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130' subwoofer array

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SonicXtasy View Drop Down
Young Croc
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    Posted: 31 August 2016 at 2:52am
As I have mentioned in a few other posts I have been pondering some ideas for upgrades or a possible new build at a skating rink. The Boom Room sub design is probably not the best thing to build Embarrassed. That being said, I am still considering things other than a few double 18's scattered about. One being a 130' subwoofer array. Most skating rinks have seats along the back wall that usually runs the full length of the rink. What if the seats were actually the sub cabinets.

From what I read, if I want to get up to 100hz the drivers cant be more than 7' apart. Lets picture a row of 20 15's spaced just under 7' apart along the back wall built as the seats. The drivers don't need to be great. Eminence Kappa Pro 15LF with 300 watts a driver should be more than enough. I could even use mid-grade, higher efficiency car woofers if I wanted. I am not building it for maximum output but for even coverage. Lets assume that the wall they back up against is cement block. What kind of coverage and distance would I get? If the snack bar was off to the side of the rink then I should naturally be much quieter there. If the narrow part of the rink is 80' would it still have a reasonable volume on the other side of the rink. How much would be heard on outside on the other side of the cement block wall? Any opinions would be appreciated.







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Hemisphere View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hemisphere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 August 2016 at 4:26am
Didn't you say you got noise complaints after a party with a couple of double 18" reflex bins?

If true there can't be much point in installing such a massive system unless you're doing it purely for the visual effect in which case just buy a bunch of blown drivers and 4 active ones OR better still add grilles and foam thick enough that the front of the cabs are fully opaque and leave most of the boxes totally empty. 

You can pay me 5% of the money you've saved for my consultation.

Edit: The speaker proximity you mentioned is only if you need the efficiency boost. From what you've written before, it sounds like you don't need the efficiency boost so the speakers can be as far away as you like provided there's a reasonably even coverage through the room. Most people don't expect coverage to be 100% even anyway (your mid/high coverage won't be), and bass is omnidirectional. 

For what it's worth, in this application I think you should concentrate on visual impact rather than raw acoustic output. You could build boxes with unnecessarily large chambers (or even seal off most of them from the actual speaker chamber).

You know that one music video? I forget who by. Might have been Fatboy Slim. It features ludicrously oversized speakers. In that case they were obviously a joke because they were just a typical hifi speaker design scaled up, but if you built a handful of 2.4 metres tall by 1.2 metres wide boxes, as deep as possible in the space you've got (custom shape so that they slot over the step and follow the curve of the purple pillars perhaps?) out of MDF and stuck a good high excursion 18" driver in each one you'd have the sound quality and the wow factor without the noise complaints or the costs.

Just never reveal what's actually behind the grille :) it's your trade secret. And.. if you ever find yourself in need of more sound for the venue you could literally cut another hole in the baffle and add another sub to the box.


Edited by Hemisphere - 31 August 2016 at 4:56am
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bass*en*mass View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bass*en*mass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 August 2016 at 2:55pm
imo such an array of small low powered subs would suit the requirements of equal dispersion/coverage/"throw" much better than massive subs in the corners and would reduce standing waves/bass outside..

to maintain an array without nasty lobes they should not be spaced further than 1/2 wavelength of the upper crossover.. (easy to calculate/check online)

if you want to go mad, build a second array on the opposite wall and form a massive "double bass array" (have a look online for advantages/details)

- if you can, just hire as many small and cheap 12/15" subs as required and test it ;)


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