Subwoofer/ tower speaker stand (1 Viewer)

[Timba]

Soon, I will start building a subwoofer using the 95L Shiva alignment (vented). I would like to know if I can use the subwoofer as a stand for tower speakers, which I have located on each side of a 65” RPTV. I am considering raising the height of the tower speakers to make the tweeters more level with the Center channel speaker. If this is acceptable, I will build a cabinet for each tower speaker but only complete one as a subwoofer.

 

[David Preston]

I wouldn't call myself a pro but in my opinion that would make the towers a little high. IIRC you want you fronts and ear level. If you have your center on top of your RPTV just give it a downward angle with some doorstops or something to if you want them to blend . I have heard old mouse pads works good too. As for the 95L Shiva that is what I have. It is about a 20inch cube with 2 inch feet so its 22 inchs high. That would put your towers way up. It would look a little funny also I think. What are your measurements for your Shiva? It really sounds good. What kind of towers do you have?

 

[Timba]

Thanks for the feedback. Currently, I plan to build the 20” cube version of the 95L Shiva as shown on Adire’s website. I would like to do the 140 L but space is a problem. I do have one location at the end of a couch suitable for the 140L. I worry if this it not a good location for sound, the 140 L will be too big for placement elsewhere. If I were to build the 140 L, I would want to make the overall height about 23”, the width about 20 and adjust the length to get the 140L. I have not run the numbers. As for the towers, I purchased BIC towers to match a BIC center and 2 bookshelf speakers I already owned. I wanted to keep the initial cost down with the long term plan to build the complete speaker system. My success with the subwoofer will be the determining factor if I proceed with more speakers. All advice will be appreciated.

I do have a dedicated room for home theater so WAF is not a factor. The room is 12.5’ x 17’. I have the 65” RPTV on one wall and a couch on the opposite wall. This couch sits on a 13” tall platform so we can easily see over another couch located directly in front of the first couch. The front couch is only used if we have more than three people watching a movie because it is a little too close to the TV screen.

I purchased a new Sony receiver (985) and progressive scan DVD player about 6 months ago. I am also using a 20 year old Kenwood M2 Amp (220W/ch –8 ohm, 330W/ch – 4 ohm) to drive 2 “make due” subwoofers I made from a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers which I also purchased about 20 years ago. I did have to refoam the woofers. The amp seems to work flawlessly. Are there any disadvantages to using this amp versus having a plate amp mounted on the subwoofer?

A few more details about my home theater. The ceiling and side walls (down 12”) are blacked out. I have crown molding located 12” down from the ceiling with rope light running along the top edge of the crown molding. All the lights can be controlled remotely. I used dark purple heavy velour curtains to line the back and part of the side walls. These hang from curtain rods I made from 1-1/4” Stainless Steel tubing and chrome plated end stanchions designed for commercial trucks.

I also have a room designed in my basement for a future home theater that is 18’ x 22’. When I decide to move it to the basement, I would like for all my equipment to be sufficient for the larger room.

 

[David Preston]

Timba sounds like you have a really nice HT. Anyway you can get some pics. I would like to see your setup. I also had Cerwin-Vegas before I went with DIY speakers. I got Towers now and a Shiva DIY SUB. I didn't build it myself but it's a DIY one. What is the web site for the Shivas. As far as size goes if you can make the 140L work I would say go for it. At first when I got my 95L it looked big compared to my CV sub. Now it's don't look all that big anymore. Let me know how the sub turns out. David