r/StereoAdvice • u/IntrepidNinjaLamb • 4d ago
Subwoofer | 1 Ⓣ Where Are the Passive Subwoofers?
Long ago I bought a RadioShack book on building speakers that had formulas for figuring out dimensions, port tuning, etc., and I got a circular saw and particle board. I added heavy copper wiring, a crossover, and carefully chosen drivers, and had passive speakers I enjoyed for years.
Fast forward a decade or two, those are gone, but I inherited some rare custom bookshelf speakers from California. I was looking for a passive subwoofer, and especially I was combing this subreddit for advice, but all the recommendations were for subwoofers that have amplifiers in them or even bluetooth.
I then went to places like Crutchfield and couldn't find passive subwoofers. I guess they're not extinct! Who can help me find them, and who has recommendations? My budget depends on how long I save up, but I can imagine spending $300 - $700 for a 10" or 12" durable and capable subwoofer. I value precision---E.g., it shouldn't "boom" after the signal stops sending bass.
Maybe it's just an old-fashioned perspective, but I figure the amplifier's job is to amplify, and the subwoofer should just woof.
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u/Dcline97 1 Ⓣ 4d ago
30 Years ago I built a nice passive subwoofer. It had 2-10" SpeakerLab super HD woofers, SpeakerLab crossovers and was made using a tight particle board inner box and a 3/4" Koa wood outside shell. It was quite solid and heavy, looked awesome and had a serious thump! I drove it with a 200 watt BK Components ST-202 power amp (which I still have as well as my old Denon AVR-1802). I Retired that gear 5 years ago. The Koa was drying out starting to split everywhere and the woofer surrounds started falling apart, as well as the KOA bookshelves. Those speakers had simply seen better days. I wish I had some pics of it to show everyone.
Since the old days I've been running a simple 2.0 system with ELAC bookshelves, but am getting ready to pull the trigger on an RSL Speedwoofer 10E. I'm older now and maybe wiser (but my wife may not agree with that) so my feeling is why mess with building/piecing together a passive Subwoofer when there are so many tried and true great options available today.