Something that is great about this project is that it isn't for everyone. If you aren't willing to do the research it's not for you and that is fine. "If you have to ask how much you can't afford it" This rings very true in this project. Fixing a car is a great example. Do you look at the front of the book to get the instructions before you start? Do you read the steps as you go? No you read the section, understand it first, then you go to the car look at what you are going to do, re read the steps, reference all parts so you have the knowledge before you go. There is a great post in the lounge right now about DIY gear. Some guy wants to cover 2 baseball fields with diy gear. Can it be done? Sure! Can it be done well? Sure! Would anyone in their right mind do it who knew how to do it? Not a chance! The number one thing holding back the LAB is that it is DIY. I have no intention to question anyones wood working skills, but how consistent are these things? There is no quality control on them. That isn't a bad thing in itself for a user, but this thing is all about the design. People put the best ideas on paper all day long with no ability to duplicate the plan. Yes many of these subs are impeccably built. I'd say mine is, but the important thing to remember is that is my opinion and my word saying that. As I said no offense to anyone that has built these but try selling your home brew system to a group making money. You want to rent or use a system to someone on your word. There is no proof. Now my point, the more of these out there but less people fully obsessed with what they are doing starts to ruin the name. It's a harsh reality but one thing about these is that they were built by a manufacturer of sorts. Mr Danley I'm sure used SPL and Servo Drive to do this. There are a ton of DIY subs on the web but none are built with any sort of merit. That doesn't mean they aren't good they just have no guarantee that they are what they are. Those KF940 will be perfect every time you use them, LABs could vary from build to build. If a bunch of hacks start making these not to spec without the understanding of what they are doing the LAB name will be tarnished, all people will know is that those things were crap when that guy brought them in before. I just recently had to convince someone I was working for that color blasts were a great fixture. They didn't want anything to do with renting them because they had such a bad experience with them. I finally got to the bottom of what happened, some one used them in an awful way and ruined the clients perception of what could be done with the tool. That is like some one saying build this for me but don't use dewalt tools because the last guy did a bad job with those, they suck. The quality and name is protected by the knowledge gained. Think like a doctor, there is no sticky on surgery. I know it's nowhere near the same level but it has the same spirit in it.
Randy, To address your questions you have from the people that provided info. You mention how many might be needed. You have to understand horn theory at a basic level. One corner loaded vs 4, 6, 8, 12. Why do people want multiples, there is no global answer. You have to decide for yourself. How much? I have Phillips plywood here in the San Fernando Valley, a HUGE plywood distributor, how about someone in the middle of America with out someone of note to get wood from. My sheets in '04 were maybe $40, I really don't remember. But I remember the local smaller company wanted like 60 a sheet, it was way way more. I also bought my drives form Orange County speaker with a discount, where if you need to do part express with shipping somewhere, that might cost a lot. Handles, corners, jack plates, feet, wheels, grills, paint, Line-X. Yes 500 to 1000 maybe more. Where do you stop. You come rolling into a gig with some shitty painted cabs with no handles, wood fill over screw holes, filled gaps, you name it. I don't want the name tarnished by some person who didn't do the research. Now I get the fact you want a real quick summary. It has been given, price, weight, size, how long to build, power, how many. The first answer was read and you will find out. This board is where the pros are, the best in the industry in this country. There are so many posts where people ask a question and don't like the answer so they ask again, or make a case against the answer they are given. There was a post on this forum a few weeks ago about guy that wanted to build subs asked questions and was told an very sound smart business like answer. After a go around a few times he came back later and said thank you and he was getting help from another forum. He didn't like the answer and went somewhere else and probably heard what he wanted to hear so he was content. As I said before one will be burned is they aren't prepared to start this. You car analogy was the best one. If you start fixing the car you better have all the parts in front of you because it's a long walk to the store for a part or a tool you didn't realize you needed. Nothing like taking apart the car you need to go get something, right? But all the answers are in that book and you won't know if it is worth it until you read the whole thing to understand it fully.
A lot of these guys answering have worked for years in audio with great knowledge about cabinet design and construction. Many come from a day when DIY was standard as manufacturers weren't up to the task of making things well. Look at the largest touring companies, they made their pa's way back when. Many of the answers are coming from people that had to make cabs, today you can buy things for so cheep that this has to be a learning process. Again I understand that all you want is a summary but the summary exists, the LSP documentation page, the sticky that is already there. Read the graphs, have you ever seen on JBL or EAW sites a list of equipment that their products is better then or comparable too? No you need to be able to interpret that from the info they give you. Treat this page as the manufacturers info page. This is a pro project not a typical DIY. If one can't figure out the size from the plans how do they expect to be able to follow the plans. When looking at them do you say I can do that or are you lost at what to say first? Maybe like man this looks tricky, that is very telling of how long it will take YOU(any person at a given skill level) to build. How loud do YOU need it? How do YOU need to transport it.
PLEASE see this as constructive to the argument! I only want the best of LABS out there as to represent my work. If you want something else that anyone can make go to the dj forums and make some of their stuff. Great designs sure but what is the build quality form unit to unit? I don't want that in question with my Lab is possible. Please become one of the proud owners with not only the item but the knowledge so that you can spread the word with the responsibility I think that comes with having this AMAZING unit in our grasps. I know I sound way to passionate but that is how I see it.
As a little aside I have always thought it is very comical, the person who wants to build 8 labs to save money on buying thousands of dollars of subs but can afford the help to move them and load them in. The weight and size of these really means they come with a crew that needs to support them. Think of the floor space you need to store these vs something you can stack on your own, I would think the rent would off set the money savings very quickly to just store them, not to mention the guy you bring along to pick them up.
Filled with too much LAB Sub Passion for his own good!
Chris Jensen