Hi from Miami, FL

[Dan H]

Hello everybody.

Very interesting site. I have too many questions and so much to learn.
I'm a relative noob when it comes to home theater/high end audio.
I bought the CD and my plans are to build a home theater system.
I was thinking of 6 speaker SLAs for the mains and 4 separate tuba 18s to shake the room.
I would love to go the THT route but I cant really fit a 36inch cube in the corner plus a lot of people are saying that multiple subs sound better.
Again so many questions. Are TLAHs that much better than SLAs? Should I build 2 dual loaded tuba 18s instead of 4 singles? How in the heck should I power them?
Another reason I went the 18 route is that I have 25 cabinet grade plywood panels all of them about 30x24" that I got for free cause I helped dismantle a high school chem lab and they were throwing them away. Are tuba24s only for pro or could they be home theater as well?

So hello everybody, this should be fun.
Danny

[Chris_Allen]

Welcome aboard.

TLAH are a sealed cab and quite a bit bigger than the SLA - sounds better? It all depends on the room, requirement and drivers. My SLA Pro is fantastic but would love to build a TLAH Pro.

Having just built a T18, you need small hands to secure the driver, so a dually might be tricky but do-able. I did use a Tang Band driver which is 3/4" deeper than the other drivers which was more of the issue - great little cab. Building 4 T18's gives you far more flexibility on placement but depending on application. It would be interesting to hear 4 T18's room centered with the four mouths pointing outwards. No idea whether or no that is good placement practice! but you could put a table top on them. There are options smaller than the THT.

The T24, as the others, could be used for HT but the horn length is shorter so doesn't go as low. The HT designs benefit from cabin gain to increase sensitivity, so have longer horns and go lower. If you want 25Hz in your front room, you need to choose a HT design.

Don't rush into choosing your cab, there's plenty of time!

[Grant Bunter]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Plate amps is how you power the subs. Mounted in their own case.

Chris has hit the nail on the head, if you want low lows, you will need HT designed sub(s) for longer path length. I'm not sure how much lower T18's will go when used in the HT environment.

To kick you off on your learning path lol,
It depends on the room.
Sometimes, in fact, more often than not, you need more than 1 sub in HT to address room nodes/modes (which are nuls in response created by the room) and often, say, a pair of subs will be positioned on opposite walls, with mouth to the wall.
So four subs would end up being one on each wall of the room.

Are your plywood panels at least 5 plies of equal thickness? Or is there a thinner outer face ply?

[Dan H]

Hi thanks,
the plywood is 5 equal thickness ply.
I was choosing the tuba 18 cause the wood is of the right size and its free. The driver is $30. And because of the lower power requirements, the amps shouldn't be that expensive. I can hide several of the 18s in the room. Much bigger becomes a problem. Unless there is any other HT sub that can be made with this size wood panels, since the 24 is a no go? Or am I wrong in thinking that the tuba 18 can be used as a home theater sub? It seems to imply so on the website? I am running a Yamaha home theater in a box setup(Disappointing), so even a single T18 will probably make a big difference.
So for amps. 4 separate ones or can multiple subs be powered off of the same one? Any recommendations?
I appreciate all of your input.
Thanks

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Or am I wrong in thinking that the tuba 18 can be used as a home theater sub?

It can, but it won't go as low as the larger TT and THT. These are horns, how low they go is directly proportional to size. The lower the frequency the longer the wavelength, the longer the wavelength the longer the horn must be.

[DJPhatman]

Build a pair of Table Tuba. Same driver as the T18, but is a 30Hz horn. Much better for HT.

ps: save some wood for at least a curved SLA center.

pps: welcome to the forum from the west side of the state!

[Tom Smit]

Howdy Dan H, and welcome to the forum!

Going the TableTuba route would be better for the HT route, especially since it can use the same driver as the T18 as DJPhatman suggested.
Another thing, as in this thread further down the page you'll see that it be built LongStyle, which can be laid down or stood on end.....or both if there is more than one TT. Decorate it in different fashions. Maybe make a bench, or a ottoman or..... a "portable" art centre.

[Dan H]

So many decisions. I guess I didn't read carefully about the capabilities of the 18. The TT or THT sounds much better. I will see what I can do. Though the only way I justified this to myself was that it would be cheap. The TT requires 36x36 ply though which I would have to buy. I suppose I should just start on the SLAs and think about the sub for a while. Wish it was winter time here. The only time I have to work on it is midday in an unenclosed carport. Hot and sticky. I might delay for a little till it is nicer.
Thanks

[DJPhatman]

So many decisions. I guess I didn't read carefully about the capabilities of the 18. The TT or THT sounds much better. I will see what I can do. Though the only way I justified this to myself was that it would be cheap. The TT requires 36x36 ply though which I would have to buy. I suppose I should just start on the SLAs and think about the sub for a while. Wish it was winter time here. The only time I have to work on it is midday in an unenclosed carport. Hot and sticky. I might delay for a little till it is nicer.
Thanks

In the plans, there is a method for joining panels together to form longer panels. Check it out.

IMHO, build a Table Tuba long. Measuring 15 inches high and 60 inches long, use the Long Style version if the WAF dictates a rectangular shape. Or stand it on end next to the wall or in a corner when floor space is at a premium. Or toss some cushions on it and use it as a combination sub and couch. See it on the sales page!

[sn95]

Welcome to the forum.and its good to see someone else of Miami .

[Dan H]

Joining panels together. I saw it in the plans but didn't think to do it. That just blew my mind. Now the TTlong seems like a good idea. I incorrectly said earlier that the TT was 36inch square when it is 30in square.

[Dan H]

Hello Miami