Building Our First Dub Sound System - DUB Focus

Hey everyone,

We want to take the leap to build our Dub Soundsystem. After years of collecting Reggae/Dub dubplates and selecting sometimes, we want to bring proper sound to our local scene – where there’s currently no active Dub system.

We’ve done some initial research and budgeting, and we’d love to share our current plans and get your input.
We are Dub Selectors so we're very interested in frequency separation — both as a tool for mixing music with a focus on individual frequency ranges, and for manipulating those frequencies to achieve a clean sound, or even cutting them entirely.

At least we want to built a 4-way system, but preferably a 5-way system for propper frequency control. A 3-way system is out of the question, since sub-frequency separation is essential for us.

Our budget is around 5,000 EUR, and we're trying to get the most out of that. That said, we’re willing to invest more if it’s necessary to build a proper, quality sound system.

In terms of experience: one of us is starting from scratch, and the other has some hands-on experience with DIY furniture building and basic electronics.

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Our vision:
A modular, hi-fi 5-way system with at least 2x 18" subwoofers, full control tower (preamp, mixer, FX), and enough power for both indoor sessions and small outdoor gatherings.

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So we now have a few questions:

• Sub Recommendations Super Scoop, Tapped Horn etc.? 

• What for the kick/mid

• Preamp(-builder) recommendations?

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We’re still learning and would love to get feedback from anyone who’s built their own rig. If you have tips, photos, or even mistakes to avoid – drop them here!

And if there’s already a thread on this exact topic, feel free to drop the link here as well.

Thanks for your help – every tip is appreciated

Merci & thank you!

Edited by SystemSubverted - 14 April 2025 at 9:36am

We want to build a 5-way system because we're very interested in frequency separation — both as a tool for mixing music with a focus on individual frequency ranges, and for manipulating those frequencies to achieve a clean sound, or even cutting them entirely as part of the audio performance.

At least a 4-way system is commonly used in Dub for propper frequency control.
A 3-way system is out of the question, since sub-frequency separation is essential for us.

It looks like the goal is not a good sound but playing around with the Pre-amp in the first place ( no offense ). 

Hey.

For example check out this system on soundsystem.world

For those who are not familiar with the concept / art form, the crossover and preamp is used as an effects device and the system is played like a musical instrument, extensively modifying the programme material. 5-way systems are good for this.

taurusty wrote: The fact that this is 2025 & u have to be explaining this is rather worrying.....

Edited by Line Array - 14 April 2025 at 10:05pm