Double Bass My DIY 8 inch ported speaker

[fdeck]

At long last, I've written up my 8-inch ported speaker design, based on the Faital 8PR200 driver. The design involves a number of compromises, but I'm quite happy with its tone quality. It's been my "grab and go" for virtually all of my playing.

I want to fully disclose that I mention my commercial product in the write-up, but mainly as a disclaimer and not as a promotion.

This design arrives kind of late in the game, since a number of high quality, smaller speakers and combo's have been introduced within the past few years.

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[Matthijs]

I always like your design considerations. This looks once again as something to use as inspiration for my own builds. I once used your 12” design as a starting point for the 2*12 I’ve been using for silly loud DB amplification. What you went for in low end response in this 8” cab is about what I tried to achieve for that 2*12, only louder.

The ‘small box / big port’ conundrum is very recognizable. My solution is to make my cabs high and narrow.”, and so create space to use the backside as a big and long shelf port. A vertical 2*12 was perfect for that, and I already have done some calculations for a vertical 2*8 based on that faital driver. So thanks once again for sharing your work.

 

[fdeck]

LOL, it had to happen: Blogger's Remorse.

Actually, a great thing about blogging and sharing projects online is that it forces you to think about your ideas in a more skeptical light. Now of course I'm re-thinking my design.

 

[TroyK]

Send me one and I'll give you my honest feedback in 5 years!

 

[Vince Waldon]

Wondering if any Canadians out there have found a domestic supplier for this driver? Wack expensive thru the US due to the usual $$$ exchange/border/shipping shenanigans.

Faital themselves refer all Canadian sales inquiries to their US office.

 

[TroyK]

@fdeck thank you for sharing this. Am I to understand that the box itself is just glued together without fasteners?

 

[fdeck]

Yup, just glue. With that said...

I think that larger cabs are sometimes made with glue & screws because otherwise you need lots of big clamps. I've seen construction articles where the screws are removed and the holes filled with filler after the glue sets.

Also, I don't subject my gear to rough service, and smaller cabs don't get knocked around as hard.

 

[TroyK]

I kinda wanna make one. Good idea? Bad idea?

 

[bherman]

I kinda wanna make one. Good idea? Bad idea?

In the same boat. I’m a solid woodworker so the build part is fine, looking for an affordable source for the speaker though….

 

[Matt Ides]

Congrats! Reminds me of the GB 8 inch but I assume yours will sound much better. I love the small 8 inch cabs and still rocking the Crazy 8 these days w/ the BAM200.

 

[rickwolff]

Send me one and I'll give you my honest feedback in 5 years!

I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

 

[flatback]

I need another cab like I need a hole in my head. But I AM a woodworker and I have always wanted to make a cab and an FDECK cab would be killing I think. My MAS 16 just went down (the internal part of the 1/4 in jack got messed up)
I was thinking about taking the whole cab apart and remaking it out of some beautiful exotic veneered plywood that I could finish nicely. (I dislike black Tolex)...
But maybe the answer is making one of these. It costs about 200 for a nice sheet of Bamboo ply or some other exotic (Maple, Walnut etc). Let me know if anybody orders a speaker and how that goes....

 

[bherman]

I need another cab like I need a hole in my head. But I AM a woodworker and I have always wanted to make a cab and an FDECK cab would be killing I think. My MAS 16 just went down (the internal part of the 1/4 in jack got messed up)
I was thinking about taking the whole cab apart and remaking it out of some beautiful exotic veneered plywood that I could finish nicely. (I dislike black Tolex)...
But maybe the answer is making one of these. It costs about 200 for a nice sheet of Bamboo ply or some other exotic (Maple, Walnut etc). Let me know if anybody orders a speaker and how that goes....

i looked all over online for speaker sources and all seemed to be right around $230 or so. Best that I can figure its around a $300-350 build. I’d probably go for it except that @fdeck seemed to imply above that he might be tweaking the cab design.

 

[fdeck]

I'm still not 100% satisfied that the design is free of port turbulence at higher volumes. The tweak that I want to make is a port with more rounded edges, both inside and out.

Agreed about the price of the driver. At this point I'd also want to convince myself that there isn't a better 10" or even 12" design out there. My own 12" design is pretty nice too. I'm not a believer in different driver diameters having their own particular sound.

 

[bherman]

I'm still not 100% satisfied that the design is free of port turbulence at higher volumes. The tweak that I want to make is a port with more rounded edges, both inside and out.

Agreed about the price of the driver. At this point I'd also want to convince myself that there isn't a better 10" or even 12" design out there. My own 12" design is pretty nice too. I'm not a believer in different driver diameters having their own particular sound.

Thx, you reaffirmed my need to be patient. I'm good in the larger cab arena, I have a RevSound 112 that's 21 lbs and sounds terrific at volumes up to and including LOUD if needed. The idea of a 10 intrigues me though.

 

[Vince Waldon]

I know size isn't a thing but must admit I'm kinda infatuated with the idea of an excellent 8" cab in my quiver... my PJ BG150 (four 5" drivers) has great sound but taps out trying to filling a theatre-hall venue, whereas my Small Block 110 fills a theatre hall but can be more than I need at a lot of smaller venues and can boom a bit when asked to throttle back.

Also infatuated with light weight...which in the past I've attained by building it myself NOT out of MDF.

If I can find that driver in Canada for less than a kidney I'm likely to give 'er a shot.

 

[flatback]

Fdeck, I think many of us would be really happy if you put the energy into the 8. It is a sweet spot.

 

[TroyK]

Yeah, the idea of an 8 is appealing because we know that they are capable, but will be (obviously) smaller and lighter than 10 or 12.

 

[Ric Vice]

I certainly like mine . My smaller powered MAS 1/8 is the best one I own. With that Fatial 8PRO my guess is that it wouldn’t need the three way design.

 

[fdeck]

Right now the only deterrent is that my garage is a fair weather friend. It's about 40 degrees in there. Any kind of gluing or painting has to wait. On the other hand I have a nice scrap of baltic birch looking for a use.