T18 Build Thread

[Chris_Allen]

A bit of a cleanup and sand - I'm really looking forward to hearing this combo:

[miked]

You know, I'll bet that's going to sound pretty damn awesome. Allthough, at high volumes the top might walk away from the sub a bit. But IIRC, this setup was built for low-SPL applications anyway, right?

[Chris_Allen]

Yeah, it won't be pushed anywhere near the limit. I'm really liking the form factor of the T18, I realise it isn't anywhere near as efficient space wise as the T39 but it's very manageable.

[jimbo7]

I'm curious, what made you decide to go with the T18 with a SLA pro over the ht?

[Chris_Allen]

Size. Portability is high on the list and the cab doesn't need to go that low. A T24 with a horn that was 2 foot shorter would have been perfect.

[Chris_Allen]

Ok, more progress. I'm not very good with a router, whether it's poor bits, crap router or just bad technique, it doesn't produce good results in my hands. I pondered for a while on how to make the access cover, so I decided to make a template out of paper:

With the template made, I created the cover and used the table saw to indent the back of the cover:

Once all were cut, the cover fit nicely in the hole. I now had to route the cab so it sat flush:

I decided to use an edge to run the router up to the line. This appeared to work well, though I had to be careful not to go too far:

A bit of sanding and a lot of burn marks, I had the routing done.

I had to do a bit more sanding and tweaking to get the cover to fit but I got there in the end:

The last thing to cut was the plate for the speakons, no problem!

I've filled the holes with wood filler and I'm waiting for it to go off before the final sanding and a coat of paint.

[Chris_Allen]

I've had lots of stressful times building Bill's speakers before but fitting drivers with TNuts is always up there. I have come to the comclusion that Bill must have the smallest hands on the planet as getting this bloody driver in was a pain in the arse. If there is a leak when I test it, I'm going to cry.....

Bill, next time you revise the T18, give us a little more room above the driver for the Tang Band users!

[Chris_Allen]

It's the time for the final coat of textured paint. I bought a new roller as the old was way past it's best and literally starting to fall apart.

[Grant Bunter]

Nice work

[Tom Smit]

I really enjoyed both builds.

[Chris_Allen]

Thanks guys.

[Chris_Allen]

Well, I had the opportunity to play the T18 and SLA Pro together for a while and they truly are a great combination. The T18 does sound different to my T39, almost smoother but I don't understand why. I cycled through a number of songs and there is quite clearly a bit of EQ that is required but some songs just sound sublime. It's late but I want to keep playing music.

You know you have a good cab when songs you know extremely well suddenly have a new dynamic.

I like these cabs - I really like these cabs!

The Tang Band is not an accessible driver in the UK - I need to find an alternative.

I'll try and pitch the SLA against the DR200 at some point to see what the difference is. The main point is the DR200 needs a lot of EQ and all I did with the SLA if pull down the highs 3dB beyond 9K.

[SeisTres]

The T18 does sound different to my T39, almost smoother but I don't understand why. I cycled through a number of songs and there is quite clearly a bit of EQ that is required but some songs just sound sublime. It's late but I want to keep playing music.

I always experienced this with my cabs before I got my minidsp. Out of all the subs the t18 is my favorite. Its sound is extremely smooth compared to the others and just feels "right" without any eq really. Punchy, tight, smooth, invisible, powerful. I remember the time I decided to have a shootout between my t39's and the t18, the integration provided by the t18 was the goal on how I wanted ALL my subs to sound. All my other horn subs just felt like they dragged.

Fast forward two years later and alot of messing around with REW and minidsp, I was finally able to reach my goal of sound quality my t18 provided almost naturally. The only reason it got replaced in-home was because I wanted more extension which is why I opted for the Tabletuba.

PS. and you'll be surprised on how close it comes to a t39(granted with the cheaper 10" drivers) comparing the sizes of both.

[Chris_Allen]

I played around quite a lot last night and I still really like the sound, the best news is, I think I've found a driver in Europe which is competitively priced:

http://www.alpine-europe.com/fileadmin/ ... 844_EN.pdf

Qts is high at 0.42 (does that dictate a weaker motor strength?!?) and is outside the .3 with a 20% tolerance.

This comes in at £60-65.