GSG now carrying Crown Amplifiers !!
24-inch Sealed "Evolution Series" Flat Packs Now Available !!
GSG Customer's DIY Subwoofers
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MARTYSUBS WERE A HIT FROM DAY ONE
Bring Home the BASS!
Everybody knows that powerful bass forms the foundation of great sound—for movies, music, and gaming experiences alike. And anybody who has shopped around knows that truly high performance subwoofers cost an arm-and-a-leg.
Responding to the high prices of commercial subwoofers, some folks have resorted to building their own subwoofers from the ground-up. These DIY (Do-It-Yourself) folks are not only saving a ton of money, but are (in many cases) dramatically outperforming “store bought” subwoofer brands in the process.
The challenge with DIY (Do-It-Yourself) subwoofers has always been that you needed to know how to design a subwoofer, then you needed a whole garage full of tools (circular saw, router, circle cutting jig, etc.). Even then, after all the sawdust has been made, the cuts might not all be perfect, so the final product might look, well, kind of home-made.
MartySubs by GSG change all this by combining the bang-for-the-buck of DIY with the high quality cuts achievable only on industrial-grade CNC machines, thus making commercial quality results achievable for folks on a DIY budget.
What is a Ready-to-Assemble Subwoofer (aka ”Flat-Pack”)?
Most folks are familiar with how much money they can save by purchasing and assembling “Ready-to-Assemble” (aka “Flat Pack”) home and office furnishings (we won’t mention the name of the Swedish company with the big Blue and Yellow sign that popularized this model).
For decades, DIY'ers have been assembling flat pack bookshelves, desks, file cabinets, coffee tables, and TV stands…we simply bring that model to subwoofers. In some sense, this is nothing new; it is a proven model. On the other hand, for the potential subwoofer buyer, this is nothing short of REVOLUTIONARY.
We have spent literally hundreds of hours designing the MartySubs by GSG in order to REMOVE ALL THE COMPLEXITY from the building process. If you can follow simple instructions, “Panel A goes into Panel B” type stuff, you can assemble a MartySub. It’s that easy.
NO COMPLICATED TOOLS!
NO EXPERIENCE…NO PROBLEM!
Precisely Engineered for Performance & Ease of Assembly
MartySub Flat Packs by GSG include all the panels (including internal bracing) necessary to construct your cabinet. All you have to do is glue it together according to the easy-to-follow instructions.
The panels include cutouts for the driver and the terminal cup (on the back--the cutout works for both the standard banana connectors as well as a pro-grade Speakon connector).
We’ve made extensive use of dadoes (aka guide channels) and other CNC machining techniques so the internals of your cabinet will be rock solid.
An additional benefit of the design is it will help keep your enclosure nice and “square” as you are putting it together. This not only helps to ensure optimal performance, but a professional look as well.
In order to complete your subwoofer, you will need a driver, an amplifier, and some other finishing items. To make it as easy as possible for the first time builder, we have put together a comprehensive Shopping Checklist with links to everything that you will need.
Off-the-Charts Performance!
When it comes to making bass, there is a relatively simple engineering principle that most marketers will try to talk around. In essence, it goes like this, “You can have a small enclosure, high output, or a low price; but you can’t have all three.”
We have chosen “high output” and “low price” as engineering principles for the MartySub Flat Packs by GSG. The necessary result is that the enclosures must be large. We don’t apologize for the size of the enclosures though because what they bring with their size is off the charts performance, literally.
In most typical homes, a pair of MartySubs (black line in the graphic) will produce full Reference Level output*, so this is what we recommend for most folks. On the other hand, if you are stepping up from a typical store bought subwoofer—say a popular 12-inch model with a 250 watt amplifier (red line)—or if you have a small room, the explosive bass from just one MartySub (blue line) may be all you need.
* Reference Level is 125dB according to Dolby Atmos specifications (115dB for the for the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) Channel and another 10dB for the bass routed to the subwoofers from the screen and surround channels).
OVER TIME...MORE BUILDS, MORE ENJOYMENT
Finished the way that YOU like.
MartySub Flat Packs by GSG come in unfinished medium density fiberboard (aka MDF). Unlike “particleboard”, MDF is a high quality material used in some of the most expensive subwoofer systems available.
Since the panels are unfinished, this means that YOU get to pick how you would like your cabinet finished. Whether you prefer the look of flat black paint or if you prefer the more rugged look of Duratex, the choice is yours.
Look at what MartySub Classic builder Matt B. did with his Full Martys. Absolutely gorgeous. There is simply no limit to how creative you can get!
18” of Thundering Bass.
When you want enormous bass, YOU NEED TO MOVE AIR. MartySubs by GSG accomplish this in two ways. First, there is the enormous port on the front of the cab—that alone increases output by more than three times what you can get out of a comparably equipped sealed sub on the low end of the frequency range.
Second, we have designed the enclosures around BEEFY 18” SUPER-WOOFERS.
Why 18” drivers? You can probably guess the answer…bang-for-the-buck, of course! In the current subwoofer market, the best value for moving the maximum amount of air is to do it with 18” drivers. Drivers that are larger than 18” don’t sell in sufficient quantity to provide the low price that you get with mass production. Drivers that are smaller than 18” just don’t move enough air. So for now, 18” is the sweet spot on the price-performance curve for subwoofer drivers.
If times change, we will too. But for a variety of reasons, we expect 18” drivers to remain the best value for a very long time.
Your Choice of Amplifier.
Unlike most “store bought” subs, builders of MartySub Flat Packs by GSG are free to choose which amplifier powers their subwoofers.
The reason we do it this way? Again, bang-for-the-buck. Quite simply, when you want to purchase an amplifier with 1,000 REAL watts of power (or more), most plate amps (the kind you find mounted on the back of a typical store bought sub) just aren’t going to be able to provide the kind of power that is required for Reference Level bass, or they are going to be VERY expensive.
But there is more…the amps that we recommend come equipped with comprehensive Digital Signal Processing (aka DSP). DSP allows you to tune your subwoofer however you like…more low end, more mid-bass, whatever you prefer. DSP can also be used to correct room "modes", which can make subs sound boomy. The result is TIGHT, CLEAN, POWERFUL BASS.
Based on significant field experience, GSG recommends the Behringer NX3000D for powering a single MartySub (all sizes) and the NX6000D for dual MartySubs (all sizes). More discussion on GSG amplifier recommendations can be found on the Shopping Checklist page.
IT'S AS EASY AS 1-2-3!
STEP 1: Assemble Enclosure
It simply glues together – no special tools or clamps are required.
STEP 2: Add a Finish
Flat black paint and Duratex® speaker coating are good choices for first time builders.
STEP 3: Connect Driver and Amp
See Shopping List for mounting bolts, screws, terminal cup, and other hardware.
A FEW MORE COMMENTS FROM MARTYSUB BUILDERS
Are MartySubs by GSG a good choice for me?
If you want the absolute best bang-for-the-buck and don’t mind assembling and painting your enclosure, then MartySubs by GSG are ABSOLUTELY for you.
Over the years, we have helped hundreds of folks with their subwoofer projects and have identified three areas that pose the greatest challenge for DIY first-timers:
1. Designing the cabinet (port size and length, bracing strategy, hardware selection including mounting bolts, inserts, etc.)
2. Cutting the panels with laser precision (including the driver cutout)
3. Assembling the cabinets without clamps or special tools and getting edges to line up correctly
MartySubs by GSG(TM) solve all three challenges, thus making the ultra-high value of DIY subwoofers available to everybody.
Never alone.
WE CARE THAT YOU SUCCEED. As the MartySubs by GSG were being engineered, more than two-hundred iterations of the enclosure were considered. We worked long and hard get the design just perfect and at the same time be easy-as-pie to assemble. It was an exhausting task, but we invested the time and effort because we want every builder of a MartySub to have a successful outcome.
When you make a purchase from GSG Audio Design, you will be joining a group of folks who are passionate about audio and helping others. We want you to have a great experience with your build and stand ready to assist if necessary.
Should you have any questions about MartySubs by GSG either before, during, or after your build, PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO ASK!
Shipping.
At a weight of 100-200 lbs per cabinet depending on model (roughly 600 lbs per 4-pack pallet on average), MartySubs are not light (that is by design). This makes them very expensive to ship, especially across country.
To address the high cost of shipping MartySubs, we work with multiple shipping companies to bring you the lowest cost on freight shipping possible.
If you are local to our factory and would like to pick up your cabs (and avoid shipping expense altogether), that can be arranged as well.
Convenient and Secure Ordering.
In order to provide the most convenient and secure online ordering process, we accept a variety of payment options.
For customers with an Amazon account, ordering couldn’t be easier. Just click on “Pay with Amazon” and your order will be processed using the information that you have stored on Amazon—no need to re-enter your payment or shipping information.
For customers who either do not have an Amazon account or prefer to pay using another method, we also accept major credit cards through Shopify Payments.*
* Shopify provides credit card payment processing for companies such as ours and securely handled over $15 billion in customer orders last year. With Shopify Payments, you can feel confident that your payments information will be handled with the utmost care.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU FROM ONE OF OUR FOUNDERS
To everybody who built a MartySub, and particularly to those who helped someone else do the same…thanks guys.
And to everybody who I have assisted over the years at AVS and elsewhere with your projects, thank you for letting me be part of your audio journey. Hopefully with our new production facility, our team of folks, and my business partners Kevin (aka kevings) and Bill (aka grifftek), we can make MartySubs and all kinds of other subs available to folks like never before.
- John (aka LTD02)
MARTYSUBS - ENJOY YOURS TODAY
MartyCubes (now available!)
