i'm re-doing a sub i put together for my home audio setup and i'm on the lookout for new drivers. i'm going to be using a cerwin vega 300W RMS plate amp and am shooting for a compatible driver. that being said, i can't help but notice that car audio drivers are so much less expensive in proportion to their power (watt per buck, so to say). is there any reason why using a good quality car sub (infinity kappa perfect 12") in a properly designed box at home would be worse in any way than a driver made for home audio?

a driver is a driver is a driver, right? i've seen infinity's home theater subs and the cone design and materials look suspiciously close to their car audio stuff. the kappa is 350W RMS @ 4 ohm and 1400W peak with a 15mm excursion, 96dB spl and reportedly great SQ. it's also gotten wonderful reviews everywhere i've checked and i can nab it on ebay for under a hundred bucks.

does anyone know any reason i should shell out two or more times more for a jbl/klipsch/whatever home audio woofer rather than that?

 

There are hundreds, correction, thousands of home audio DIY (Do-It-Yourself) subs on the market.

Car subs typically have a higher FS and a few other design differences to account for being used in a tiny room. You can still design an optimal enclosure. It's just a matter of knowing the math and possible costs / benefits of different alignments. Having a good computer box design program is a good idea as well. WinISD is by far the best sub $1000 program I have used, and it's free.

http://www.linearteam.dk/

Here are a few other invaluable resources for the audio enthusiasts and speaker builder. Many of these suppliers / speaker builders also have forums.

http://madisound.com/
http://partsexpress.com/
http://acoustic-visions.com/
http://www.northcreekmusic.com/

 

Car audio suds are generally designed with an appropriate Fs to work with the cabin gain in cars not room gain in a home. Try Adire audio. The Shiva woofer works great in both cars and homes and is reasonably priced.

http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/...dire/shiva.htm

125.00 direct from Adire. You would need about 3 Infinity subs to produce the same SPL at 20Hz.

 

Adire has some awesome DIY projects as well. I read for hours one night on their site.

 

thanks a lot guys. i'm very seriously looking at the adire, especially because it is less than a used infinity and is better in every way. it's even plain black without flash, so they'll never know what hit them

if anyone needs any more convincing, look here:
http://www.audioreview.com/Subwoofer...x.aspx#reviews

oh, and while we're on topic, is there any website that has a long, detailed writeup on all the theory? it'd make for an interesting read and i'd love to know how my box stacks up.

 

There are too many sites with theory info. Try a few of the links you already have. And download WinISD. The help section has most of the theory you will need for a while. Also stop by your local library and read Vance ****asons Loudspeaker Design Cookbook. That is where most people get the introductory speaker design education. Once you read that if you want to know more, there is a lot more to know.

But definitely start with the Adire tech files, Win ISD, Northcreek, and the Madisound and Acoustic-Visions forums.