# HT sub location?



## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

Ok here's my question I'm in the process of builing my Home Theater. I want my sub to be stealth but still sound good. I'm building the room in my basement, and it is only dedicated HT. The room dimensions are 15'x20', I built a stadium style platform for my chairs to sit on, this is 15'wide x 6'long x 14" tall and sits it 3 feet from rear wall. I also have a front platform under the screen that is 15'wide x 2'tall x 12"deep. Should I build my sub enclosure under the chairs in the stadium or should I build the sub enclosure in the front platform? I can also build a sub enclosure in the rear corners, what do you think?


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Are you going to use multiple subs or just one? I personally don't care for having my subs near-field, but thats really just personal preference. If you're only going for a single sub, I would go for the front wall, probably in one of the corners so that you get the advantage of corner loading. Really the best way to find a good location is to place you sub at your seating position, play some test tones, and move around the room with an SPL meter and find the best response. Once you find it, put the sub there. Hoowever, it sound to me like you are looking to locate the sub during the actual build, before the system will be up and running. If thats the case, one of the front corners will be your best bet.


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

I'm gonna be using 2 subs, and you are correct I want to locate them in the building process of the room. My first plan was to put them in the front platform in the corners. But I started to think that the platform being encolsed itself would decrease the spl?


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

I don't quite follow, are you purchasing a couple of HT subs, or are you using two drivers and building your own subs into the riser?


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

I'm gonna build 2 subs.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

I would just go ahead and build them side by side in the platform shooting straight out. I personally perfer large sealed enclosures for HT. I have a tempest X in about 8.5sf in my theater and its pretty good. I had it in a a 10ft sonotube and it was ridiculous, but I wanted a little more musicality so I went sealed. Here's a link to a few pages of ideas. What drivers are you planning on using?


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

I don't know what subs I'm gonna use yet. I might possibly use a pair of 4ohm 12" soundstream exact subs that I have laying around in my garage, but I don't know yet.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Do Yourself a favor. Car subs a really not designed for home audio use. If you are going to go through the whole ordeal of building a dedicated theater room, find the right drivers for the job. You will thank yourself in the end.


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

Yea this is what I thought! My options are open on subs, any suggestions? The rest of the speakers for the room will be speakercraft cinema 5's. The make subs, so I might just go that route.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Take a look at diycable.com. They have subs from 12"-21" that are all well suited. The FiCar Q series, Mach 5 IXL, and CSS SDX-15 are all good candidates. The subs from DIY and the SDX-15 have XBL2 motors also.


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## TREETOP (Feb 11, 2009)

Maceo23 said:


> Do Yourself a favor. Car subs a really not designed for home audio use. If you are going to go through the whole ordeal of building a dedicated theater room, find the right drivers for the job. You will thank yourself in the end.


That's silly talk. 
My home subs are a pair of MTX T5158 15" subs, each in a sealed 2.25 cube enclosure, each running from its own bridged Crown DC-300A (610w each). I've tried quite a few dedicated home theater subs and I'm *way* happier with what I've got now.

[edit to stay on topic:] My subs are in the front, just to the sides and down from the TV screen. My L&R main speakers are set out farther than the subs. I figured just in case anything were to be localized, front would be the best spot. As far as I know most movie theaters still have the subs in front, behind or below the screen.


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## 2500hd (Aug 22, 2009)

A local theater was just finished being built and before the screen was put on, I noticed that the subs were centered behind the screen. You could go IB on the wall behind the screen if you're still in the construction planning phase..


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

ok I'm gonna build the subs in the front platform 1 on each corner. The front wall is already built, just have to build plaform. The platform will also house the center channel speaker.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

I wasn't implying that a car sub wouldn't work. However, a lot of them are design with huge cabin gain in mind that you will get from being inside a car, and aimed more at frequencies a little higher than home theater subs. I'm just saying that going with a sub designed specifically for the application takes a little of the guess work out of such a large selection of drivers.


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