Let me ask a "hypothetical" question...

Let's say that you have in your possession an extra amp. Say, as an example, a 325 Watt amp from an SVS PCi 20-39 subwoofer.

What cool project would you use it for that wouldn't cost a lot of money?

I'd build a light-weight hover subwoofer that could float over ground. The frequency would be increased to allow the unit to settle to the ground. ALthough it may require extra amps and subwoofers for stability control.

Two things come to mind since we're talking about a mono amp instead of a stereo amp, albeit one with lots of headroom.

First, DIY subwoofer, especially a stealthy, infinite baffle thing. Build it into the closet, floor or ceiling, throw a grate over it, and you'd have the benefit of additional subwoofer capacity and linearity for the cost of a couple drivers and plywood.

Second, distributed multi-zone mono audio. Combine the stereo signal at the line level, feed it to the amp and send it to 2-4 ceiling-mounted or outdoor speakers in places where you'd like to have some music but don't care too much about imaging.

These may not be technically viable suggestions. I'm just riffing from a user point of view. You'd need somebody smarter than me to ensure proof of concept on the technical architecture.

I do like Bruce's hoverwoofer idea, though. How about some combination subwoofer and robotic vacuum cleaner - the Boomba.

Good luck with that.

Ebay

Buy the Parts Express RSS315HF-12, 295-464, subwoofer driver. Build a 2.5f^3 sealed cabinet. This will give you a very nice, musical sub that should extend to about 25Hz. with room gain. This driver has some of the lowest distortion numbers out there:)

In reply to:

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combination subwoofer and robotic vacuum cleaner - the Boomba

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Somedays, Tom, I'm surprised by your eloquence. Days like today, you give me a good laugh. That was great.

Bren R.

I keep telling people that "easily amused" is a virtue

Revising an old thread.

After visiting Sirquack's theater, I want, no NEED, a second subwoofer to help smooth out the bass in my theater. I was thinking about building something into the chaise lounge part of the custom seating in my theater, and I have the above mentioned 325 watt amp. So I looked at mace's post above and check out the 12" subwoofer driver he mentioned. I know that the size of the enclosure is important, etc, etc, but the driver is rated for 400 watts RMS, and the amp has the following specs 325 Watt Bash Amp.

Wouldn't I need a "less power hungry" 12" sub driver to work with the 325 watt amp? Thanks!

Nick, it's unclear why you referred to that driver as "power hungry"; the spec sheet shows that it has a pretty typical sensitivity of 86dB 1watt/meter. The power that it can handle without going up in smoke is supposedly 400 watts, but that doesn't mean that it won't work well with far less, certainly the 325 watt amp that you're proposing.

See, that is why I am asking. I knew that someone here would know more about DIY'ing this more than me. Thanks.