Designer:

Sean

Project Category:

Tower Speakers

Project Level:

Intermediate

Project Time:

20+ Hours

Project Cost:

Over $1,000

Project Description:

2-channel home theater setup with large towers and 5 passive radiator style subwoofers.

Design Goals:

The best 2-channel setup I could build around my TV.

Driver Selection:

I wanted to try out the RS52AN 2″ Dome Midranges in a home theater setup since they cover the whole vocal range well. Paired them with an AMT 2-4 tweeter after comparing the frequency responses.

I chose the RSS390HF 15″ subwoofers because the towers would be large and box size was not a limiting factor.

The RS270 10″ Reference mid bass was picked because the frequency response appeared to fit well between the subs and the mid domes.

The Ultimax 18″ subwoofers were added later after I got the bass bug and wanted more.

Enclosure Design:

Approx 12 cu ft towers with a massive 36 cu ft subwoofer box that doubles as a TV stand. The towers and the box have heavy duty cork/rubber isolation pads. The TV also sits on isolation pads to limit vibrations.

The tower mid bass use sealed boxes that are built inside the towers.

Each RSS390HF 15″ is on the bottom of the tower and one 15″ passive radiator is forward facing on the top of the tower and one 15″ passive radiator is in the middle rear of the tower.

The 2″ mid domes and the AMT tweeter overlap slightly to limit cancellation at their crossover frequency. The height of the tweeters was designed to be approximately the center of the TV.

The x3 18″ Ultimax subwoofer box was designed to hide about 2/3rds of the box behind the TV in the next room. x4 18″ passive radiators are hidden on the back side.

Crossover Design:

Crossover is handled by two miniDSP 2×4 HDs.
Tweeters cross at 3500 hz+
Mid domes are 650 hz – 3500 hz
Mid bass is 60 hz – 650 hz
Subs are below 60 hz
The sub channel has an RCA combiner that monos the left and right channel together so all 5 subs play together.

Tips & Tricks:

Buy a heat gun when doing vinyl… it makes a huge difference.

Conclusion:

For a 2-channel home theater, I can’t imagine how I’d get it much better without major changes to my living space. I believe this room will stay in this configuration for movies and music listening.

About the Designer:

Retired paratrooper who moved on to law enforcement. I like to handle my own repairs and DIY all projects around my house when I’m able, including building speakers.

Project Parts List: