Can I put my speakers in a cabinet? (1 Viewer)

[Jason Edgecombe]

In the next few months I'm going to be replacing my tried and true SD 32" Sony with a 65" RPTV. My wife and I have been talking about what we would put it in and think that we're going to have some sort of bookshelf/entertainment center built into the room.

If I went this route, I'm thinking about also having compartments built into the unit that would house my front and center speakers, covered by an accoustically neutral fabric cover. I would use my existing speakers for now, but probably make the cabinets bigger than needed as I will undoubtedly upgrade my speakers at some point down the line.

Would housing the speakers in this manner downgrade the sound quality by causing reflections or vibrations or anything else? I know that you can do this (and people do), but I don't know if you need specially designed speakers. Any thoughts or ideas on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ChrisWiggles]

It's not really the best idea, but it can be done if necessary.

 

[Jason Edgecombe]

Can anyone speak to the pros & cons of going this route? I know the pros (ie, aesthetics, space, SAF), but what do I give up?

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Well, if the ideal speaker placement is usually several feet away from the room, not up against the wall, you can imagine that putting a speaker *inside* something like a cabinet is far less than ideal. Things can sound boomy, imaging will be poorer, etc. If you can, try to line the space with absorbing materials, that will help it not sound like it's playing in a box.