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DIY bedroom practice cab using Ho'Tone Nano Legacy Thunder Bass amp?

LeighOnSea

LeighOnSea

Aug 2, 2024
694
797
Lisbon
leighsutherland.com
#1
Hi everyone,
I'm back here again
I am still soooo pleased with my DIY Cab (44 Hz tuned IIRC) that many here really helped me out with, thanks all again!
I use it on the output of my Markbass Marcus Miller CMD 101 Micro 60 with both working and it really fills out the bottom end, well they sound great to me together anyway.
I have been improving very very slowly since starting Feb 2024, but will never play live or prob in a band, and am more than happy with that
I have already got three babies (here in Lisboa PT, 2 more at mum's in Essex UK, ooops!) and have experimented with strings and have settled on:
A Sire Marcus Miller V3 (my 1st-born) with Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on
A Sire V5 with GHS Pressurewounds on
A Sire P5R with La Bella Deep Talkin' Flats on (this is my fave at the moment)
I'm currently learning/learnt Clash and AC/DC and Dead Kennedys tracks plus others
Anyway, that was to give you an idea of my tastes

Well, I already have a Ho'Tone Nano Legacy Thunder Bass amp and I need a small compact practice 'amp' (amp + cab) for when I am banished upstairs (even the dog joins in the howls of underappreciation), and I fancy a new project.
Maybe the little amp is not perfect, but I have it and dont use it.

It obviously doesn't have to be loud, the amp is only 5 W, but I like a nice punchy sound.
Small size would be required, praps 12" cube? (or not so deep but wider &/or taller to fit against wall?)

Any suggestions for a design brief?
10" driver (I am PT / UK based, have used C)?
Sealed or vented?
go for same tuned frequency as before?
Tweeter?
L-Pad?
Copy an existing good design in terms of attributes?
etc,

How would you start off on this design process?
Any further info I have to give?

Then I can go back and do what I did with my first cab.
Thanks
Leigh

PS I also have a Fender Mustang Micro Plus and good earphones but would like to do this anyway
 
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#3
Thanks @David Morison
Looks great, but, I am going to stupidly design my own as its fun :D
This is more a learning experience than anything
If I wanted the best solution I would just buy a second hand combo
which I will probably end up doing as well
again 🤣

In terms of driver, I am a little unsure of what specs are 'acceptable' for this kind of project

As you can see below, I have selected a driver, but would like to know if there are any suggestions for a more suitable cheap one, please :)

If it works out OK with my little Ho'Tone amp, I can think about getting a better (but cheaper) head

Output is not an issue, so its frequency I think that is important (?)

Low E is 41.2 Hz I think

So, presumably I need a driver with Frequency range of at highest 40 Hz up to whatever?
Or is this 'range' just an indication of where the response drops off, and could be boosted with EQ, &/or its the response in the cab that matters?

And Fs? A value of 45 Hz, or 50 or 55?

I realise that I'm not going to get a perfect solution but it has to be cheap so how far can I push my compromise?

I have used Speakerboxlite to design a 10 mm thick MDF 400 x 400 x 250 mm deep cabinet with a 200 mm long 84 mm diam (3 mm wall thickness) vent using a FaitalPRO 10FE200-8F 10" Bass-midwoofer 8 Ohm driver and I get Fb ~45 Hz and the estimated behaviour below:

I presume that what I want is as close to straight up at Freq < 40 Hz then 0 db for the rest, but since this is not physically practical, then as close to that as poss, without sharp peaks and a reasonably flat bit for the fundamental frequencies (40 to 400 Hz Approx)?

So would below be 'OK' - given my aims?

1755502404877.png


1755502428646.png


I messed around a lot with smaller cabs and different vent lengths (I already have 90 mm, 84 + 3 +3, pipe for this), but this gave the flattest 40 to 100 Hz response, which I thought would be easiest to boost up with EQ (in my ignorance, guessing)

I think this would be acceptable for my ends?

However, the frequency range of the driver is listed as 50 to 4.5K Hz (& Fs 55 Hz)

But isnt it the frequency response of the cab WITH driver that matters?

I can get this driver for €70 with shipping

Or are there any suggestions for a more suitable driver? (can even be bigger if not much more expensive)

I am EU based, in Portugal so DIY Audio & Speakerbuilding Supplies - Build your own Hi-Fi Systems are who I used before

1755502782721.gif


1755502988645.gif



It looks and is sized well for me:

1755502464514.png
 

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#5
6thplanet said:
You don't necessarily need it to be tuned to the E fundamental. Try up around 50hz with that driver.
Click to expand...
Thanks @6thplanet

I just got the Fb up to 52 Hz from the original 45 Hx (RED) via three ways:
1. Box size from 400x400x250 to 400x400x200 (GREEN)
2. Vent tube from 200 to 150 mm (BLUE)
3. Box size from 400x400x250 to 400x400x225 AND Vent tube from 200 to 175 mm (ORANGE)

Looking from the practical side (in terms of benefits in size &/or construction), vent tube length makes no difference, Thinner box takes up less space
From the dB response side, am I correct in guessing that the BLUE (vent shorter) is a bit better than the GREEN (thinner box) since I'm just loosing lower end from the RED with the latter?

But if the GREEN is still good enough / wont hear diff then I guess that is better due to thinner / smaller cab?

Or should I have increased Fb to 50 Hz some other way?

Thanks again
This is fun, for me at least 🤣

1755517016515.png

1755516090104.png
 
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#7
6thplanet said:
That driver is going to have issues due to the high 0.7 Qts, not really a good ported box driver. It's gonna need a big box. Is there a reason you chose it over, say the 10PR300?
Click to expand...
I am not sure at all if I chose the right driver - I just looked for Fs max 50 Hz and cheap
The FE200-8F is half the price of the 10PR300 (which DIY Audio & Speakerbuilding Supplies - Build your own Hi-Fi Systems dont have) and the Fs' are 55 & 60 Fs respectively

I am not really sure how you choose a driver, I just looked at price and Fs, obviously not enough!

Let's turn this around, what kind of driver would you recommend (in terms of the relevant specs of the driver, in order of importance if poss, so I can choose myself and understand why) for this application? Cheeky perhaps? 🤣

I want a small as poss cab (can be vented or sealed) for a very low watt cheap amp (5W, so loudness isnt an issue, its for me to continue learning in my bedroom alone, with the door shut,) with EQ Bass Mid High
 
#8
If you're buying from Sound Imports, I'd recommend trying the GRS 10PT-8, but unfortunately it's out of stock. For an affordable driver it has a bit better Q for vented alignment and little lower FS, and efficiency is ok.

Your making a bunch of compromises with wanting cheap and small, not sure you'll be happy with any of it.
 
#10
OK, well, I couldn't leave it alone 🤣

I decided to just use what I could find lying around the house and set a €0 (approximately 0 US$) budget limit.

After a quick inventory, I had:
  • 1 Hotone Nano Legacy Thunder Bass Head
  • 1 little 2x9V battery box I made up (Hotone mains power supply noisy)
  • The old 8" driver from my daughter's little Squier BP-15 Combo
  • 2 old wooden Wine Boxes (for 3 bottles)
  • 1 input Jack with wires already soldered
  • Wood Glue
  • Silicon Sealant (Brown)
  • A Router (woodworking, not WiFi type)
So I knocked this up, and it sounds perfectly good for what I want it for (quiet bedroom practice - Oh, that sound more racy than it is, unfortunately)

In fact, it sounds better with my Sire P5R Precision type with La Bella Flats on than it does for my Sire V5 Jazz with GHS pressurewounds.
My Sire V3 Jazz with EB Co Flats on sounds good too, although I'm still playing with the preamp settings to go with this little 'Wino-Cab'.

Also, If I wack the gain up on the Hotone mini amp, I get a really nice clean Fuzz :)

At the moment its closed box, but if I get a slightly better driver (perhaps a Faital PRO 8FE200 4ohm 8" 150watt Speaker for £33.72 , as I put in the Squire BP-15) I may vent it with some plastic water pipe. Or not, to both of those.

Wino-Cab.jpeg
 
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#15
LeighOnSea said:
Thanks @blr2
..... and, huge generalisation no doubt, is the low end response likely to be on balance etc better for vented than sealed, assuming you select a suitable driver in both cases?
or is that a completely 'it depends' question?
Click to expand...
In general (really huge generalisation), it would be different. Sealed cabs roll off the low end gradually, while most vented cabs have a small peak and then roll off sharply. It depends on the driver, enclosure, construction... Also, what looks good on a graph, may not sound good in real life. Cabs with extended low end response may sound boomy or muddy.
 
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#16

Gonna try this for 15 EUR​


The GRS 8PR-8 8" woofer features a polypropylene cone and a rubber surround. It performs admirably in sealed-box speaker applications​

www.soundimports.eu

Order GRS 8PR-8 Bass-midwoofer

Buy the 8PR-8 online at SoundImports ✓ Same day shipping ✓ Low shipping rates
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Specifications​

#1 15 EUR!!!!

Article number 8PR-8
EAN 0844632088520
Woofer Type Midwoofer
Power Handling (RMS) 65 Watts
Power Handling (max) 90 Watts
Impedance (Z) 8 ohms
Sensitivity (SPL at 1m / 2.83V) 85 dB
Frequency Response 40 to 5,000 Hz
Voice Coil Diameter 1.5"
DC Resistance (Re) 7.58 ohms
Voice Coil Inductance (Le) 1.09 mH
Resonant Frequency (Fs) 52 Hz
Mechanical Q (Qms) 4.77
Electromagnetic Q (Qes) 1.45
Total Q (Qts) 1.11
Compliance Equivalent Volume (Vas) 0.76 ft.³
Maximum Linear Excursion (Xmax) 3 mm
Cone / Diaphragm Material Poly
Surround Material Rubber
Magnet Material Ferrite
Overall Outside Diameter 8"
Overall Depth 3.44"
Baffle Cutout Diameter 7.32"
# Mounting Holes 4
Sealed Volume 0.81 ft.³
Sealed F3 54 Hz
Vented Volume 5.54 ft.³
Vented F3 29 Hz
 

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