Bucket Subwoofer

I decided to make a bucket sub since I'm now working from home permanently, and I needed a sub for my home office. I have a 2 channel stereo on my desk: PC to Schiit Bifrost Multibit to Emotiva basx-a100 to MartinLogan LX16 speakers. I also have a Crown XLS1000 for the sub, and for the sub crossover.

The Bucket sub comes from Ed Schilling of The Horn Shoppe, and you can read about on the Transcendent Sound blog. Also, here a forum discussion on the topic.

The bill of materials (BOM) is cheap, except for an amp. Here's what I put into it:

Leaktite 5-Gal. Black Project Bucket (Pack of 3) (HomeDepot, $12.97)
- I went with black. They sell white, blue, and "Homer" buckets. No matter what you choose, it will be a conversation piece!
Advanced Silicone 2 10.1 oz. Black Exterior/Interior Window and Door Sealant (Walmart, $2.50)
- Price shows $5.92 on-line, but when I got it it was $2.50
Leaktite 5 Gal. Reusable Bucket Lid (HomeDepot, $1.78)
Quikrete 60 lb. Concrete Mix (HomeDepot $3.90)
- you will need about 15-20 lbs. Mine used 17 lbs.
Crown XLS 1000 (eBay, $150-final price)
Gold Dual Binding Post Banana Jack (Parts-Express, $3.59)
- make sure to mount vertical, not horizontal like I did
4-Pack Rubber Cabinet Feet 1" Dia. x 1" H (Parts-Express, $1.29)
- Blog calls for three, but I used all four
Peerless by Tymphany 830667 8" Paper Cone SLS Subwoofer (Parts-Express, $52.30)
Parts Express Steel Mesh 2-Piece Grill for 8" Speaker Black (Parts-Express, $5.98)
- NOT recommended
- It's too small for the Peerless driver. I had to use a Dremel to enlarge the inner opening, and had to drill four holes for the screws.
A few 2" and 3" deck screws I already had

Total cost: $234

What can you get for $234 for a sub.

On Craig's List I recently saw a Cambridge Mini X301 for $250.
On Parts-Express, you can get:
- Dayton Sub-1200 ($157.95)
- Dayton Sub-1500 ($239.95)
- Various BIC and Yamaha subs in that price range
on Monoprice you can get
- Monoprice Sw-12 12" 400 Watt ($199.99)
- Various smaller ones for less
Infinity Reference Sub R12 (refurbished) ($199.99)

So, is the Bucket Sub a "deal"? Maybe not. Still, it's a fun project. If you already have an amp and a way to cross over, then it's quite a deal.

You can right click and open an image in a new tab to see the full sized image. Sometimes that doesn't work; stupid Google.

It sounds pretty good. I need to set up REW and my UMK-1 Mic and do some measurements.

I used a Dremel with a circle cut attachment to cut out a 7" hole. There is also a little dimple in the upper left, and I used some flush cut wire cutters to snip that off.

The blog calls for three feet, but I went with four. My only modification. I used 2" deck screws.

Underside of the lid.

I measured and marked 2" and 3" from the top of bucket. This will be the bottom of the sub as we will flip it over. 2" to 3" inches is the recommended amount of concrete.

For the 3" deck screw, used as anchors for the concrete, I needed to know how big to drill a hole (see next pic).

Hole drilled for 3" desk screws.

3" deck screw screwed in

From the top of the bucket (bottom of the sub) with the 3" anchor screws.

I should have put in the post vertical, not horizontal. Putting them in vertical would have flexed the curve of the bucket less.

View of the posts from the inside with Black and Red marked.

Hope I did this right. This is how I attached the wires on the inside. I hope the lock washers are enough; I didn't have any locktite.

View of the inside before adding the concrete.

The top of the bucket, bottom of the sub.

After adding the concrete. The bucket weighed 17 lbs. after the concrete dried. I waited a week after the concrete dried, but mostly because I only had time to work on the sub during the weekend.

Nice, thick bead of calk to seal the driver. I probably should have sanded the plastic a but to allow for better adhesion of the calk. We'll see if it sticks well enough.

Lay the drive on the calk.

With the base for the grill that I do not recommend.

I waited three days for the calk to dry (it was thick), then easily trimmed the excess.

Final product with the grill. I hope to find some black decorative rope or cord to loop around it, and lay on top of the open part near the bottom.

Here is the sub under my desk. I think it looks pretty good!