What subs for wow factor and SQ?

[aarond]

Power will be 1000w so 250w per driver, 4 drivers, 4 ohm final impedance

I want to build something cool for my living room. Size isn't much of an issue as I'd like to build a triangular box for 2 subs in each of 2 front corners of my living room extending from floor to ceiling. SQ is the priority but so is visual/WTF appeal. I've done some shopping around for subs but haven't found anything I'm in love with. The 21" Kraken would look cool but I'm guessing a RSS460H can outperform it in a large enough box. The RSS460HO is an option but I really wish the Fs was lower. I've also considered going the passive radiator route for visual appeal but 4 18" subs would require $700 just in PR's and still may not have enough displacement to do the job right (250w/sub might allow it though). Also, PR's in large boxes aren't usually necessary and a conventional port might actually perform better (but not look as cool). I really wish a RSS460HF existed but apparently that's not a thing.

Thoughts?

[Chris Roemer]

Don't you think a pair of 6"id port tubes would look appealing? I do !!
That HO has an Fs under 19Hz. Not too many drivers that go lower than that.

Can you model in WinISD (linearteam.org)?
It shows a pair of those would be happy in an 8 cu.ft. (internal) box, tuned in the mid 20s w/a pr. of 6" ports, each one 2 ft. long.

[aarond]

Thinking back on this, I might just go this route. I'm pretty happy with the 4" full radius port flares I've been 3D printing. Might do dual 6" ports on each sub. The flares will be a little over 12" across. 4 ports and 2 18's is a linear 86" ...per side, LOL.

[billfitzmaurice]

Unless you're living room is massive four fifteens and possibly four twelves should suffice, and the box sizes would be a lot smaller. Model a few drivers for SPL at 250w, add 12dB to account for having four of them. You'll also get much better results with subs spread about the room. WAF is easy if they all do double duty as tables.

[dld]

Sub array of 4-6 12 or 15's in each corner?

[a4eaudio]

CSS SDX12 times four

[djg]

AVSforum is definitely into wow factor, DIY speakers and subs subforum.

[Blenton]

Unless you're living room is massive four fifteens and possibly four twelves should suffice, and the box sizes would be a lot smaller. Model a few drivers for SPL at 250w, add 12dB to account for having four of them. You'll also get much better results with subs spread about the room. WAF is easy if they all do double duty as tables.

But that would be.. **yawn** .. boring.. :D

is less boring... hahahahaha.

aarond - how much infrasonic information do you want this behemoth setup to transfer to your skull bones? In my opinion, displacement can be used in several different ways: high spl, low(er) distortion, or more extension. Of course, there are tradeoffs with each, and you don't have to pick just one, but if you are wanting to plumb the depths of moviedom sound effects, it could be setup a little differently than a straight up music only setup. Also my opinion, but 20hz extension is an important part of an SQ setup for both movies and music, with sub-20hz extension being very important for moviegoers.

Music-only setups would benefit from higher sensitivity drivers at the expense of extension. Movies-only often need megawatts to reach deep at moderate to loud volume. Mixed systems try to find that unicorn driver that is moderately sensitive with lots of excursion and a low fs that can be crammed in a small box. This, of course, is based mostly on simple sealed, vented, or PR alignments.

Speaking of the box - that is also hugely important. How much space (box volume) do you expect to allocate for the project?