I really dont want to put my sub on the front wall. Even though the pic below shows a sub in the right side of the front wall cabinet, it just wont really work there.

I am not looking to do a DIY Sub.

I am looking to hide the sub if possible.

Can I place a sub, in the wall that divides my viewing room and my utility room? You can see the utility room by the Furnace and water heater icons.

Basically, I am looking to cut a square out of the wall seperating the viewing room/utility room and just place the sub in that hole. I would do this pretty much in the center of the room or under my AV Rack, but that is really far from the front and not so sure about the sound.

If I do this, should I get a sealed sub or would a front firing front ported sub work? I know not to get a down firing sub?

Why wouldnt a rear ported, front firing sub work in this situation?

Here is my layout:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn84/kezug/RoomDesign3.jpg


Even though you see a sub on this front wall, I dont want to place it there. It just doesnt work for my design. Also the front wall, in reality, has changed from this sketcup
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn84/kezug/basementSketch_Red_4d-1.jpg

Really need some input on this one...anyone?

Is it THAT bad?

What about putting it behind the coach ?

I know you said you don't want to DIY, but if you want it hidden and you're already looking at cutting a hole in wall leading to the utility room it looks like a perfect application for an IB (infinite baffle) set up which would blow away any reasonably sized sealed or ported sub, probably for a lot less $$.

We can't really "help"you place the sub because there is no way to "predict" how it will sound in any one location. The best thing you can do is the "crawl test". Place the sub in the primary listening position. Play some program material with deep bass. Crawl around the room, listening to the sound of the sub. Some places will sound boomy and muddy, some will sound tight and distinct. When you find the best sounding spot, place the sub there.

Also, read this:
http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/get-good-bass/subwoofer-placement-the-place-for-bass-part-1

Craig

Keep in mind, putting the sub in the corner of the room will acoustically boost some of the low frequencies, but not always in a good manner.
I had to place the sub in the corner in my room, but I went down with a couple of smaller 10" drivers because 15" sounded too 'boomy' in the corner. I prefer the tight sounding subs.

agb2529 -- I agree. The utility room would make a perfect IB enclosure.

Craig's suggestion of the "crawl" test is really the only way to find the right location.

So if I go the IB Route...then are these issues?
1. the utility room has a bifold door that is louvered.
2. The IB Sub would be firing right into the side of the primary seating position.
3. Utility room is only about 8' by 10' with Furnace and Water heater and Equipment. Is this ok for the IB applicatio?
4. I really dont want to shake the house (for which I read IB's can do :eek:), can I get tight bass with an IB design going with smaller driver(s)?


This room isnt that big, the "viewing" room is 14 wide by 16 deep. But opens up to another 10 feet, so the room is really 14 wide by 26 deep.

True, those are problems. It is much easier (and less work) to just buy a sub, like a Hsu or SVS (the ones I'm most familiar with). There are lots of others too, as a scan of these threads indicate. Mine is a Velodyne UDL-15 that I bought about 20 years ago.

1. The utility room needs to be sealed for an IB, so the door would need to be replaced and weather-stripped for sealing.

2. That could be a problem, but you could mount the sub(s) in the utility room door (assuming it's behind the seating area). A friend of mine did that with a closet door. For the proximity to the seating, you might want to go with one or two 12" subs, so you don't overwhelm the viewers/listeners. You will have that same problem if you put a purchased sub under the equipment area (per your pictures).

3. That room size should be fine, it's volume is reduced by the space occupied by the equipment in it. The water heater, furnace, etc. will help to kill the "cabinet" resonance. It will have to be lined with sound absorbing material, though.

4. Yes, you can get tight bass. For LFE (and bass) purposes, you have to include the entire connected volume (14' x 26' x height of the room) for sub-woofer sizing (just under 3000 cubic feet, with an 8' ceiling height, ~2500 cu ft w/7' ceiling).

NOTE: The real advantage of getting a purchased sub, is that you can move it to the "best" location, even though it's not the least expensive route. BTW, another potentially good location might be along the right hand wall (between the equipment and the screen/display). Since your room (all of it) is close to a 2:1 ratio (mine is real bad, a 26' x 13' rectangle, exactly 2:1 - 44Hz & 88Hz reinforcement), sub placement can be critical to avoid room resonance.

The DIY subwoofer threads have been archived. Here are two links to the latest ones (that I have saved): http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=515213 and http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=524847. You can also do a Google search, as there should be other forums that still discuss building IB subs.