shallow powered sub

What size box will fit under your couch? The subs I built are pretty shallow, but I cant see them fitting under a couch.

Do you already own the bose cubes? If not....they run about $100 each and you get a small plastic box and a $3 TV speaker.

I also think you would get sick of having a subwoofer in your couch alot faster than you would a box in your family room. Just go super small box...maybe a single 8" or 10" shallow mount tang band driver. Hide it behind the couch...but not under it.

How about an end table? Everyone needs a couple of those. They can hide some great subs.

"big a NO GO from my wife regarding a new box"

Four potential solutions:
Option 1)
Install 8 18's in the attic and vent it through a new (or now disconnected) heat duct.

Option 2)
Disguise end table as subwoofer

Option 3)
Hot-Russian Bridal Service, sorry I just had to kick you while you were still down, my bad

Option 4)
Just do it, and beg forgiveness later with promissory to buy her shoes, dresses, purses and rings.

But the real million dollar questions is...
Who knew that us DIY'er are skilled at solving more than just our acoustical problems?

always better to ask for forgiveness, not permission..

yes, all kinds of designs are possible.

what kind of dimensions are you thinking?

There are some good shallow mount subs around made for car audio. I use the Earthquake SWS-12. Its got 31 mm Xmax and does so well with cabin gain in the car that I never bothered to equalize it. You can make a box only 10-11 cm thick and hide it under or behind the couch. I would look in that direction

It's absolutely possible. And it will work well because will have the benefit of it being tactile and very smooth because your in the near field. My old Deftech Supercube never sounded better than when it was under a couch on a 12" riser.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1238398

Have you seen this thread?? Its small, affordable and doable for a first time DIYer. The only downfall is that the amp would not be mounted on the box.. but it's thin enough that you could hide almost anywhere and the wifey would approve of that aspect.. it's a very informative and thorough build to follow along.. check it out.

My car amp isn't appropriate. I would use either a BASH 500 or an iNuke 1000 DSP. The latter is overkill on power but the DSP will be extremely useful for dialing in the response you want. In a the box size I recommend below, the woofer can handle 1000W peaks w/o overexcursion (but will melt if asked to sustain that power level).

I would put the SWS-12 in a 2 cu. ft. box as thick as fits where you want to hide it, put braces between the sides to stiffen them, stuff it with fiberglass or poly, and be sure all the joints are sealed, as you can see being done in other build threads. I think this is a pretty easy project for a beginner. It was my first and worked in spite of my mistakes and poor building skills. With the DSP, you can just dial in the crossover and equalization you want/need based on your ear at first and later, if so motivated, use actual measurements.

"There are some good shallow mount subs around made for car audio."

+1.

here is one example: http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/swr-t12

street price is much less.

the tradeoff is the non-linear bl as compared with the standard swr series. if you can live with that...

"I use the Earthquake SWS-12. Its got 31 mm Xmax..."

have a look at the coil, the gap, and recalc.

Specifically, what kind of spaces do you have available?

You suggest under couch, which is a long, deep but narrow space that got you thinking shallow box and car-based sub. In fact, it's a great place for a horn sub like dRwOOD suggests - a pair of 20x50x75 cm boxes would fit nicely. The amp can be a bustle, or integrated between the pair.

Next best is to jump on the furniture bandwagon; make it look like something she wants in the room. From there, ... well, infinite baffle looks like a heating vent in the room, if you disregard the plenum and drivers behind the vent.

Hav fun,
Frank

Take a look at Pioneer speakers at best buy.

re alpine vs Earthquake thin sub
The earthquake cost me $149. so its not apples to apples given the price on the Alpine. No doubt the earthquake isn't linear up to +/-31 mm but it can definitely move that far. Per simulation, I only run it to half of xmax and it sounds really clean used that way. In a small sealed box with some room gain and boundary reinforcement that is all it needs to do. Nevertheless its suspension allows it to handle huge peaks without damage or bottoming out. Simulate it yourself and see what I mean! Its really quite amazing for a low end sub.

If you have 8 3/4 inches behind the sofa the Buttzooka will fit.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1349578