VERY limited placement options

[el espectro]

I'm looking for new towers and/or bookshelves and will have a sub. The problem? My wife and I (after doing almost as much shopping around as I have with speakers) picked a TV stand: it's way wider than I thought.

How tight can I make things before it's just a disaster? Depending on the sub, I may need it to be 2 inches from the walls in a corner AND 2 inches from the tower. Will having the sub this close to the tower be a TERRIBLE idea? if so, I could go with bookshelves and use stands. They'll have a smaller footprint because some of the stand's bottom can tuck under the TV stand. Or I could put some mini stands on top of the TV stand at the very edges (the beast is 72 inches long)This would free up a few inches for the sub laterally, but won't help off the back wall very much. So, if I get a small sub I might be able to get it 5inches from the back wall, and 6-7 from the side. However, it will then be near the Tv stand which will of course effect the frequency response. In other words, the sub will not be in open quarters. although I can try ONE other placement. Oh yeah, another variable for the corner placement: right in front of it is the doorway to the kitchen on the side wall. Is there a door on it?? no. the only other place I can put the sub is more toward the couch on the other side of the door putting it 4 inches from the side wall, and about 4-5 feet from the front wall.

I wish I could diagram the room, but . . . the speakers will be on a wall which is 11ft wide and the room is 19 feet deep with a couch (listening position) 2/3 of the way back from the speakers.
real question: will the sub's proximity to the towers be a major problem in terms of the effect on the towers' output. If you followed anything else I wrote feel free to comment on that as well. darn, I really wish we didn't get that TV stand grrrr . . . darn aw heack . . . damn!. Well, it hasn't been delivered yet. But since it took a month for the warehouse to get it in, I have a feeling there will be a MAJOR penalty to not take it at this point.

 

[Exit]

I have two bass modules (Cambridge Soundworks) and it says if you put them next to each other you get acoustic coupling which increases bass output. I think that would apply to your subwoofer next to one of the towers. Also when you put either a tower or a subwoofer near a corner you get bass emphasis which means you may get an overabundance of bass and peaks in bass response. You get a more linear bass response away from the corners, which many prefer. If the TV stand constrains you to the corner and you have no options there, you should try the setup out and see if you like it. If you don’t like it you may want to consider a parametric equalizer to flatten out your low frequency response. I got the inexpensive but precise manual parametric equalizer which is the Behringer Feedback Destroyer (BFD) 1124P for about $100. It is a little difficult to operate, but a lot of people on the forums have them and there are help guides and other support materials on the internet. I bought mine last year but I think they are still around. I bought one before I bought my subwoofer because it is such a good price on a good piece of equipment I didnt want to take a chance that it would be ciscontinued and a much more expensive device would be the only alternative. You set it up once and then you don't have to change it unless you change equipment positions or change the room acoustics by adding treatments or a lot of stuffed furniature.

 

[Midcow2]

You should be able to place them next to each other.

most subs do not have speakers in the side and could be placed next to the speaker tower or the TV cabinte/console. Where you have to be careful is the towers. Many have powered subwoofers, example Def Tech super towers 7000 series, which are typically on one side of the other. You do not want to block any side spekers on the tower. However, the non-speaker side of the tower could be placed next to the subwoofer.

Good luck!

P.S.- Many Def Tech towers are only 7 or 8" wide.

 

[ChunkyDark]

You might want to consider wall mounting the speakers, if possible.
Polk's RTi series has built in mounting plates so you don't even have to purchase separate brackets. There is also the Infinity primus bookshelf that has the same feature and is less than the Polk’s.
You also have the option of an in wall sub.

 

[Midcow2]

Yes JL Audio makes an awesome in-wall subwooofer

You might want to consider wall mounting the speakers, if possible.
Polk's RTi series has built in mounting plates so you don't even have to purchase separate brackets. There is also the Infinity primus bookshelf that has the same feature and is less than the Polk’s.
You also have the option of an in wall sub.

JL Audio 13TW5 in-wall subwoofer!!!

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs_pages.php?page_id=245

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker options

Some tower speakers have ports on the front. This will help with your placement limitations. The new Aperion speakers and the upcomming ELT Towers from AV123 have this feature. Bookshelf speakers on stands or brackets will also work fine.
http://av123.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=234&category_id=40&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=37
http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/NEW-Intimus-5T-Tower-Speaker,107,28,247.aspx


Given your placement restrictions, you might also consicer on-wall type speakers from RBH, Axiom, or other manufactuers to free up some floor space. I would stick with a traditional box subwoofer if possible. A sealed sub or front ported sub might also work better with your placement restrictions.

 

[el espectro]

I'm auditioning some bookshelf speakers right now. I'm going to listen to some towers soon. If I don't love the towers, I'll stick with the bookshelves. If I love the towers, and my wife loves me, it'll work out somehow.