Sub Mounted in a Wall?

SoundThinker

SoundThinker

Audiophyte
Will this work? Take a front firing sub and mount it under the stairwell and behind the drywall so it's aimed into the room and all you see is a grill/speaker cloth. How bad an idea is this? BTW, would a down firing sub be an even worse idea?
And for the curious among you, it's not like I WANT to mount it this way, but I'm looking for speaker-hiding compromises with the wife in exchange for spending some $$$ on a new 6.1 setup.
 
SoundThinker

SoundThinker

Audiophyte
Well, I just finished up my quick research into what an infinite baffle sub is. Basically, a speaker with no box, right? I'm open to anything that'll shake the sofa when bombs are going off on screen. But where do you go to buy an inifinite baffle sub that's a quality component and how would I mount it?
I was hoping that having a front firing sub aimed into the room would save most of the bass. Maybe my question is really how much of the sound gets pushed out the the front of a sub vs. how much gets lost to the space under my stairs? And how much would I muddy up the sound in the process?
 
Az B

Az B

Audioholic
SoundThinker said:
Maybe my question is really how much of the sound gets pushed out the the front of a sub vs. how much gets lost to the space under my stairs? And how much would I muddy up the sound in the process?
Standalone subs are designed to be out in a room. Putting one in a small space will yield unpredictable results. There may be resonances, there may be rattles. Who knows?

The beauty of the IB sub is that it uses the space to create deeper and more bass.
 
Rob Babcock

Rob Babcock

Moderator
Best bet for an IB is to use the basement (Bassment? ;) ) or attic if you can. One method is to cut a hole in the floor or ceiling, create a 5-sided box & mount it in the hole, with the opening into the room but the rest sticking into the other space. The box should have holes cut for the woofers, and they mount to the box, radiating into the box and out to the room. The IB concept utilizes this huge amount of space as effectively an infinitely large enclosure. Note that the space you choose won't be of much use for anything else (don't plan on siting your den in the attic that soaks up the backwave of all those woofers! :eek: ).

Mounting a standard sub in a wall is generally a Very Bad Idea. Unless the model you choose is designed to be used that way, you'll have a mess. At the very least you'll get a lot of vibration & noise, and walls aren't the optimum type of space for speaker drivers.
 
SoundThinker

SoundThinker

Audiophyte
Thanks guys. You've confirmed my concerns.
Time to hone the wife negotiating skills and see what I can do about putting one in the room somewhere (does somebody make an ottomon-sub combo? ;) ).
 
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