cameltoe Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 This is just an idea I've been kicking around, and looking for advice on whether to make it a reality. Basically, my band has two Peavey Impulse 500 subwoofers we were considering selling to be replaced with a single sub, possibly the Mackie SRM1801. That's pretty much our price limit, but after reading some bad reviews online about the Mackie, and seeing a real lack of alternatives in that price range (£500-ish) I'm wondering if we can't get better results from these Peavey subs by rehousing them in a sturdy wooden enclosure. These are the speaker-size subs, all plastic, and shaped like regular Peavey Impulse tops. They are even pole-mountable. I would guess that these are not ideal conditions for a subwoofer to be housed in. I'm not technically minded, but I have the specs of the subwoofers, and I'm capable of building a wooden box, I just need advice on whether this would indeed improve the Peavey's, whether it's a worthwhile exercise, and to what dimensions and specs I would need to make the box. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 i wouldn't bother re-housing the speakers, to get a better sound you'd need the exact specs of the drivers and then WinISD or similar to design the enclosures. if you're wanting to build a box I'd head over to Bill FitzMaurice's website and take a look at the plans he offers, many people rave about them and I'm sure you could make some killer subs within your budget. http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/ Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 If you list the driver specs (rather than the subwoofer specs) I'm sure somebody will tell you whether it's worth rehousing them or not. You really need the Thiele Small parameters for the drivers though, and you may not have those. You're right that plastic boxes do not make very good bass cabinets and a properly constructed wooden box made of 18mm birch ply would certainly sound better. If you are happy to build your own cabs, you can construct a 15" reflex cab for not very much money using speakers like the Fane Sovereign. The speaker manufacturers have lots of free designs you could check out also. Have a look at the B&C site, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 Great advice guys, cheers. We've actually got to replace the speaker in one, so if anybody can work out the tech specs from the replacement speaker we've been told is the correct part, it may help in figuring out whether it's worthwhile; http://www.stagebeat.co.uk/Peavey-Replacement-Spare-Parts-1508-8-SPS-BW-SF-00560190-8573 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 (edited) Right, turns out that link I posted has more info than I'd anticipated. The link to the tech specs takes you to the peavey site where they have actually pre-designed DIY boxes to fit their drivers, including the 1508-08SPS which is what ours use. Can anybody give any advice in regards to following these plans? They list only cubic feet size-wise, so does it matter how I go about achieving that in terms of length/width etc? They also state I have to remember to account for vent and bracing in my capacity or I will miss-tune the enclosure. I understand the concept, but I don't really know how to do the maths. What I really want is the dimensions of the box ready to build. I'm not at all teccy so am bound to cock it up if I have to work it out myself! Also, as they list various sizes to work with this driver, what size would you guys recommend to work best with our tops, 2x Mackie SRM450's? Looking for a tight punchy sound over anything too sub-by. Edited April 25, 2012 by cameltoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 the peavey page linked to doesn't give a huge amount of useful information, (the aforementioned thiele-small parameters for instance). if you're worried about mis-tuning the cabs by getting the dimensions wrong i'd go for one of the designs available from the web, the B&C site has a nice looking 15" sub that you can download the plans of for free, i think eminance offer plans too. if you go for a trusted design and it's recommended speaker you will end up with something that will definately sound good, the peavey speakers are good but there are no promises that the finished sub will sound better than the original one. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcro Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 (edited) [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1335393144' post='1630556'] Right, turns out that link I posted has more info than I'd anticipated. The link to the tech specs takes you to the peavey site where they have actually pre-designed DIY boxes to fit their drivers, including the 1508-08SPS which is what ours use. Can anybody give any advice in regards to following these plans? They list only cubic feet size-wise, so does it matter how I go about achieving that in terms of length/width etc? They also state I have to remember to account for vent and bracing in my capacity or I will miss-tune the enclosure. I understand the concept, but I don't really know how to do the maths. What I really want is the dimensions of the box ready to build. I'm not at all teccy so am bound to cock it up if I have to work it out myself! [/quote] Hi cameltoe, So your drivers are the 1508 SPS's, correct? Which enclosure would you like? A medium sized vented box or a large vented box? I can work it out for you from that Peavey data sheet. You'll need to show me how you intend to build the cabinet and what size bracings you're going to use, but I can do the dimensions. Balcro. Edited May 4, 2012 by Balcro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 For what it is worth I've used the Peavey Black Widow speakers and they are good. Replacing the baskets is really simple too. Alternatively the Fane sovereigns mentioned above are also good if you decide to go that route. I'd go for the 15-500. [url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?category=Speaker_Components&startprod=10&instockonly=&man_old=all&masthead=Loudspeaker_Drivers&subheadnew=15_Inch_Drivers&sort=pr&manufacturer=Fane&submit=Go"]http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?category=Speaker_Components&startprod=10&instockonly=&man_old=all&masthead=Loudspeaker_Drivers&subheadnew=15_Inch_Drivers&sort=pr&manufacturer=Fane&submit=Go[/url] the 15-500 pro has an aluminium basket which is slightly better. You could probably sell the old Black Widows on Ebay. Even broken ones will fetch something because fitting the new baskets is so easy. That's a generous offer from Balcro. Bass players are a good bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Agree...nice offer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='Balcro' timestamp='1336171158' post='1642210'] Hi cameltoe, So your drivers are the 1508 SPS's, correct? Which enclosure would you like? A medium sized vented box or a large vented box? I can work it out for you from that Peavey data sheet. You'll need to show me how you intend to build the cabinet and what size bracings you're going to use, but I can do the dimensions. Balcro. [/quote] Agreed- what a great offer. PM'ed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcro Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 PM in reply. Balcro, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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