How to make Down Firing Powered Subwoofer - DIY Build

Here's the timeline to guide you in building this DIY down firing active subwoofer.
00:00 - JBL Stage 810 Subwoofer Owner's Manual. Data for such thiele-small parameters, enclosure size, port length, etc.
00:10 - My preferred subwoofer enclosure designing software is Box-Port Design II. You can download it in this link box-port-desig... Available only for PC (Windows).
00:22 - Layout, design and dimensions of the down firing subwoofer enclosure using web application Tinkercad. Get it at this link www.tinkercad....
00:32 - Cutting MDF board main panels using DIY table saw.
00:43 - Gluing the main panels together. Top and bottome panels. Sealing the enclosure using the same wood glue.
00:57 - Cutting the subwoofer hole using palm router and a DIY circle cutting jig made of acrylic plastic.
01:24 - Flush mount the subwoofer speaker using a rabbeting router bit.
01:45 - Cutting MDF board for front, back and middle panels.
02:04 - Cutting the port tube hole on front panel.
02:13 - Cutting the amplifier board plate panel.
02:33 - Flush mount the amplifier board plate by cutting the MDF panel using rabbeting bit again.
02:48 - CheeChong the French Bulldog is helping! LOL
03:13 - BLOOPER! :)
03:25 - Gluing down middle, front, and back panels.
04:05 - Be sure to wipe down dirt and dust using a damp cloth. Wetting the MDF panel a bit will cause it to swell, ensuring the tight bond between panels and glue.
04:22 - Roundover router bit. Rounding the subwoofer box edges for a smooth look and feel.
04:40 - Sanding by an 80 grit sandpaper on a finishing or orbital sander.
04:47 - Painting lacquer primer surfacer paint by brush. Then sand it again with 120 grit sandpaper by hand.
04:56 - Lining the subwoofer internal walls with a poly-fiber material before painting the box with premium house acrylic latex paint.
05:35 - Here's comes the favorite part: Assembly. First by screwing down rubber feet.
06:00 - Bolt down the AIRS PW-280 amplifier board with 4mm Allen Hex bolts and T nuts.
06:38 - Glue down port tube. And stick the subwoofer rubber seal that is included in the JBL Stage 810 box.
07:28 - Solder speaker wires and bolt down with 4mm Allen Hex bolts and T-nuts as well.
07:50 - Voila! Final product showcase.
08:40 - Plugging it in and testing. Track is • The Ultimate Bass/Subw... by Sandeep Luthra

[@danoontjeh123]

Just got this video in my suggestions, was expecting some idiot but finally someone who actually goes about and calculates the size of their box, great job dude

[@mr79109189]

People need to do this more often. Being off the ground like that can change how the bass sounds just like the port on your box. You may really like that extra boom.

[@ilfaraone91]

Stuffing the enclosure (even if it's ported) makes a huge difference in bass quality. I use rockwool in my box every time and i'm never disappointed.

[@mr79109189]

It really does help with that ugly port sound in my experience.

[@ilfaraone91]

And "softens" bass. It's warmer and thicker. I can't describe it in words but it's really different

[@lawrencemaithyamutie4013]

this + the previous speakers = full system . cool stuff bro

[@chrclmnky]

Yes Sir, complete 2.1 system. Thanks for dropping by.

[@578morgan7]

lovely dog

[@MegaDJsBrasil]

if you can make a video explaining about this program how to do it! (Brazil)

[@twilightzone2651]

Those tools are the key for a clean and perfect box.. I need it too to build a neat project like yours. Thanks for sharing your work!

[@RingZero]

Beautiful job on the subwoofer, like the unique color

[@brandonballeza7505]

He visto todos tus vídeos y tus trabajos siempre me han gustado mucho, muy completos y profesionales... Saludos desde México, nice dog.

[@chrclmnky]

Hola Brandon! Thank you very much for the very inspiring feedback and I am glad to hear you've watched my previous videos. Muchas gracias.

[@dedey_15]

3:14 nice dog 😂😂

[@assholefuckingshit]

Cute French bulldog!!! Excellent hand crafted!!!!

[@chrclmnky]

He's an adorable little woofer. Thank you for the inspiring feedback, Yan.

[@cocosloan3748]

You the only guy that does build speakers properly ... No nails -screws or other shit..Pure glue bonds-tight -up to measure .Pity you dont use more quality speakers - but those are hard to find these days

[@michaelknight5607]

@@cocosloan3748 using screws its too expensive for mass production when you glue, you only glue the thin surface of the wood. when you have massive air displacement you have to take that to consideration. but for most home speaker i agree srews is not required.

[@basslover7869]

Nice box 👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@chrclmnky]

Yes sir, it is a nice box.

[@ms.bfederation4086]

Very nice

[@pedmor1032]

You never seem to disappoint me. As always another great build.

[@michaelangelosuarez3201]

ganda boss at finally nagsoundcheck kayo...may karapatan kayong magcharge ng mahal sa client niyo kz pulido ang craftsmanship niyo boss...QUALITY!!!!

[@hardikkumar1279]

Hey its amazing to see that you're still replying to comments. Very informative video. Can you please explain why did you put the cotton like cloth inside the box... Does it improve the bass or something ?

[@chrclmnky]

Hello Hardik, the polyfiber fill makes the box appear "bigger" to the subwoofer, therefore producing lower notes.

[@babbumaan2630]

Nice woofer

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks!

[@vegasbab.y3740]

That fast hammering was funny 😂

[@mafkeez]

Nice build man! I'm looking to build one myself, this is a good example of the sub i want to make! Thanks for the video!

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you for the feedback Kees, good luck and enjoy building DIY projects. 😎

[@IvanSanchez-zm5fp]

muy bueno..saludos desde argentina

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Ivan.

[@RBS22]

Very good 😎👍🔊🎶

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Ricardo.

[@electronicshelpcare]

I love basssss

[@chrclmnky]

Yes 🤘😎

[@cortessarge5399]

mao jud ari diri cebu beh kay pahimo ko nimo ug ingon ana etc..murag original sir oi wooowww super baffles 5 stars...

[@chaeyoung8908]

Cute doggy 🤩

[@martinmeyer6341]

The dog! :D

[@ramandeep-iu7tc]

Very tellented man Art is in your hands Awesome man

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you for the nice comment, Raman.

[@nold606]

Ah..ampf = 280 watt Subf spekar = 500 watt Bos..very nice sound😎

[@timschutte8310]

, damn nice work and my favorite speaker company, JBL. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks Tim

[@devus584]

jbl😒

[@ohmythatsweird]

Down firing subs scare me, I never know what their thinking! .. AWESOME BUILD

[@edwardcase]

I like your use of blind nuts and machine screws to secure the amp.

[@chrclmnky]

MDF really don't hold woodscrews very good. 😃😎

[@babbumaan2630]

Nice dog bro

[@chrclmnky]

Yes he is very clumsy and cute.

[@LUISCMUNIZ]

good job. As an advice, I recommend you to do a better demo of the final product.

[@politicallycorrect5070]

Beautifully designed

[@trocin8763]

Its look like very exclusive subwoofer

[@geovanevieirasousa1319]

Vc manja de mais

[@Benoyjoseph0944]

Nice work.. I have a doubt! Why you used the subwoofer on down? Whata the difference? Which is best ?

[@chrclmnky]

Theoretically, subwoofers firing downwards will bounce sound against the floor, making the output louder in the process.

[@yurianhuizing2352]

I have my sub dowm fired. This looks cleaner.

[@timschutte8310]

, very nice work, very professional, very good components, nice cabnet. perfect driver choice, love love JBL. All in all, I give 5 "twinkies"!!! perfect job !!! except for the puppy, amplifier ( mishape ) but that happens, lol. I have a German Shepherd and everything I do, she is right there with me with her nose literally in everything, extremely curious. dogs are great companions !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks Tim. That was an inspiring feedback. My first plan was to use a subwoofer driver for home audio use but can't find any 8" with a single coil having 4 Ohms so I experimenting using a car subwoofer speaker. Well, it turned out to be sounding better and louder and is very efficient when paired with the factory specified 4 Ohms class D plate amplifier. On the other hand if you watched my other videos, my other dog is a Belgian Malinois cross, and her name is Kiki. She and the little black puppy roam around a lot! She's not around in this video because she's in my girlfriend's house far from my place. Cheers!

[@JustAnotherAsianGuy2]

dam that box looks nice .... i would want that

[@chrclmnky]

Yi

[@bryanleiporsado6845]

The sound in the beginning killed my ears.

[@BrewdClutch]

Nicely done, quality build! But bass port looks awful, I would go for bigger and longer one and 46Hz seams rather highly frequency for a sub, -3dB on 43Hz is really weak performance, driver fs is 41Hz you could tune it at 40Hz or lower to extend bass response.

[@haziq90]

can i know where i can learn how to tune?

[@Hoaqxin]

@@haziq90 look at the fs of your driver. Tuning should be around that. But it depends, if you want to build an infrabass, tuning should be very low, if you want ro build a kickbass, tuning should be very high. And if its an allround-bass, tuning should be ~36 to 48... The specific tuning depends on your usage, the drive itself and how big / loud you want the sub to be. You can only pick two of the three following things: efficienzy, size, deeper bass. So you have to compromise...

[@BrewdClutch]

I use Bass Box Pro 6 for my projects. Vent size should be the minimum size that will keep the vent air velocity low and avoid vent turbulence noise at maximum excursion Xmax. Just type in Google Subwoofer Vent Air Velocity it will give you plenty of knowledge.

[@BrewdClutch]

@@Hoaqxin that is why it is very important to choose right driver for your application. I don`t believe all "around-bass" tuning. Big role plays music genre will be played on the sub, for hiphop tune it as low as possible but for dance music 45Hz will be relatively ok and for rock music closed box (for those tight kicks) or open baffle (live sounding), but then sub is only used to extend lower frequency and all higher midbass from 60/80/100Hz-150Hz etc will be covered by bookshelf/floorstand speakers need to balance every part of your system. Efficiency I would chose only if I want to go loud as possible without thinking about quality/freq response (be honest we rarely are listening our sound systems to the max volume) I believe there are drivers that can do everything but comes with high price. (Always check Qts parameter). Size is the big one - you need to compromise here. Extended bass in my view is the main thing to look for.

[@Hoaqxin]

@@BrewdClutch yeah, extended bass is great for hifi and home cinema. But for PA, you may want to choose efficiency, as you dont really "hear" the quality-difference between an 7/10quality bass and a 9/10 at ~120db. Best set-up there would be an infrabass for deep bass, a kickbass for the "higher" frequencies, and tops... But thats only possible with a high budget, measure equipment and a dsp.. So most small setups just use one type of subwoofer. Typically 18" and if they reach a f3 of 37-43Hz, i would consider them to be "allround". They play your normal edm, disco tunes and they can even play hip hop.. They're inbetween infra and your kickbass..

[@NuriBass69]

That is one good looking subwoofer you've build there! I've just finished my first selfmade subwoofer enclosure, now I only need some inspiration on how to paint it. I love when people build stuff by them selfes instead of just buying everything!

[@chrclmnky]

Congratulations on your new build sir. Building and hearing them for the first time is very satisfying than buying. 😃😂

[@pedrogavilan4770]

Wow I’m impressed very nice n neat work you do! This is the 2 video n yes I’m subscribed hope to learn more from your channel 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Pedro. Will upload more videos soon.

[@jondoe6618]

Came out great. Only concern I have is the poly fill. You should never use it in a ported box. It will go inside the woofer coil which is very bad news. I have seen it happen.

[@chrclmnky]

Fiber fill and fiber lining are two different things. Go ahead look it up.

[@jondoe6618]

CHRCLMNKY oh so that won't fall apart with all the turbulence from the woofer. To each their own. Great build.

[@aikonlatigid]

Just like factory made

[@alcolavista-22]

Luvly.. good quality craftsmanship..😂👍

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks a many, Ralph22.

[@briansimmons5363]

Really nice i think you hit all the good points.

[@chrclmnky]

Hello Brian, did I? Hehe. Thanks.

[@Alonek-rk5og]

Please buy link of kit

[@patricksolemslkkkvernstad5027]

What program do u use

[@aloktinkualok3640]

I love your dog He is so cute

[@am6610]

I thought its gonna spit fire every time the bass drops LOL Amazing job btw !!

[@c871204]

1:08 This sound makes my teeth feel uncomfortable

[@chrclmnky]

Fast forward router sound

[@babbumaan2630]

Like this video

[@nycorinschlobohm5046]

All of your builds look so clean I wish I had the tools to build a box like yours

[@Asyik2aku]

I dont have those machines 🤣🤣🤣... Nice project...

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you. :) I will rebuild this one into a bigger box because this farts a lot.

[@sysierius]

I made about the same but mine is ported and front firing, also i have the 10 inch model

[@chrclmnky]

Nice. Good job.

[@telatkomen1553]

Berapa inci itu bro

[@victorpatrickgammon]

That was perfect dozing in and out of consciousness with some solo 3 on and I play this

[@victorpatrickgammon]

Somebody has a contour

[@vaibhavkarar8858]

This is not diy , this is original ooo

[@ridwanhardipinari1615]

Ini di Indonesia apa di luar negeri sihh... Bisa pesenam nggak ya

[@ariadzisman]

filipin kayakny gan...

[@tirtakoikudus826]

Mantep desainnya gan

[@ariadzisman]

@@tirtakoikudus826 pralatanny mndukung sekali gan...

[@nightbleeding2759]

the air hole is to small and make too much noise

[@toxrozzx8158]

Is that the crackling noise?

[@sleezy3963]

Very Professional!

[@cortessarge5399]

nice sub...murag original oi..super..wow

[@chrclmnky]

Haha Salamat sir. Murag ge tuyo sa? Hehe

[@z33hayden23]

Port is too small...

[@chrclmnky]

Suggested port size in JBL owner's manual is smaller than what I put here. Do we have to argue JBL or Mr. Harman himself for suggesting such small ports? And by the way, the box outputs just fine even to massive and heavy below 30Hz bass boosted hiphop songs and stuff.

[@z33hayden23]

Really, I would of thought that that would be moving some serious air?😕

[@nilsuhlemann7421]

@@z33hayden23 when a sub is moving less on low Bass notes , it just means that the enclosure is tuned near that frequency ;)

[@z33hayden23]

True

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

@@nilsuhlemann7421 yeah but just 2hz below the tuning frequently and it a tornado if the port is not big enough. But bigger port means bigger box. Some 5 inch book shelves speaker that have bigger port that this. Do I have to argue with JBL , yeah , the brand name has nothing to do with the product.

[@user-xu1sw9fv5c]

dude. doing everything very cool. but in some places, maybe they just did not get into the frame, I do not understand your actions. Why did you put a box from the inside with a soft material in a phase-in-inventory design? and why you use such amplifiers. I wonder what it plays and almost do not show. Khatya I'm sure that is not bad. doin pretty cool. you need to make more complex design.

[@seekermarius]

Super nice! Good work, all my respect for you, for what you made! Good lock in your future!

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Marius. So inspiring to read feedback like this.

[@taichisifu734]

Beautifully done ...

[@photoputer7797]

Good job , all the diy need more time I can see in the video to study the components

[@kickOffLiveTV]

It is so nice to watch. Great work.

[@chrclmnky]

Hello Iqbal. thanks for the nice feedback.

[@electronicshelpcare]

awesome video

[@rottmanthan]

i used to have a klh down firing one with 8" woofer & 100w. amp, sounded great, once the sub blew i replaced it with a kicker, sounded even better.

[@rottmanthan]

i currently have a front facing klh 12" 200w, origional woofer but replacement amp.

[@chrclmnky]

Good stuff.

[@chrclmnky]

@@houzeiguapo3375 Hello how you doin'? You know what, here in the Philippines, the word "guapo" is synonymous to gay. 😀 😁 😂

[@rottmanthan]

on yours I like the white, & the jbl is nice too.

[@Carnutzjoe]

Great job. Beautiful work. Maybe I’m OC, but it’s always bugged me that subwoofers use the bass from both stereo channels to drive one speaker. I’d want a subwoofer with two amps, and two drivers in two connected but separated enclosures with two separate ports. There are subtle differences between the stereo bass tracks in a lot of music. I think I want to build something like this X 2, back to back.

[@FSXgta]

No there is not alot of stereo content in bass. Unless you are crossing over the subwoofers higher that 80hz.

[@mikeh7434]

Nice work!!

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks Mike. 😋 😎

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Nice job 👍 I like your router set-up

[@chrclmnky]

Hello Chris, thanks for the feedback. The DIY circle cutting jig made of acrylic is very helpful.

[@tamilguna]

Love from India

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks very much Tamil.

[@davidblankenship5394]

The rooster call sounds really great ,and it's HD ,wow....lol

[@leonel653]

Muito bom bem feito parabéns.

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Leonel. I translated your comment into Google Translate. I appreciate the nice comment.

[@jonnyblurt]

Nice job mate 👌

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks Jon.

[@djbazzmaster]

as a french bulldog owner that laugh pretty hard when the dog fell of the table. funny as they can be!

[@chrclmnky]

The table tipped off and he almost fell, I caught him. The tools went down the floor.

[@justins.1283]

Great job on that build!

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks very much Justin.

[@simonivan4916]

LODI ko to... Pagawa na kayo... Sooo PRO :D

[@chrclmnky]

hahaha

[@Jazzhop101]

Nice work, going to attempt one soon.

[@chrclmnky]

Make it good and enjoy! :)

[@user-iw5de9ou6u]

This is what i looking for very good and neat and nice looking, what thickness of mdf board u using?

[@chrclmnky]

Hello R70451 its a 3/4 inch MDF

[@VENUEATHENS]

Would you make a video on the tools, accessories and items needed for beginers to start building their own projects? Looks really fun and you make it seem so easy, even though it's not..

[@chrclmnky]

Hello Tony, actually pretty easy. It just need a lot of time and patience to complete anything.

[@AGD1945]

love it amazing job man

[@joshuamora944]

That's a very nice design that you chose. I really like it!!!

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Joshua.

[@Miguel_Herbert]

El mejor vídeo de construcción de caja para sub activo ... Eres un dios ... Excelente

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you very much Equipos de Audio for such a nice feedback. Gracias.

[@Miguel_Herbert]

how are you brother as I do to ask for that amplifier I think to build one like you are but I searched for that amplifier and nobody gives me reason to have it

[@chrclmnky]

Check out Banggood or Aliexpress and search for "subwoofer amplifier board". There are many choices available there. This particular amplifier is AIRS PW-280.

[@Miguel_Herbert]

@@chrclmnky thank you very much bro truth did not know how to enter the store to find the one that best suits me .. I will definitely make one like yours was great ... thank you very much greetings from Peru

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks very much brother. I appreciate the feedback and I hope you find what you need and have fun doing your DIY projects! :)

[@electronicshelpcare]

Everything good.

[@edstar83]

Nice work. and cute dog.

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks very much, Edstar83. 🐶

[@vandofucavolkstwo8699]

Iam from Brazil, Not speaking inglish. Eu gostei muito do seu trabalho, gostei mais foi das suas ferramentas. 👏👍

[@aldermanenterpriseinc]

MAN! I LOVE this rumbling! You have to HAVE a good sub in order to enjoy good sub base (smile)

[@chrclmnky]

Yessir! 😄

[@chrisyerp174]

good looking low power plate build

[@chrclmnky]

Hello Chris, the amp is actually very powerful.

[@lawrencemaithyamutie4013]

I'm now waiting for a sound test of the 2.1 system

[@StaticVapour590]

Just awesome

[@Flowrius]

Whao very nice job 👍🏻

[@lubosholicka3291]

nice work!

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Lubos.

[@28dens]

Maganda gawa mo sir sa katulad ko na di marunong gumawa at walang tools mas mapapamahal ako sa diy pero galing mo gumawa

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks for the positive feedback boss. :)

[@serJOga]

Nice Job and a Cute Dog too 😊 PS: How do you did the Orange Port?

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks serJoga, the orange port was a 2" PVC pipe and heat shaped to fit into black plastic port tube. It is an extension to achieve port tuning.

[@jimmyjimjimmyjimjimjimjim4437]

Great build! One small suggestion: the screws holding the driver in place should be non-ferrous metal. I didn't do that on one of my builds and almost ruined a pair of expensive ribbon tweeters. Every time I took the tweeters off, very fine pieces of metal would come off and lodge in the magnet.

[@chrclmnky]

Thanks for the great tip Jimmy Jim. Those so called "carbon steel" hex black bolts still can get rusted. I'll keep your advice in mind. :)

[@kaedeschulz5422]

On cone driver's this doesn't matter. It could only have an effect on driver's where the screws are right next to the magnet. Even then im not sure if you could hear the differences. If you mean because rust... Yeah i wouldn't want to have rust on my speakers.

[@chrclmnky]

@@kaedeschulz5422 I agree.

[@jimmyjimjimmyjimjimjimjim4437]

@@kaedeschulz5422 No, I'm not talking about an effect on sound. If you unscrew the driver a couple of times, say to work the x-over or to check wiring or stuffing, you can flake off small bits of metal from the screw head. If it is ferrous metal the bits can get drawn into the magnets and cause damage. That's what happened to me and ruined an expensive ribbon tweeter.

[@kaedeschulz5422]

@@jimmyjimjimmyjimjimjimjim4437 Alright. I never had this problem so that's why I don't even think about it.

[@franciscorafael7975]

Bonito vídeo ((Haaa y el perro)),,,, EXCELENTE TRABAJO.

[@chrclmnky]

Thank you Francisco.