The trouble with built in subs....

[kcbrown24]

I'll be the first to admit that I am a novice, that being said, why are so many people dead set against using a built in sub woofer?

I would like to purchase a built in sub for my almost finished basement theater. The theater doubles as a play room for the kids, so I don't want them to destroy a sub that I set out. (especially since they tend to destroy everything else in my house)

Any thoughts?

Thanks all

KCB

 

[yepimonfire]

a built in sub?????? you mean like an HTIB sub that you hook to the HTIB's receiver??

 

[j_garcia]

There's nothing wrong with a built in sub as long as it is done right. I/B subs can be quite good and there are a few manufacturers who do joist mounted subs also.

 

[kcbrown24]

Real Built in Sub

a built in sub?????? you mean like an HTIB sub that you hook to the HTIB's receiver??

I am referring to a real built in sub. Polk has one that I am looking at, the CSW100 powered by a Polk SWA 500 amplifier.

I'm not into the HTIB thing. I am doing a built in 7.1 surround system with cables run to make it 7.2 when I have the money. The amp will run 2 subs if needed, and hey why not???? Who wouldn't if they had the choice.

BTW my room is 18x25

KCB

 

[Nuance AH]

Built in as in "in-wall?" If so, as mentioned, if done "right" they will sound just fine. I suspect the reason many are against them is A) They cannot be moved, and B) The sub might not be in the ideal location for great bass response. An in-wall subwoofer (and speaker) is a compromise, one that many will not live with. YMMV.

 

[AVRat]

The problem with most of these designs is that they fall short of the last octave of bass. Their last decent level of output digs to the mid-low 30s Hz range and with movies these days we want to at least reach down to 20 Hz.

Naughty kids = NO MOVIES!!!

 

[GO-NAD!]

I'll be the first to admit that I am a novice, that being said, why are so many people dead set against using a built in sub woofer?

I would like to purchase a built in sub for my almost finished basement theater. The theater doubles as a play room for the kids, so I don't want them to destroy a sub that I set out. (especially since they tend to destroy everything else in my house)

Any thoughts?

Thanks all

KCB

What do you think of doing a DIY in-wall sub? Annunaki has a thread in the DIY forum for such a design. If you want 2 of 'em, going DIY makes even more sense. Good, off the shelf, in-wall subs tend to be very expensive, from what I've seen. I'm currently building a pair of subs to go into my living room ceiling (the attic is above), which likely wouldn't suit your needs if you want this for your basement.

Nuance is right about the placement issue. But, that can be overcome. You could buy/build one or two and experiment with placement in the room before installing them into the adjacent wall. You could also incorporate EQ into the setup, in order to overcome any placement issues you might encounter.

If you bought a commercial sub that does not have its own enclosure, i.e. the wall cavity serves as the enclosure, you could build a temporary enclosure from MDF, just for trial purposes. Better yet, build an enclosure well enough to serve permanently, then install the whole thing into the wall.

Or, if that seems too daunting, build a pair a DIY subs from MDF. Make them downfiring, to protect the drivers, and don't bother applying any finish to the enclosures until the kids grow up, or you disown them, whichever comes first. If you have space for a pair of freestanding subs, that may be your best and easiest option.