Can IB work for Mid/Highs as well?

[ethansteiner]

Looking to try out my first IB setup.  Basement has Rec Room w/ home theater sharing wall with office.  Was planning to install sub in wall between the Theater and Office, using the Office as the IB.  If I understand things correctly, the Sub will sound the same on both sides of the wall.  My question now is, while I'm at it, can I mount my theater's front channels in the same wall?  I would then have 2.1 in the Office for Music, 5.1 in the theater room for Music/Movies, each room using the other as the IB.  Am I way off track here?  Seems too good to be true...  Obviously can't watch movie in one room and listen to music in the other.  But that wouldn't be done anyway.  I've noticed some tweeters are "sealed" which would obviously not work for what I'm trying to do as far as getting double-duty front/back out of the speakers.  Check out the drivers below and let me know if that is true of this one.

Here are the drivers I'm looking at:
Front L/R: Dayton Audio ND65-8 2-1/2" Aluminum Cone Full-Range Driver 8 Ohm
Sub: Single Dayton Audio DCS380-4 15" Classic Subwoofer 4 Ohm
Sub Amp: Dayton Audio SPA250 250 Watt Subwoofer Plate Amplifier

After looking at all your incredible multi-driver sub builds I'm sure most of you will laugh at me.  But I'm just looking to upgrade from HTIB.  If I can get decent music piped into the office at the same time it'll be a much easier sell to the wife...    If I'm doing anything obviously wrong please let me know.

[ThomasW]

The answer is yes and no.

I use my floor mounted IB to augment speakers in the basement.

You can't/shouldn't try to use a single bass driver for an IB. Reasons for this are listed in the FAQ

Next, designing a home audio system is completely different than a car system where one can generally pick drivers at random like one buys Chinese food. One from column A, 2 from column B etc......

Home audio requires the drivers performance characteristics to be 'matched' so there's a loudspeaker "system" not various drivers that are priced right.

Read the FAQs on Paul Carmody's website
sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy

[ethansteiner]

OK, forget the other speakers for now and stick to the sub.

Here's my backstory.  I have a background in building high-level custom furniture, (think Rolltop-Desks, Circular Libraries, etc.) and I'm a Nerd - currently in IT - Database stuff.  So I'm a woodworker who's not afraid of numbers/technical info.  I'm at the tail end of remodeling my basement.  After setting up my old Optimus HT102 (yeah, go ahead and laugh,) in the new room it's just not cutting it. I'd like something better.  Upgraded the receiver to a Yamaha RX-V473.  Now have true surround, but still sounds like junk.  Figured a powered subwoofer would help.  Started looking in the big box stores.  $200 and up for what is essentially a MDF box with a speaker, an amp thingy ("amp thingy" IS the technical term right?)  , a few wires, and some math?  I've gotta be able to do better than that.  And so my began my foray into speaker building.  

Stumbled on PartsExpress website, priced out components that seem to be comparable to what I was looking at in retail stores...  250w, 10"-15" drivers, for about $220 for what seem to be better components.  Then started on box design.  Downloaded MinISD and got somewhat familiar with it.  Then came across the idea of IB.  It requires the exact room layout that I have in the basement.  (Please excuse me as I now paraphrase all kinds of stuff.)  Space on the opposite side of the wall to contain / disperse the backwave from the speaker.  I'm seeing projects with upwards of 6 monstrous speakers and guys loving the idea that it is "painful" to listen to their music now and talking about making interior doors flex with the waves.  Now,this is quite impressive, but that's just not what I'm after.  

I realize from reading the FAQs that if I "want to be loud and low" then go with multiple drivers, but didn't see anything that said it wouldn't work with 1.  My assumption was that it'd be quieter. I just figured with my listening levels I wouldn't get anywhere near damaging the speaker.

I don't want pounding loud bass. I have 2 children that will be sleeping upstairs when most movies will be watched. So volume is way below what would be considered normal. I'm also not after perfection. I just want something that sounds better than the crap system I have now that runs me about $200 - $250 for the sub to start with.

Is this doable with an IB setup? Do I forget it and stick with building a box?  Will a single driver in IB setup be worse than the same driver in a "closed box"?  Is $250 way below the threshold for a low-end IB setup?

PS  I like your chinese food analogy.  I'm just trying to step up from my current frozen microwave dinner setup.  Yeah, it was "balanced system" but it was still crap.  I'm new to this and would like to build a piece at a time from bottom up.  Thanks for your input.  

[ThomasW]

I suppose it's possible to build an IB with a single driver, thing is that driver would be VERY expensive. So no an IB is not in your future.

For your 5.1 system build 5 of these
www.speakerdesignworks.com/Tritrix_pg_2.html
Note that his design is also on the Parts Express projects page, I think the direct link to Curt's webpage is the best resource.
This system is a step up from a HTIB and is very reasonably priced.

If you want a horn based system Google 'econowave' and build one of it's variants

Regarding a sub, build one using someone's design that features the 15" PE 390
www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-rss390hf-4-15-reference-hf-subwoofer-4-ohm--295-468