Joshorr,
I believe you've made a good choice by ordering from Acoustic-visions. You will get a better value by doing it yourself. I've ordered mine from them and I've been happy with that decision. I see that you did it as I was writing my reply but I'll post it anyway FYI.

What makes a sub more “musical” versus good for HT (I assume if it is good “musically” and has enough output/range it will be good for HT too.)

- According to the experts, music sound rarely goes below 30 HZ whereas in movies there are sound effects that reach 20HZ or even below (inaudible but you can feel it) such as during an explosion scene. Generally, pricy subs ($500 and up) will do fine for both music and HT in an average size home. Cheaper ones may do ok for HT but can be boomy or sound muddy for music. It has to do with the quality of the driver (material, magnet, craftsmanship & …etc.) and or amplifier. Other cheaper ones may be ok for music but doesn’t have enough punch for that floor shaking rumble – the driver just can’t produce enough air movement or not enough power from the amp. Keep in mind, these are just generalized descriptions. There’s a lot of depth in acoustical engineering.

It all comes down to compatibility. If you have high-end electronics, you want to select a sub (and speakers) that can optimize the performance. Any less would be waste of money on electronics and any more would be waste on the sub.

Pro/cons of a sealed vs. vented box.

-Check out http://www.diysubwoofers.org/
For 50/50 music and HT, I’d personally use a large sealed enclosure, something like 5 cu ft or more with high power amp like Adire Audio’s A750 in combination with a driver like Tumult, Tempest or Shiva. That ought to give you a sweet bass in music and a chest pounding, wall picture tilting shake for movies.

What impacts does the shape of the enclosure have on the sound (cube vs. rectangular)

- Not much unless the shape starts to get real lengthy and compromises the strength of the enclosure. Although, I heard something about the “pipe effect” in a long shaped enclosure… I’m not worried because my sub is fairly close to a cube in proportion.

or is it just about the volume and the drive choice?

Internal volume and driver choice play a big role. Unless you have a good understanding of the enclosure calculations, I’d recommend using the ones that are already done such as the kits.

What are the pro/cons of having a passive radiator? Also what does the mass have to do with a PR? See above website or go to www.adireaudio.com and look up passive radiator design. Acoustic-visions has it too.

Is it better to brace internally or to just beef up the cabinet itself i.e. thicker wood?

Depends on the wood you are using. The most popular material to DIY projects are ¾” thick MDF (medium density fiberboard) which can be found at local Home Depot or stores alike. You can beef up the box itself and skip the bracing but it may end up weighing so much that you’ll need to put wheels on it or need a hand truck each time you try to reposition it. I’d would opt for internal bracing.


[This message has been edited by Spiker (edited June 27, 2003).]

[This message has been edited by Spiker (edited June 27, 2003).]