These dual 18” MONSTER home theater subwoofers cost less than you’d think | GSG MartyCube V2.1

[@ThaVillaMan]

Hear these subs in my Home Theater upgrade video kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXXWiImhadOtnrs

[@sathyaarun4695]

wonder why u didnt go with UM 18

[@johnrodriguez2922]

Villaman i wanted to hear them!!!

[@johnrodriguez2922]

That's a great price for all that!!!

[@johnrodriguez2922]

Villaman u did an awsome job! Do u live in California?

[@johnrodriguez2922]

@Jaxen Emery bro what's Flixzone?

[@lazerlinec1770]

Zip ties screw holes to line up and drop in subwoofer was GENIUS! All my years doing this and never crossed my mind thank you so much for this incredible video.

[@Kelocyde]

It's genius until you make the baffle exactly the size of the woofer and then they wont pull out lol. I build mine with tight tolerances and this trick never works for me :(

[@ckmodele]

#bossmove

[@poncethegayboi]

Yep

[@kriswingert1662]

I use twine as it is thin and you can pull it from a tight tolerance.

[@harrybarry2659]

VillaMan, you are super. I have always loved clean powerful stereo. I am 74 now. Years ago I bought two of the Dayton-Parts express "Titanic", 1000 watt, 15 inch subs. They are still wall shakers. I imagine yours are a step above them. Nice job.

[@6toportal]

a tip from a pro painter, I made custom boxes before and painted them with automotive paint without issues, now: use body filler, holds better than spackle , two: spray 2k filler primer, it seals the MDF especially on the open or cut areas, three: spray guide coat, fohr, sand with 400 grit, if youre spraying any metallic paint finish with 800 grit.. Great job you did btw

[@mikef5659]

Excellent diy video. You're very well spoken and didn't waste a single word or say anything unnecessary making it very easy to follow along and stay interested. Bravo

[@peterkay2406]

I know these are prefabricated, but you did an excellent job explaining the build. I think I would have cried breaking that support. Thumbs up man

[@cibdizzy]

I like how humble he is. And amazing work and the patience. Keep up the great work.

[@miscreant1739]

This video inspired me to build some of my own, but this guy makes it look way easier than it was. It cost me $2350 after tax/shipping for everything I needed (includes cables, power accessories, fans, etc) except the tools. It took 26 days from the time I ordered the flat packs to the time they arrived. It took 10 days to build them with me taking extra time off work during the day, performing steps late at night before bed, and early in the morning before work. I used Minwax two-part wood filler (like bondo) on the seams, sanded them, applied two coats of Zinsser peel stop high build primer with sanding after each, then two coats of spray duratex and sanded after each, then another two coats of duratex. Unfortunately after all that I can still see the seams a little but only if I'm looking for them. I'm sure a more experienced DIYer could have done a better job but they still look great and on-par with what was shown here. I chose SAF184.03 drivers and an NX6000D amp because I already have Dirac live... if you don't, you may get the NX6000 and MiniDSP 2x4HD like him. Taking the time to DSP these and check with REW is a must - if you just run basic room correction you won't like them because they don't have integrated DSP like most commercial subs. After tuning them they sound great - very clean and strong. In my 21'x15' room with a 12' vaulted ceiling I hit 112dB at 20hz at 12% THD with the pair at my listening position 10' away and they probably can squeeze a few more dB if I ignore distortion and push them but I'm avoiding that because I legit think they could damage my house. Based on measurements I've seen on review sites my guess is one of these is comparable to a PB16-Ultra (see reply below with updated thoughts here). I haven't heard the ports chuff either even when pushing them in a scene like the BR2049 intro which was a big relief. Unless you love DIY and are patient, you may be better off waiting for a sale on the Monolith M-15 for $2600/pair after tax (haven't tried them, but they'll be close enough for most people and save time). A couple things I ran into was I had to add gasket around the Speakon adapter because air was leaking from it and causing a squeaking noise, I had a ground-loop hum that was resolved by connecting a wire from the grounding screw on my receiver to the amp, and the fans in the NX6000D are noisy and had to be replaced with quieter ones. I'm very happy with the overall result now, but it was a lot of work so just know what you're getting yourself into. Good luck!

[@miscreant1739]

Comparing these to the PB16-Ultra was overly optimistic it seems - at least when using the Lavoce 184.03 driver and NX6000D amp. I've since tried pushing them harder and they max out around 106dB per sub at 20hz at 1-meter. GSG says I should be getting more output and they suspect something is wrong with my setup. I've worked with them for a while now and wasn't able to find the source of the issue so I suspect it's normal for this combination of gear. They do provide a lot of mid-bass output above 40hz and in that higher range they may well beat the PB16-Ultra, but I don't think so on the low end. It's still a lot of output for the money, but it's probably closer to a PB-3000 on the low end. If I am able to find out how to squeeze more out of these or see confirmed examples of others getting better results I'll update here.

[@Intelligent_Critic]

Monolith 16 seems more cost effective

[@ordinaryguy6736]

But these are two compared to the monolith 15/16’s. That means you can place them to have more even bass instead of the one.

[@dutchgrower2971]

Hi i am going to build the marty cubes, i am thinking about going with the Dayton UM-18 drivers, but some people say its better to Go with the LaVoce saf 184.03, i am having 1 SVS PB3000 right now and they are pretty strong at low room shaking frequenties, i am scared the LaVoce saf 184.03 is not going to get as low as the Dayton UM-18 s, especially at the lower frequentie i think the Dayton UM-18 s, can hit way harder, , can you please explain why you choose the LaVoce 🙏

[@miscreant1739]

@@dutchgrower2971 I went with Lavoce because I tried the UM18 in the same enclosure and the 8ohm Lavoce had a lot more output from 50hz and higher with lower distortion. It also had 1-2dB more output at 20hz. It had 1-2dB less output from 25-35hz or so. The Lavoce driver is much more sensitive so it just gets louder with the same power. It’s true it doesn’t have the excursion of the UM18 but the driver doesn’t move at port tuning and the cube is tuned to 22hz and needs a high-pass filter below that so it only gets to use its excursion in the 30hz range before the port takes over. If low bass is important to you go multiple sealed 4cuft subs or bigger ported enclosures like the mini or full marty. 21” full Marty with a kraken is probably the best value.

[@sum2automation]

Yup, my speaker system is now stacked up to my ceiling in the home, my naborhod loves them. I stopped chasing fidelity after my hearing test and the big screen stuff .. because I now need glasses, lol. Nice work, thanks for sharing.

[@jorismk1]

Nice build! One tip; when you're installing a rack mounted device, do the bottom screws first. The device will support itself then. If you'd do the top ones first and slightly shift your knee right on top of a cut ziptie, the amp will have bent ears :)

[@adrianrainbow4106]

Beasts. They look absolutely awesome. I keep a dish sponge in a jug of water, and wipe any glue away, after clamping. Save yourself shid loads of sanding.

[@garycaruso4883]

Great video! For future MDF projects, Best primer for MDF is Shellac based BIN primer, Filler, sand with 220 then prime then sand again then prime again.. your finish will look perfect

[@ThaVillaMan]

Thanks for the tip!

[@MondoRockable]

Yep. Bondo for the filler and an oil based primer (MDF tends not to like water based primer products as it can cause swelling) like Zinsser 03504 Cover Stain Interior/Exterior Oil Primer Sealer will work too. Sand prime, sand, prime.

[@garycaruso4883]

@@MondoRockable Once you go Shellac you will never go back! dries in a couple minutes and sands far better.

[@Ds-xi2sq]

Well said my friend..I run 2 Velodyne DD 18's + ... Quality when you need it !

[@MrK133n]

I wanna hear it. Tell me when you next watch a film and I’ll stick my head out the window.

[@ThaVillaMan]

🤣

[@ulflarsson9693]

Maybe i can hear it here in sweden also where i live then.😅🤣😂👍

[@cyberneticorganism.]

@@ulflarsson9693 You guys have a history of picking things up all the way over there, like the Chernobyl radiation so :-p Should be possible.

[@era7928]

@@verlatenn Subs are easy and can be made cheaply. Middle and high range is where the complex stuff happened. They only cover 200 Hz and below. Any decent but not overpriced speakers will compete with 1k + branded subwoofer. A good thick box would help too.

[@simonjorgensen8484]

@@cyberneticorganism. 🤣🤣 I remember that day haha

[@Michael_Braddy]

Yeah, I think this is my favorite DIY amazing home stereo build. Those enclosures are truly first class. Respect.

[@gsgaudiodesign477]

Big thanks Michael, and have a great weekend.

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

That is one really nice kit. Well thought out, good bracing, and a thick front plate. If you don't have a CNC of your own, buying that kit is a no brainer.

[@Psyphonyx_Life]

I LOVE that your intro is short and audio balanced. =) - I like your process and commentary here.. It's a good walkthrough a view.. not boring to keep watching. ..VERY impressed that you've included mishaps - dealing with mistakes Is the truest test of Humanity & integrity. Kudos to you. Very awesome to see. Thank you!

[@ronmurphy4234]

In the past I've used an Adcom ACE-515 Stereo Component Power Sequencer that turned on components in a selected order, this prevented any loud pops when just turning everything on at once.

[@Paxmax]

14:03 a tiny helpful hint to get things just a hair tighter with the side brace: clamp it down 1/3:rd tight, give it a few taps vertically with a scrap board + mallet. That way you ensure it gets snug against the vent. Then tighten fully to cure. I did see you pushed it down with your thumbs and it is most likely "good enough" but there are always these small hints that will make you feel better about your builds. This "Tighten a bit, tap it to seat it and then tighten fully" is a tried and true technique useable in many many circumstances. The tappy tap tap will overcome the friction of the clamp but it will not have enough energy to overcome friction on the way up.

[@jaydoublebusy]

GSG gave you a shout out for these exact speakers i think.

[@erickvond6825]

As someone who has done this professionally I have the following 2 suggestions for you. First it's good to paint or seal your boxes inside and out to preserve the wood. This keeps it from warping or falling apart later. The second thing is to assemble the internal baffles before putting the bottom and back on that particular box. In fact it works pretty well to assemble the back & bottom and then put the assembly on the rest of the box. Bouns round advice, use T-nuts to mount the drivers. They provide a machine threaded insert that doesn't wear out if you wind up having to work on it later or replace/upgrade the drivers.

[@deadlymarsupial1236]

I recall when I was YFS (young free single) in the night club scene and the main club I frequented updated their sound system. The bass speakers around the dance floor - half of them made no sound - they just moved air - the vibration was insane. The amplifiers totalled 7000W RMS for the whole system and they had 8 overhead mid/top end speakers and 8 bass speakers for the dance floor.

[@murraywebster1228]

That’s one well engineered and braced cabinet, very impressive!

[@brett1196]

Now that is a home theater system wow you're not kidding all your neighbors win five block area

[@MrNismopro]

12:09 you handled it well my friend. I would've thrown the mallet at my neighbor, and kicked the box, stubbed my tow and yelled at my dog all in an 1/8 of a second. 🤣

[@chevron916]

I’ve watched this video at least 5 times now, and it puts a smile on my face every time. - you have have convinced me to do some DIYing. - Great job. I would interested to know what the noise curve looks like.

[@SpenceJT]

Outstanding! I'm SOLD! A pair of 18" cubes will be my next project after I upgrade to my UST projector & screen!

[@donaldscheer5206]

Great Build Video! The Look On Your Face When The Port Brace Broke!...PRICELESS!

[@DaytonAudioOfficial]

Thanks for the review of the RSS46HO-4 18"! That finished sub is a monster!

[@jamband4230]

This was such a good video I didn't even realize it was 26 minutes long. If I knew it was that long I never would've clicked on it. As interested as I am in this subject that's just a long time to watch a video in the age of internet and ADHD. But this was concise and we'll don't with no fluff and no over explaining everything. Great video. And the subs looks awesome!

[@kevings26]

What a video!!! Watching it made me feel like I was right there helping with them. Also, the Marty flair gray colored port…really nice touch.

[@ThaVillaMan]

Haha well that’s because your advice was so helpful!

[@cplcombat]

Day-Toe, your welcome. Nice build and way to overcome the breakage issue. Well done sir. Well done indeed!

[@edwinanstey5123]

Great Video!!! It was a pleasure to watch, it didn't seem like 26 mins at all which is a great testament to the art of video editing and commentary! I love your new setup Villaman! Looks very sleek and those 18's are a splendid touch 👌

[@matthewshivers9235]

I Highly recommend cleaning up the excess wood glue with a wet rag as you are assembling the pieces. A lot less rework and sanding... But... These look amazing. Certainly makes me want to tackle a sub like this.

[@sethyukna]

What a great video. I've been on the fence about DIY'ing a sub, but watching this has certainly increased my confidence in actually building one. I would love to see a follow up video as to how you configured everything w/ the amps and the miniDSP.

[@LDBaha]

Search for Home Theater Gurus video about it

[@77Brainfreeze]

I looked at getting one of these GSG flat packs for a 15" Marty about a year ago. The cost to just to ship it ($340) was more than it would cost me to have the wood cut and build it myself. It's absolutely insane how much they charge for shipping. DIYSG charged me $55 to ship 3 1099 flat packs and all the components. I had a crate 5'x'3'x3' weighing 400+ lbs shipped the same distance for less.

[@Kee_Didnt]

Wow, bravo! Hell of a build video in general, but an absolute nugget of gold for the audio community! ~$860 for a 3000w 18" sub is incredible... Now I need to buy a larger house! :D

[@Mr.Robert1]

It comes with a house. The only problem is it's a cardboard box with no bathroom.

[@AndreMarek64]

First time watcher here.. your voice is _soooothing_. I found you walking through each step was easy to follow, easy to understand, and the final product looks like it came out of a high end company's warehouse. I can only imagine the sound those things provide! Earned a sub on the first watch! Love it, now to binge your content =)

[@benjiwhy]

Damn this is so sick! Great build and video quality, you deserve more subs!

[@OmarDownie]

Bigup yuself VillaMan.. Great content. Thorough. Insightful. Looking forward to more. Nuff respec.

[@JesusChrist-em8gj]

Looks awesome. I have a very similar set up with the 2 cubes w/ UM 18-22 Ultimax powered by the same Behringer amp. The louder it goes the better it sounds. Great build video.

[@javaman2883]

Defiantly looks better than the one I built back in 98 for dual 12" subs. Mine was made of 1 inch particle board, then painted black. But it still works good, even though it's gotten a bit bashed up moving a few times since then.

[@RBS22]

Wow! I was looking forward to seeing this video, I loved watching the subwoofer assembly step by step. What a fantastic project. I loved the video. I was scared by the accident at the assembly, but in the end everything worked out.🔊😎👊🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ThaVillaMan]

Thanks! I was too lol. Thankfully it wasn’t that bad and it really did work out in the end.

[@xaviermontalban717]

This must be the most rigid box I've ever seen. Nice work!

[@horsepowerjunkie9040]

What a great video. Thanks for putting in the time and effort for this vid. I plan on building four 21" Full Marty's for my new home theater. Would love to see a video, if possible, of you comparing these subs to some of the best commercial subs (PB16 ultra, etc.) you've tested/heard.

[@hitsquadfuze]

Gr8 Video My Friend!! I'm going to install TC Sounds 18 inch Ultra LMS 5400's!! Can't Wait!!!

[@jonathancaminade1063]

I am from Davao City, Philippines. I super love this home theater I hope somebody will send me one like this as gift... Music is life. Music makes me happy everyday.

[@HeyMikeFalcone]

Yes, I’d like to see how you used REW and DSP to set it up!

[@puneetdh]

Same here

[@michaelrobinson9643]

Painting the port parts prior to assembly would be even better. MDF end cuts are much better primed and sanded until you get no visual pitting. This is how you would achieve a flawless gloss port for exmple (touch up after assembly.

[@JoFaL]

Absolute monsters! Owning the 1723 towers aswell, really gives some perspective. Great video! And again MONSTERS! 😅

[@joseendungu]

You are on another level, seems like the whole video was an online class. The breaking of the brace was hard on you but great on me as the learner. THUMBS UP THUMBS UP THUMBS UP

[@magellanmax]

The way he said...."...And done!" made me chuckle. Dude, you make it sound like you just made an omelet sandwich. It would probably take me three days just to build one..🤔

[@Tential1]

That's about how long it took me. Mostly because I just let it sit between each step. If you're actively working on it the whole Saturday then you can do it in one day but I stopped to play a lot of games. You saw that video, it's not that hard. The painting part is hard if you don't have the tools like he did. Because I wanted a nice finish and I didn't have a sander like he did and I did by sanding by hand it took me quite a while to actually Finish mine.

[@TOn-sk8mc]

Fantastic video brother. Beautiful set-up as well. Would love to see a video of all the wiring. Not just the one you mentioned. Love your humor in the video. Made it easy to watch the entire video.

[@JohnARobinsonJr]

Excellent presentation... I appreciate the time you put into this build and the production. Your instructions made it look easy, and your craftsmanship is awesome. Yeah, you had a small hiccup, but recovered rather well. And that's what counts. Now, let's get to the technical details. What's the frequency response and performance of your subwoofers, in your space. I did recall you saying that you used REW and miniDSP. I take you have the UMIK-1 or Dayton microphone, maybe. I'm excited to see your results. This presentation is inspiring.

[@VdomanZ]

running klipsch rf7 iii and rc64 iii with 2x SVS PB-3000 currently. I assume this setup would be a huge step up :)

[@noahandky3019]

Great setup man, real nice. I'd be interested the mini dsp setup procedure. Those are some very powerful (software wise) units with a tremendous amount of adjustable features.

[@jonathanconx2197]

I will not shake the house with my surround sound system. Surely your neigbour gonna get really mad with your monster sound system. Awesome!

[@jadan2000]

Great stuff! They looks super strong!

[@droidzhunterz6861]

Wow seems like you reached the endgame for subs, and they look good too

[@MOAB-UT]

Have you ever learned about tinnitus? You will have it soon...and you don't want it- trust me. I use to like bass too. Not anymore. 10 years later and the 24/7 ringing never goes away. Fun times.

[@jasontew5851]

It is awesome that there is a dyi kit for such a cool subwoofer, great video.

[@ThaVillaMan]

It really is

[@GateKommand]

My first visit here mate and I am impressed - thank you!

[@tomhoyer2313]

Sweet 18s. I agreen with you about quality of bass. I have a 15" with 350 watts on my 5.1 set. They push the bass in such a smooth way. I like what you say.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Super Satisfying! Great job!!

[@UltraCon79]

Bondo Glazing Spot Putty works really well also. Look up screw wax for your wood screws to coat your threads and make your holes reusable.

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

Now we need a review and comparisons.

[@Tential1]

There are tons of comparisons on AVS forum. The reason you go do-it-yourself is that the stuff that is available is not only not good enough performance-wise but also way too expensive for what it offers. If you really wanted to get a good speaker / subwoofer then you would need to go to jtr speakers or get a Danley horn or something like that. All of these things are also literally tested on databass website. That was a whole reason I gave up on buying and went do-it-yourself. Svs subs were literally entry level compared to what you can easily build. And to be clear I am no expert Builder, I am way worse than what you saw on the video and I still have enough confidence to build a sub. Buying a sub is worse than buying a prebuilt computer

[@johnsmith-qz4bv]

great video i just receved my first 18 inch subwoofer from mach 5 audio .. cant wait to build a full marty and order my second 18 inch subwoofer,,,,

[@pokerbarloahavia]

nice my respect for you has gone 1 level up now to build some 21 inch devestators.

[@ThaVillaMan]

Haha I don’t wanna be homeless 💥

[@pokerbarloahavia]

@@ThaVillaMan hahahaha

[@saylurrodriguez3315]

I'm so glad I randomly stumbled on this video. Thank you dude.

[@damianhaber4890]

Respect mi bredren, ah so yuh fi dweet!

[@thenewkinglouie6514]

i know im late to this but if you glue polyfill to the inside of the enclosure you will be amazed at how much better it sounds also what's it tuned to it looks awesome

[@balachandran5761]

looks awesome bro.. do the mini dsp calibration video also it will be helpful.. thank you..

[@michaels5166]

You confirmed what I thought..I just bought Daytons and have yet to use them,yet I heard you mention the woofers were from them. Now I need a decent power amp and some decent speaker cables..

[@PolkFan]

Awesome content, and beautiful setup! Thank you for the hard work and time that it took to make this vid. Wish I could hear them. Fury is also one of my go-to demos - plenty of tactile bass and different types of LFE. From the tank blasts; machinegun shots, low rumbles - gotta love it.

[@VirusOfCyrus]

"Con Air" is still my fav!

[@DigitechSam]

Beautiful subwoofers. They are looking like a couple of beasts. I would love to hear the sound output from these bad boys.

[@mr.o2551]

Wow, what a video! Had me hooked from beginning to end. In fact, I was just about to go grab popcorn before I realized we reached the end, sigh! Anyways, great build and video again. I have two quick questions. What made you decide on 460HO vs UM-18s? And how does that compare to your svs? I'd definitely love to see the graphs and watch the mini DSP video!

[@StoreByThebox]

Can't i fly over to learn this alone ?? It's like you calling me. I am so so inspired right now

[@victorjohnson8374]

This is really dope.

[@merveilmeok2416]

Thanks, Sir. I could watch this all day included your commenting. Cheers.

[@bigdaddydave8811]

bad azz... them some sexy subz... great vid bro, love the build

[@TheKitchenTechnician]

I want to build them now that you mentioned the movie Fury. That must have been awesome!

[@megasquidd]

Are you taking applications for drinking buddies? I need to hear this system!

[@ICP1SBJ]

well, I guess it's time to throw out my Polk powered 12" and build these! haha but my neighbors already hate me. If I started building these they would put a for sale sign up. Great build! It reminded me of the 90's when I built four 15" subs for my truck.

[@Smellslikegelfling]

Awesome work man. I had no idea those were DIY subs at first glance. But at roughly $1300 per sub with amp, not including the mini DSP and purchasing all the necessary clamps or other tools, and not to mention hours of work over multiple days... I'd have to ask if it's really worth it over any of the 18" subs from PSA or Rythmik that can be had for a few hundred more and come with higher quality drivers, a better finish, and a warranty.

[@silverbulletin846]

thie for ppl that like to diy and save some $$ in the process.

[@justinbeamon6624]

Well he does say in his comment that it's under $1800 total if you take out shipping and misc items. That's right around the price of 1 of the big name brand 18 inch subwoofers. To me it seems like a steal

[@allensandven0]

Nice your a inspiration to all audio geeks, if you were my neighbor we’d be bumping 18’s or until my wife gets home , Got to go get the dishes out of the sink ! She hates dishes in da sink ?

[@dnate697]

Man, talking about blowing up a beer can with a stick of Dynamite! I'd love these for a night club!

[@pasqualesofia5886]

Oh..Ouch! @12:08 you warned us, but it was still painful! Thanks for a great video 🙂

[@VNaik713]

I would 100% love to see how you set up your subs with the mini DSP 25:35

[@MuffledMosquito]

The painting and finish look great with those cones. I bet they sound great too.

[@brandonc5965]

Really nice precut box bet that would even work for a vehicle really good too

[@TheRealAaronWitchey]

Awesome video! Watching you put it together was very satisfying! And yes, my heart stopped when you broke that piece.

[@aluckyshot]

Looks awesome. Not going to lie skipped here and there to see the end result but for anyone looking to actually follow in your footsteps that was some quality footage and instructions.

[@Kammie22-y1q]

This is the 1st video of ur I've seen.... well articulated. Thx

[@mytubebobbie06h]

24:16 - gotta love that shirt “I will not shake the house with my surround sound system.” 😂😂😂

[@donjaun540]

I really liked your video. The woofers came out nice. I think Porty should have been a very light color of your choice to stand out. Very nice build. 👍

[@peterotremba8980]

I want expecting you’d be a person that should do diy projects but I guess I am wrong. I think the video is excellent and very well throughout. I have done a diy project using the 12” Dayton audio hf and it sounds absolutely incredible! I am sure you will be sticking with those subs for a very long time because I’d be hard pressed to hear a sub that sound better than what you got and keep up the AMAZING videos!

[@bpalpha]

I would love to watch the T-Rex paddock scene from Jurassic Park with that setup. Excellent construction work!

[@ashishkushwaha3812]

These are absolutly beasts. But in my experience if have such a big speakers I would always go with sealed enclosure. They sound very accurate and dynamic range output is the best. With this this size of driver, you already get big bass then tuning it for the accuracy would be the best bet here in my opinion.

[@jayweb702]

GSG doesn't realize how much less material they can use. Their boxes are overkill. But you sir did a nice job, these look amazing!

[@surfersilver6610]

There was not enough cow bell seen or heard by the end of this long, well made video. I'm having a hard time giving a thumbs up.