We’re planning to build our first sound system. Our first use will be once a year as a small mobile rig at AfrikaBurn (think Burning Man but smaller and in South Africa). Last year, we never drew crowds larger than ten people, but with a decent sound system, I hope to play for up to a hundred people outdoors.

I added some photos of our rig at the previous AfrikaBurn, it was one JBL EON 615 and a JBL EON518S sub. I wasn’t loud enough, even for the small crowds we drew and we ended up blowing both the woofer and the tweeter on the 615. I have bought a second 615 and a compressor/limiter for the next Burn in case we don’t get to build our own sound by then. Also gives an idea what I mean by “mobile”.

We mainly play bass-heavy music like Jungle, D&B, Dub, UK Bass, and a lot of House, Deep House, and Nu Disco. So, it should be a pretty all-round system capable of delivering a lot of low frequencies.

Since we’re mobile, size and weight are important factors. Previously, we used batter and solar power, but I realise we might have to let go of that or get a much bigger battery and inverter.

Our plan is to use the sound system year-round for fundraising events and rent it out in between. We’re based in Cape Town, and there aren’t many real sound systems, so I think there will be some interest in renting one from us.

For now, we don’t have a budget. We did one fundraising party that just broke even and are planning another. But we’ll have to start small and building the subs first seems to make the most sense.

I like the Cubo designs, and my first thought was to build two and then two more Cubo 18s. My second thought was to build two Cubo Sub with 18” drivers and two Cubo Kick 15s. If we go either of those routes, I was thinking two MT-130s for mid-top/tops would fill the whole frequency band.

I’ve read so many good things about the JMODs that I considered building those, but they seem pretty complex for a first build. Also, with those, we wouldn’t need kicks since they cover those frequencies. It would make sense to combine those with two SKRAMs and then build more SKRAMs as needed. But again, those are pretty complicated for a first build, and both the JMOD and SKRAM are more expensive in parts than the Cubos.

I’d love your thoughts. It’s a tough decision to make because we’re low on budget, we have some carpentry skills but no real speaker building experience, and our use case is also pretty specific.

Please help guide a newbie.

So, I do quite a lot of variety of live PA gigs. Some live bands, some corporate dialogue gigs, etc...

Right now I'm building some JW Sound Solana speakers. I'll probably eventually add subwoofers but don't know which yet. Regardless, some DSP added into my system chain is going to be needed. Technically my Behringer Wing already can output channels separated and processed, but I simply can't trust that as I'll often reset the board for a new gig (then need to reconfigure all output filter settings/routings.

I also have a good-ish (Josephson Engineering) measurement mic that I usually run REW with, so I'd love to just run a room sweep and have the DSP correct things without me attempting to match curves.

So, is it more configurable to have dedicated signal processors like a DriveRack or t-racks or minidsp and then dumb amps? Is it safer to have the protection onboard the amp directly? If one is budget-constrained (slightly) does one setup pose higher costs?

Hey guys, doing some digging before I start cutting wood. I'm building my first real system and want to start small and add to it.

Phase 1 is one Cubo Sub (the 18") loaded with a B&C 18TBX100 (8Ω, 6.2Ω min, 1200W nominal / 2400W program) and one Celestion CKT-TF1225 top (8Ω nominal, 6.5Ω min, 250W AES woofer, 400W EIA system). Phase 2 is a second sub and top, and later I want to add Cubo Kick 15s in the middle.

Use is backyard hangs and small gatherings, maybe a festival camp for 30-40 people. Not a concert rig, I just want it to sound good and not be underpowered. I'll run a miniDSP 2x4 HD for crossover/EQ and have a friend helping me tune with a mic. Planning to cross the sub around 80-90Hz and the top above that.

Where I'm stuck is amps. Budget isn't super tight (a few hundred over is fine) but I'd like to keep it in check:

- Crown XLS 2502 (open box, ~$539) for the sub, XLS 1002 for the top(s) later
- Behringer NX3000D (~$339) with the built-in DSP, or an NX4-6000 (~$469) to cover everything with 4 channels
- CVR D-1002 (~$699). A friend says plenty of people run these without issues

What I keep going back and forth on:
- Is the Behringer's listed 440W @ 8Ω real or just peak, and does it matter for a sub at my listening levels?
- Has anyone had Behringer NX amps die on them?
- Would you take the CVR over the Crown for subs?
- Should I use the 4Ω version of the TBX100 to get more out of the amp?

What would you run? Any gotchas with the Cubo Sub + TBX100 combo I should know about? Appreciate any help.

I'd like to build 2x 2-way tops (passive) to be used for small parties while traveling (PA). I am a house (primarily tech house) DJ. Planning to power with a Behringer NX1000D or similar when traveling by plane. Locally, will pair the tops with a sub or 2 that I would also build.

For the top cabs, I'd like to be able to carry them on, one each between my partner and I. Approximate max dimensions (each): 21" x 13" x 8" (this leaves room for padded bags).

Looking for driver recs (10" + 1"?).

I'm also looking for design recs. I'd like the drivers to be visible or have some other neat cabinet design that is both cool looking and functional.

Budget: $1250 but can go higher if I need to. I just don't want to spend a lot more unless I have to.

This will be my first speaker build. Thanks for your expertise!

Hello guys i got this 18 Sound 21lw1400 driver and as You Can See the yellow think i dont exactly know How its called ripped all around you should be able to See the Little gap and i thought in theory i whould be able to just Glue it back together im Not gonna give it its Full power annyway so i dont think it is going to rip do you think this whould be possible?
Thanks for helping :)

I bought a custom fit box for my Jeep. Gladiator from his car came with two Skar Audio VS-12 D4 12-inch subwoofers. Blew them out so the company sent me some new ones but did not include any screws to secure it to the box. The box has metal pieces for the screws to go in but I can’t seem to find the right ones. Does anyone know which hardware works?

Ciao a tutti!

Non sono un totale inetto nelle creazioni audio DIY, ma non mi ritengo affatto un esperto! Dopo qualche progetto ed esperimento realizzato in totale autonomia, e di discreta qualità, mi sento abbastanza maturo per cimentarmi nel mio primo piccolo sound system. Voglio mettermi alla prova, imparare e per poi... molto probabilmente, alzare ulteriormente il livello.... (ma questa sarà un'altra storia!)

Ho bisogno di consigli, disegni, diagrammi e progetti per realizzare un piccolo sound system con queste caratteristiche per me TASSATIVE e irrinunciabili: - Configurazione 2.1: 2 canali stereo più 1 canale mono dedicato al subwoofer. - Dimensioni compatte: speaker enclosures facilmente trasportabili in un'auto familiare. - Low cost. - Estetica aggressiva e accattivante. - Documentazione disponibile: disegni quotati, misure, indicazioni tecniche e link a progetti esistenti.

Inoltre, considerando queste esigenze, quale sarebbe secondo voi la configurazione migliore? - Opzione (A): 2 vie per canale (woofer + tweeter) e subwoofer. - Opzione (B): 3 vie per canale (woofer + midrange + tweeter) e subwoofer. - Opzione (C): 1 singolo driver full-range per ogni canale stereo, più subwoofer. - Opzione (D): altre soluzioni eventualmente più adatte.

Apprezzo soprattutto progetti concreti e collaudati, con link, disegni quotati e indicazioni tecniche utili alla realizzazione.

Ringrazio anticipatamente tutti coloro che vorranno darmi una mano!

Edit: non sono anglofono. Io scrivo con la mia lingua madre e Reddit traduce automaticamente.