Subwoofer built into a table -- pretty frickin' sweet

[caniac]

http://cgi.ebay.com/IA-SubTable-Subwoofer-Powered-Sub_W0QQitemZ5847864556QQcategoryZ3275QQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem


Pretty cool for people like me whose setups are in their living rooms with wives or signifcant others involved.

Price is a little steep, but it's got me thinking about making some modifications to this console table we have..........I could fit a couple 12s in that thing easy. Wonder if it would sound any good.

[calegrant]

I'm gonna have to say no on that one. Something tells me it's the audio worlds version of the clapper.

[caniac]

I dont know about this sub and what it would sound like.I have 2 bottom driver sub and their only around 2 to 3inches from the ground.

That would be the main question I suppose, how close the drivers are to the ground. That's what got me thinking about this console table I have, because it only sits about 2 inches off the ground.

There's a guy nearby who makes custom built sub boxes for HT. I may go over to his place and see if this is something do-able.

[PAT.P]

I dont know about this sub and what it would sound like.I have 2 bottom driver sub and their only around 2 to 3inches from the ground.Would a picture on table or a drinking glass be moving when the sub goes on?

[caniac]

That was my initial reaction as well.

But then I started thinking about it. I mean, there are a ton of people on this site building their own subwoofers, right? So why couldn't you build one that just happens to have a cabinet shaped like a table?

It certainly would be more attractive in a family room setting than a big old black box.

[bjornb17]

That was my initial reaction as well.

But then I started thinking about it. I mean, there are a ton of people on this site building their own subwoofers, right? So why couldn't you build one that just happens to have a cabinet shaped like a table?

It certainly would be more attractive in a family room setting than a big old black box.

I actually like the big black box :)

[thekid]

It is an interesting concept. It basically is just extending the "feet" that come on most subs to "legs". But I appeal to the sound experts on this site....Since most downfiring subs I have seen are low to the ground would not the sound quality be affected by raising it 7-10 inches off the ground?

As to this particular unit I suspect you are paying more for the concept and the nice wood veneers rather than a quality sub. But the concept here is easily copied and those of us with a mimimal amount of wood working skills good easily duplicate this piece.

If anyone has one of these or modifies their existing unit using this concept please share. My next upgrade is going to be a rather large sub and it my go over easier with the wife if I sell her on the "new table" rather than a bigger box.

[SlumpBuster]

Everything old is new again. Many early hi-fi manufacturers in the 50's and 60s were designing loudspeakers to look like furniture. The JBL Paragon was built into the 1980's even. http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/paragon.htm

[thekid]

Everything old is new again. Many early hi-fi manufacturers in the 50's and 60s were designing loudspeakers to look like furniture. The JBL Paragon was built into the 1980's even. http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/paragon.htm

Wow!
Slumpbuster-thanks for the link!
I enjoyed looking into a window from the past.
Anyone ever heard the set-up shown?

[N. Abstentia]

It all comes back around! I remember back in the day that subwoofer tables were all the rage...back when home theater was first starting out. It never caught on for a reason...I think mainly because the best place for a table is the worst place for a subwoofer. Subs generally don't sound good placed in the middle of a room, but YMMV.

[westcott]

Just what I need.

A subwoofer my wife thinks is a perfect table for burning candles!!!!

Can you see it now????........................................... ..... :rolleyes: 45 seconds into "Polar Express".

[Woochifer]

N.Absentia's right, integrating the component into a piece of furniture reduces one of the subwoofer's primary advantages -- placement flexibility. The optimal in-room main speaker placement for imaging and tonal properties is typically not optimal for low frequencies. Having a subwoofer in the corner maximizes the bass reinforcement, and other locations around the room might provide a better balance between reinforcement and more even tonal properties.

My other concern would be, as others have said, putting things on top of the "table" with the thing vibrating! I stack magazines on top of my subwoofer, and they fall off all the time. With magazines, that's not problem, but glass and other fragile items would be a different story. The design with a downfiring woofer is not really an issue, but other concerns would include whether the cabinet has sufficient bracing to prevent audible vibrations and resonances, whether the interior volume is properly matched to the tonal properties of the driver, and what kind of sound quality this combination creates. You won't know the answers until you actually order it and try it out for yourself. Problem with eBay is that you don't have the return guarantees that other mail order vendors provide.

I also remember when console components with the built-in speakers were as commonplace as mini systems are today. (My parents had one with a TV built in with a turntable and radio; the thing was huge) I don't recall any of them sounding especially good.

[caniac]

Like I said, this gave me an idea. So I went to this shop in town today. The guy said he builds custom sub boxes all the time, that he's done several like this before and it would not be a problem. So he's going to come over tomorrow, have a look at our existing furniture, and try to come up with something that matches. He's going to build it from scratch, which is probably for the best.

I'm thinking I may go with two 12's. I'd like to go with 15's for the deeper bass, but I want two woofers, and two 15s may be overkill in this situation.

Anybody got any advice? The guy that will be doing the work seems really knowledgable, but I'm wondering if there are any recommendations as far as parts, etc.

BTW, the whole shebang will be going in the corner anyway, where the current sub is, so placement should not be an issue at all.

[calegrant]

Sure it's a good idea (in theory), but look at how the add is set-up. It doesn't give us specifics as to the brand of driver or amp. Hell, it doesn't even give us a picture of the sub, just a table. It may just be a table you get sent, then the components of a sub minus the box and you have to figure it out from there.