefully laying out a baffle arangment that will tuck my pair of XXX18s into the rafters high enough that they won't protrude below the drywall ceiling when everything is said and done was a a serious undertaking. I think it will turn out perfect. I will add an additional faux HVAC vent into the floor upstairs that the XXXs will fire into. I will probably top it off with a 2-3Kw pro audio amp that will also be mounted downstairs so you won't hear the fan.I will be a while before I get started, but I will post up some pictures as I go....
June 20, 201114 yr Wow sounds like one nice HT setup! Good luck on the build and tuned in for the pics!
June 20, 201114 yr Author I'll take some pics with what I have to work with this weekend.As a side note-I have been exploring what the possibe behavior of the XXXs will be in an IB install. I was concerned about IB performance due to the higher Fs, but with the displacement they have, I think it will be a mute point. They have a relitively high Q, almost .6 when I measured them 6 years ago, and a stiff suspention, so I think they should be OK without any Eq. Also, I will be mounting them face down, so when I calculated static sag based on mms and compliance, they should have an additional millimeter or two of positive offset. Not that it is much, but it may help in an extreme output situation. Also, I will be running an honest 7-800 watts per driver, so I should still be OK on all but retarded levels....
June 23, 201114 yr Whixh version of XXX? Will you be building a manifold or sounds like both facing down? Vibration may become an issue. I thought a loose suspension was as desired as a low Fs... not manditory but desired. A lot of people think IBs have stiff/tight suspensions as there's not air suspension to keep from bottoming, but thats why they get so loud and low with very little power... no suspension... spider/surround/air loading to battle. BFDs are powerful, I've taken a lot of time to play with mine using RoomEqWizard to watch its effects. It's fun!
June 23, 201114 yr Author 05' XXX.I will build a stout baffle, vibration will not be an issue...Biggest thing with IB is having a Q high enough that the driver won't overdampen itself....
June 23, 201114 yr Nice subs! I wouldn't mind haveing 4 of those for my IB and 4 more for my van! I giess I upset The Cult when I call it IB, I mean my giant vented cab I'll be watching close, should be awesome. You thinking Behringer EPs? Crowns?
June 24, 201114 yr Ya theyre pretty loud. One of the immidiate benefits to chopping the towers down and building the manifold is both of mine are in the other room now. I can still hear them through the port but not near as loud. Those XXXs can take a ton of power, I'd say 1 EP4000 per 2 IB3 18s is a perfect match. A bit more for a pair of XXXs wouldnt be a bad idea, though the pricing on EPs is very hard to pass up. Also, if I push hard in the single digits for more than a couple of seconds I get bad noise from the amps. I wouldnt call it clipping, but I think it is similar though the clip mlights dont come on. EPs are known for being bad below 10Hz. For regular movies Ive never had an issue, let me tell you I have a wild beat of an LFE when i watch War Of The Worlds and Ive never had the issue during it, The Incredible Hulk, or any demanding ULF film. Also, I have old wiring and a 15A fuse box... not a modern wire run with a 20A breaker box. That extra 5A and better wiring would most likely cure my ills. You wouldnt happen to have more 18" XXXs or anything similar like RL-ps or Avalanches, would you?
June 24, 201114 yr Author I already ran a dedicated 30 amp circuit on #10 THHN Stranded just for the sub amp.I don't have any extra 18's laying around, none I would want to get rid of anyways.... Roughly 1000 watts per driver will be more than enough for what I am going to do.....
June 30, 201114 yr Any updates?Did you do some clip testing a few years back, had a bunch of cheap little 5"ers or something like that and blew them all giving some clean signals, some clipped signals before the amp, and some from the amp clipping?
June 30, 201114 yr Author Yes, I published the clipping test. It was originally on Forceaudio. I think the site is still up.I have been super busy with the rest of the house and am finishing some cabinetry in the living room. I need to get it done before I start the in-walls.I'll keep you guys posted.
July 13, 201114 yr The site is still up and the test can be found here. Looking forward to hearing more about the buildThanks Luke! Good read!Any updates 95?
July 14, 201114 yr Author I am getting there. I should have all the built in cabinets done this weekend, or at least ready for paint. After that, I will get cracking on the sub install. I already bought alll the supplies, including a forced air vent that matches the rest of the ones in the house for the IB manifold to load through into the livingroom.
September 2, 201114 yr Author Well, I finished the built in cabinets, I built them pretty much from scratch. Along with the Mantle. I built a paint booth in the garage and sprayed/sanded multiple coats with everything so it looks really good. Next step will be a set of shelves on each side and wiring for all the in-walls. Slow but steady progress.
September 2, 201114 yr Author BTW, that TV isn't what is going there. I am still looking for the perfect size one to fit the opening...
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