Objective: I wanted a subwoofer that would eventually inhabit my car but that would stay in my room for awhile. Garage DJ use would be icing. I wanted, in-room, flat to 30hz or below for my dubstep and DnB that I enjoy. I wanted it dual loaded cause of the extra +6dB and bragging rights.
Solution: A dual loaded Table Tuba. Flat to 30hz in-room, plenty of volume for the car and house parties. I loaded it with two JBL GTO804 drivers, a higher power car audio-spec subwoofer with similar specs to the recommended Tang Band W8-740P. I got these because they were near the same price as the Tang Bands and looked more durable to the naked eye. Since these would eventually be in the car I wanted something other than a paper cone for durability against the constant weathering that comes with being in a car; the climate is always changing. I suspected it was a moot point but I got the JBL just in case. No problems so far.
The Build: This was a relatively easy build. Not as easy as a regular sealed box by any means, but it's worth the little bit of extra effort for the performance. To put it into terms, I'm a highschooler without much time, tools, or experience, and I finished this build in about three months, working in 2-4 hour stints, and not every day either, more on the weekends. The minimum tools are a circular saw, jigsaw, hammer, and nails, but a table saw is best thing ever. Cuts accurate angles quickly and efficiently with minimum fuss. Main tools I used were the table saw and jigsaw; table saw for the panels and jigsaw for the braces. I used waaaay too much PL Premium but it's all about getting the warm fuzzy that you're doing it right the first time anyway. I used about 5 tubes of PL, no joke. The professional builders on here could probably use around 2 tubes and get the same results. It comes with experience I suppose.
The Finish: I finished mine with Duratex because I knew it would get moved around some for parties. It's durable enough, though for cabs on the road 24/7 I would consider Line-X as a more permanent option, it's literally explosive proof (see Mythbusters Line-X tests). The Duratex is an easy, no-hassle finish to apply, and it dries in 30 minutes with ideal conditions. I applied 3 coats on a 30x30x24" cab. This was using only 2 pints of Duratex with some left over for touch-ups.
Performance: So, how does it perform? Well that can be measured in the three circumstances I've used it in- the room, the car, and as a bass bottom.
The Room: Nothing short of amazing. Here's an excerpt from my build thread (keep in mind I hadn't corner loaded it in my room yet):
Here's another excerpt from when I did my first war volume test in my room:bassmonster wrote:I fired her up for the first time (parents home, low volume). The TT was in about the middle of my living room, mouth in the center, not facing any corners, pretty much the worst placement for a sub. I plugged her into the Bash, crossed it over at about 100hz and played "Bass Head" by Bassnectar, my standard bass song for testing any decent system as it has a great drop down low as well as a dynamic bassline.
"Wow" doesn't even begin to describe it. This thing RIPS. It has a subtle, smooth tone but clearly means business, and a sort of airy feel to it while still being authoritative.
And the sensitivity. Let's put it into perspective. At .5 volts, you could hear it in the other room. At 2 volts, the stuff on glass shelves in the entertainment center showcase starts to buzz, and the Bash on top of the TT starts rattling. Even at full power this NEVER happened with my ported 8". At 3 volts on the TT, my dad was getting a slight headache, but this may be totally irrelevant to the noise, I suffered no effects. Again, this was with the gain on the Bash not up even one notch!!
I played some of the deepest obscure dubstep in my arsenal, but nothing could compromise the frequency response of the TT. I heard frequencies I'd never heard before in a loudspeaker, even at EDM concerts and raves and the like. And the cleanliness of this thing is amazing. It was like waking up after a long, blurred dream of port chuffing and high volume distortion. The smooth tone from this TT is just pure bass bliss.
bassmonster wrote:Well, I broke down and brought the TT into my room and corner loaded and hooked her up to the rest of my system, I crossed the sub at 110hz and the mains at 125hz with a wide slope. I had planned to wait to move the TT into my room until it was painted and Duratexed, but I couldn't resist. On a side note, my small room has terrible room modes, the bass is almost nonexistent in the middle of the room (no bueno), but is immense in the corners. Anyway, I then proceeded to play some Mord Fustang house music at war volume. Remember what I said about it not digesting my food?
Boy, was I wrong.it doesn't like, digest my food or anything.
I played it at only 1/3 volume, anything else would have alarmed the entire neighborhood. Next to the sub, everything on me was dancing like it was alive. The hair on my arms and legs felt like it was being blown around by a leaf blower, and my eyes felt like they were being pressed into my head with my thumbs. The bass was resonating inside my chest with a reverberation, that feeling I've always searched for since a loud concert years ago. I'm 100% sure that this could cause nausea after a short while. I only listened for 5 minutes and felt a little sick, though this was just from the evil happiness I got out of finally getting to play this monster at war volume. The drywall opposite the horn mouth was visibly fluctuating about 1/16", and things on my desk were walking across the surface. I then went into the next room. The plates hanging on the wall were visibly bouncing off the walls about 1/3", it was like the Hulk was slamming the palms of his hands on the opposite wall. I then went outside to see how loud it was outside. The gutters on the opposite side of the house were vibrating like crazy, and so were the front lights at the front door. I went over to where my room was (my room is downstairs). The window was visibly vibrating, and the side panels of the house felt like they were about to crack with vibration, and the gutters on this side of the house were shaking like there was an earthquake.