Amplifier and Sub Placement

[kurups]

Hi All,

I am planning my new HT setup. I just wanted to check if the placement of the sub is fine in the below setup:- below are 2 pics of the setup made in 3ds max software.

My questions can be better understood after seeing the below pics:-






1) To let u know the dimension, the Subwoofer height will be around 1 feet. Hope u get the approx dimensions of the other components and hence the cabinet. Its a down firing Sub - Harman Kardon SUB200. Is placing the sub with a gap of around 3-4 inches on all sides by fine?

2) I am planning to cover the front portion of the amplifier (HK AVR3650) & media player portion with a tranparent glass door(Not shown in the above pic). Will covering the front portion of the Sub also with a glass door be fine? Or will the vibrations make the glass also vibrate and is not suggested? Should i leave it open from the front (Ideally i do not want to).

3) There is a slot planned for a fan which can work with the Subs DC Power. The amplifier will anyway produce heat. The fan is housed in the same space where the amplifier is placed.One slot is planned for hot air to escape from the media player to the fan. Will the Sub also produce heat on prolonged use and is ventilation required for this this also? If so, i need to make a slot in the wooden partition between the sub and the amplifier. Plz do suggest.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
Sreejith

 

[manoj.p]

Bad idea for the sub to be kept in a cabinet. will have adverse effect on performance due to reflections/room boundaries. Also, it will shake the cabinet and may damage electronic components with that constant shake.

You can leave the amp in the cabinet

 

[kurups]

Hi Manoj, thanks for the reply. Usually a corner of a room is suggested for a subwoofer (2 Sides will be walls).....in my case, its 3 sides covered cabinet (Assuming front open).....considering the fact i am not a very keen listener of music and its details, will this not be just fine.....

Also, I have heard some techniques to reduce bass (like a carpet below the down-firing sub etc). If the bass is too disturbing, i guess i can use some of these techniques.

Rgds
Sreejith

 

[darshanjoshi]

My Friend had a similar setup as you stated above.

I insisted and Trust me after putting the Sub out of the cabinet, it sounded much cleaner and better.

 

[gobble]

Hi Manoj, thanks for the reply. Usually a corner of a room is suggested for a subwoofer (2 Sides will be walls).....in my case, its 3 sides covered cabinet (Assuming front open).....considering the fact i am not a very keen listener of music and its details, will this not be just fine.....
Rgds
Sreejith

Thats like saying, "I'm not so keen on the performance of my car .. will it be fine If I simply use kerosene instead of petrol ?"

--G

 

[GeorgeO]

Corners are the best locations not inside a cabinet, but if you like it that way, then that's the best solution for you!

 

[kurups]

gobble - the kerosene thing is well put .... but then, i cant change the position of walls in my house to hear good music..... so i am just re-phrasing my question with a little bigger picture, so that it will be better understood....u can suggest the best possible way here.....


The left most wall has a french window and the place to the right of the subwoofer is a walkway.

I guess placing the subwoofer near the french window is definitely not suggested (Although it can be treated as a corner)...then i am left with placing it at the other extreme end of the wall.....anyway the AVR and Sub also needs to be placed close to each other, as there is a connecting wire given by the AVR manufacturer.

Suggestions are welcome-- Walls cannot be changed, Cabinet design can be changed.....

Rgds
Sreejith

 

[baijuxavior]

I'm confused why you need a cabinet for the sub? From the above image, you can easily remove the partition for the sub.

 

[kurups]

ok....is this what you are suggesting? can these two wooden planks act as corner and the sub can work comfortably?
will there be any problem to the electronics of the AVR (by placing near to each other)....the AVR is Harman Kardon AVR3650 and Sub is Harman Kardon HK200SUB.

 

[baijuxavior]

Is the right side open or is there a wall to form a corner?
Subwoofer needs a firm surface otherwise it will rattle a lot.

 

[kurups]

right side is a walkway (say to the dining area). There is no wall there.
the base of the sub can be made of say granite or something.....is it suggested?

 

[gobble]

gobble - the kerosene thing is well put .... but then, i cant change the position of walls in my house to hear good music..... so i am just re-phrasing my question with a little bigger picture, so that it will be better understood....u can suggest the best possible way here.....


The left most wall has a french window and the place to the right of the subwoofer is a walkway.

I guess placing the subwoofer near the french window is definitely not suggested (Although it can be treated as a corner)...then i am left with placing it at the other extreme end of the wall.....anyway the AVR and Sub also needs to be placed close to each other, as there is a connecting wire given by the AVR manufacturer.

Suggestions are welcome-- Walls cannot be changed, Cabinet design can be changed.....

Rgds
Sreejith

In practice you are going to have the move the sub around a few feet here and there before you find the exact spot that results in the right SQ. I recall with my sub the timing was off and the bass was sounding mismatched with the rest of the speakers firing. It is a quiet unpleasant listening experience. Unless you have main speakers that roll of quiet high above 100hz then it might be easier to have choice of location.

Otherwise it is almost certain that you can't just plan the sub location on paper and leave it there. Try the jugaad option instead. Experiment on the fly while a friend listens. You will eventually find a spot that sounds like it is the right one that leaves you with little choice to move it around elsewhere. You should leave it there even if the location is inconvenient, for at least a week and listen then try moving it again the next weekend so the ear will immediately spot the difference and you can make a final decision about the optimal spot the 2nd week.


--G0bble

 

[BruceW]

this will sound you better..

 

[prepress]

Why don't you make the placements like this (see image). Place the subwoofer at any location you like.

 

[kurups]

Why don't you make the placements like this (see image). Place the subwoofer at any location you like.

thanks for the suggestions...am thinking over....by the way very nice editing work done.

 

[prepress]

thanks for the suggestions...am thinking over....by the way very nice editing work done.

Thanks!!

 

[BLASTO]

Decouple the cabinet and the sub.
In the pic, just remove the base and back wooden planks also and place the sub 'near' the cabinet. The back wall and side cabinet wall will reinforce enough if that is what you want.

It is not entirely wrong to place the ssub away from walls too. Lot if people prefer that way.

 

[Flash]

Corners are the best locations not inside a cabinet, but if you like it that way, then that's the best solution for you!

Well i disagree with you on this one GeorgO.
I feel corners are the worst possible place to keep a Subwoofer, Corner placements tend to excite the room easier and makes the sub more directional and easier to locate

Corners can make the overall bass boomy or muddy basically ill defined.

However if the primary goal is the impress your friends and neighbors with higher SPL's then yes corner placement would do the trick

Yes inside a cabinet is a strict no no.

 

[kurups]

thank you all for all the inputs...so here we go with the final setup...

 

[prepress]

thank you all for all the inputs...so here we go with the final setup...

Instead of corner why don't you try to move both things under the LCD, in this way you subwoofer will be in the Mid (slightly right) and the whole system will look better.