Speakers/Subwoofer in Cabinet? (1 Viewer)

[derekBannatyne]

Hi I currently have a 65H14 RP CRT and am looking to upgrade my speakers from an HTIB to some Athena AS-B1s, an AS-C1, and a 12" Dayton Subwoofer. I'm wondering if it's alright to put the bookshelf speakers in a cabinet that I'm going to build sometime next year. Heres a few pictures:

(First picture in my signature)

In the following picture, the subwoofer has 2" clearance on all sides based on partsexpress's given dimensions. The Athena speakers are also based on the given dimensions. Will it affect the sound and will I have a problem with rattling, etc? I'm double bracing the sides of the cabinet next to where the subwoofer is, and the AS-B1s have 1/4" clearance on both sides and a few inches on top, do you think the speakers will rattle, should I add more clearance?

(Second picture in my signature)

I'll be pairing the speakers with an Onkyo TX-SR503 eventally, also pictured. I'll be using the amp built in to the current subwoofer to power the speakers for a few months, crossed over a 120hz, will there be any problems with this? andHow do you think this will sound compared to my current $300 Panasonic SC-HT700 HTIB that uses only single 3" drivers in the surrounds and only go down to 120hz? Thanks a lot!

 

[derekBannatyne]

anyone?

 

[Dick Knisely]

No direct experience to go on but no way I'd put my sub inside a cabinent. I would think the resonances that would create would be strange and if the sub's really doing its job then the whole cabinet is going to rattle and shake -- unless its constructed of poured concrete

Just my opinion but you asked.

 

[doug zdanivsky]

Yeah, that's kind of what I figured..

What if I had it on the carpeted floor, and the TV etc I'll stick on shelves that would come out from the wall?

Thanks!

 

[Dick Knisely]

Placement of the sub is one of the "black arts" in HT. On the one hand the ear can't localize it so it doesn't matter. On the other hand, the freq range it's designed to output is strongly affected by the surroundings--especially the proximity to walls and the equivalent (furniture mostly).

Most of us don't end up with too many options after the WAF is taken into account but try whatever seems feasible and pick the spot that sounds smoothest.

 

[derekBannatyne]

Thanks, the only reason I have to place it there is because we have a computer desk in the other corner. Wouldn't the output of the subwoofer actually be boosted? How about the speakers, since they're rear ported, do you think I need to increase the cabinet size?

 

[Dick Knisely]

The sound will be effected by the walls -- reinforced at some frequencies and diminshed at others. Moving any speaker a few inches can have a surprising effect. A sub's output can go from weak to "boomy" with a small movement into/out of a corner.

Rear ported speakers in an enclosure? Hmmmm... personally, I don't like the sound of that at all (awful pun intentional). But you're way out of my experience base now. Still, it seems to me that putting the speaker inside a 2nd enclosure (its own case is the 1st one) and expecting the result to be a good one is shaky. Before getting very far on that project I think you'd be well advised to spend some time to mock-up at least that part and see how it sounds. Without actually trying it, I personally would have no confidence in the result. I'm not from Mizzura but the "Show Me" state/s motto has long been a favorite of mine.