Sub Placement Question? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Weldy]

I am building my basement theater. And because of some doors I cant put the sub in the corner unless.... I was wondering if it would be okay to recess the sub into the wall. (its storage space behind) So that the front of the grill of the sub is flush with the front of the wall. The sub would still be sitting on solid flooring and would drywall and enclosure around the back of it. Its a def tech front firing so I dont think it would be a problem. I am just wondering about the acoustics of it.

 

[JohnRice]

It's not the best solution, but if it is a sealed box (no ports) it probably should work OK. You will have no option of moving it to find the best location, of course.

 

[Matt Weldy]

When you say sealed box are you talking about the sub or the enclosure I am going to make?

 

[JohnRice]

The sub itself. The only way your plan can possibly work at all is if the sub has the driver facing forward and no ports on any other side of the enclosure. If ALL of those requirements are not met, you should forget taking that approach. You should never limit the "breathing" of a sub.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I don’t see why a front-venting port wouldn’t work.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[DerekCV]

or what about an IB?

 

[SethH]

Which Def Tech sub are you planning to get? Most of their subs are front firing, but they have passive radiators on the sides which I do no think would perform very well at all in the situation you're describing.

 

[JohnRice]

I can't be held responsible for anyone who doesn't actually read what I typed.

As Seth pointed out, passive radiators on other surfaces would also be a problem.

 

[Matt Weldy]

Its a def tech pro 80 or 100. I have had it for awhile and I cant remember what model it is. Same design however.

 

[JohnRice]

Matt, you should be able to answer some questions yourself. If the sub has ports or a passive radiator anywhere but the front, then putting it in any kind of restricting housing will completely cripple the sub.

Odds seem to be about 98% that this is the case, so You are probably best finding another option.

 

[Matt Weldy]

So what if I just left the back part of the sub into the storage room. Does the whole sub need to be into the same room. Or does it need to be in an actual corner.

 

[JohnRice]

Matt, it really is fairly simple. Subs don't always (in fact, often don't) radiate sound from only one spot. Since sub frequencies are low, they involve moving lots of air. In most cases, this involves ports, or in the case of most Def Tech subs, passive radiators, which are as much a part of creating the low frequencies as the face of the actual driver is. If you want to send a large portion of the sound waves into the storage room instead of the listening room, by all means, go ahead and do that. If you want to actually have the sub send its sound into the room with people in it, it needs to be entirely housed in that room. The solution you are suggesting now is just creating a different problem.

The only way I see of doing what you plan without severely crippling the sub is to use a sub which has a sealed cabinet, or has the ports in the front. It does not appear your sub fits this requirement. SVS has a few which would fit the bill. The SB-12 Plus and both the single driver NSD models. Good subs designed this way are not very common.

I am getting the feeling you intend on continuing with this plan regardless of the feedback you get. So, just do it.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Bottom line, Matt, you can recess the sub as long as the driver and any port (or passive radiator) is firing into the room. Passive radiators or ports that fire into the storage space will compromise performance. If you really want to do this, and your sub doesn’t fit the bill, you really should look into getting another one.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[MikeNg]

I think the other guys have pretty much nailed it.

Have you considered an inwall sub? You'll get a really clean finish and save on extra work to make a cubby. It appears you already have a sub, but this at least is another option for sub deployment.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Matt,

Don’t know what took me so long to snap to what Derek was saying...
...but just how big is that storeroom? If it’s big enough, an IB (infinite baffle) sub is a definite option.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Matt Weldy]

I knew this was the answer I was just somehow hoping there was a way. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Matt Weldy]

Storage room is at least 10X12