:disclaimer: I aspire to one day be able to call myself a "pro", but I am currently nowhere near that goal, so please forgive any offensive ignorance on my part.
I currently have a pretty small system, consisting of 4 Yorkville u15p tops and six Bag End d18 subs, running off 3 qsc plx1804 amps, one amp per 2 subs. I love the yorkvilles, but I've been generally disappointed with the bag ends. They reach really low and sound very nice at low to moderate volumes, but they just don't seem to be capable of the sort of output that I need.
*side note, if anyone has some experience with bag end subs, and has any advice or input as to why they are so weak, please share!
So, unless someone has some really helpful advice about getting more out of the Bag Ends, i'm planning to upgrade to better subs, and I'm debating whether it would be wise to go the DIY route or not... LAB subs are out of the question, because they are too big, probably beyond my woodworking skill level, and there are already 2 great sound providers in my area that have 6 LABs each. I'm interested in possibly trying my hand with this:
http://www.speakerstore.nl/constructions/61Walt's "stepped horn". Seems like a relatively easy/affordable build, capable of some pretty nice output...but the more I research, the more I come to realize that I really have no idea if this design would make a good PA sub - even if I made 6 or 8 of them.
The vast majority of events I do are 200-300 people, electronic music - usually DJs and occasionally live electronic, and frequently include *very* bass heavy music (dubstep, which often features silly 40hz or lower sine wave sub-bass).
My non DIY thoughts are to start with 4 growlers, with the intention of upgrading to 8 or more as cashflow allows; or start with 2 Danley TH-212s with the intention of upgrading to 4 or more as possible (though I can't seem to find a price for the TH-212, so I'm only guessing that this is in my price range). I also have a Yorkville UCS1p, and I've considered just getting several more of those - but I'm doubtful that this would give the size to output ratio I'm hoping for. If anyone has used the UCS1p in groups of 4 or more, please chime in.
I usually work solo, and generally need everything to fit into the back of my 4runner + a 4'x8' trailer.
I'm not at all opposed to the inevitable blood, sweat, and tears of a DIY project, but ultimately I'm first and foremost concerned with ending up with the most kick-ass system possible for the money/time/size.
Sorry about the variety of topics all mashed into one rambling post...
Chris