Velodyne for my CM Series

[SF_VR6]

Hi Folks,

I've decided to go with the Velodyne SPL-R series for my CM series speakers. My question is:

Is it ok to put my sub inside my media cabinet? I am thinking of removing a shelf and putting it inside and behind a cabinet door.

Is this a detrement to the sound or is it advisable to keep it free standing somewhere?

I just want to keep my set up clean and uncluttered.

Here is my media cabinet...

[BW-Fan]

I'd recommend keeping the sub out of any enclosed space. You will likely find it to color the sound [added boominess,etc] from reflections in a confined space.

Is it feasable to have it about 2 1/2 to 3 feet from back & side walls.

You'll likely find room placement experimentation will benefit in terms of finding optimal room acoustics.

Anyone else have thoughts?

[beden1]

I am in the process of designing an entertainment center to house my ever expanding equipment and speakers. My system includes two Velodyne SC15 Contractor Series subs. In speaking with numerous "audio experts", the general thought regarding placing the subs in an enclosed cabinet is . . . The door should be a speaker grill material, or have no door at all. The bottom of the cabinet housing the subs should be removed so the subs sit directly on the floor. If the floor is wood, have a granite base fabricated and include vibration footers (like Super Spikes) between the granite base and the floor.

I currently have my subs positioned between my current entertainment center and my front main speakers. This seems to be excellent positioning for dual or single subs. So, I am expecting that placing the subs in the cabinets in the same positioning, and in the fashion I described; would not hurt their effectiveness/output.

I recently had two 20" X 16" granite bases custom cut and polished for $100 each plus tax from a flooring company that specializes in granite and marble.

[Russ L]

Red and black Italian marble is nice. It can help make the bass tight and defined under your L and R Fronts as well.

[bigburner]

I have experimented extensively with my sub and contrary to expert opinion I believe that having it raised off the floor makes little difference and placing it in an enclosed space also makes little difference.

For best integration into a 2-channel setup I have found that the important placement tips are:

* Placing your sub dead centre between your floorstanders. When you sit in the sweet spot the sub will be in the middle of your stereo image, making the source of the sound harder to identify.

* Placing your sub the same distance from the sweet spot as your floorstanders. It's probably my imagination but I'm sure it helps if the sound reaches me at the same time from all three speakers.

So SF_VR6, I would give it a go, though please tell me you're going to remove the cabinet door from in front of your sub.

Nigel.

[scanido]

SF_VR6 - Nice BDI Avion Noir! I'm considering that stand but it is really expensive. How do you like it?

Now for your question, i don't see how you would be able to put a sub in that cabinet, unless maybe it is the 8" sub. In any case you would be losing valuable space. I personally would have the sub out in the open. Velodyne has some nice subs and i wouldn't think twice about not showing them.

[hifiguymi]

The only trouble I've had putting a sub in a cabinet is the noise the cabinet makes. It could be a door or a piece of gear or something else. scandio makes a good point with your cabinet as well. Why take up all of that space if you don't have to.

I wouldn't put it in the cabinet anyway so you can play around with placement. That will get you the best results. In most cases the worst place to put a sub is in the middle of a wall. The reflections off the side walls will create standing waves and make your bass very uneven. Some frequencies will cancel and you'll have 6dB, or more, less output at those frequencies. There will be others that will double up and you'll get 6dB, or more, more output at those. Mathematically the best place to put a subwoofer is at a prime interval like 1/3 or 1/5 of the walls distance from the corner. I usually start there, and then with some time listening, move the sub until I find the best spot for it in the room and system.

Eric

[audioqueso]

Though I'm sure it would sound a lot better outside in open space... and I would never put it inside a cabinet.. you could probably get away with it since the SPL-R sub since it's sealed instead of ported. However, you know you won't be able to use the remote, right? It's IR.

Either way, great sub. I've had my SPL-R for almost a year now. I love it with all music and movies!

[SF_VR6]

SF_VR6 - Nice BDI Avion Noir! I'm considering that stand but it is really expensive. How do you like it?

Now for your question, i don't see how you would be able to put a sub in that cabinet, unless maybe it is the 8" sub. In any case you would be losing valuable space. I personally would have the sub out in the open. Velodyne has some nice subs and i wouldn't think twice about not showing them.

I do like the BDI cabinet, however it is not the noir (with black glass). It is the Espresso color. The build quality is great. Super solid structure. Lots of ventilation. We splurged and got the optional flat screen mount which makes the setup even more clean.

Now for the sub as you can see there is not much room to the left and right side. There is equal amount of space taken up by the mains and then we have our couch. The only option is to put it against the left wall, away from the left mains about two feet or so. or i could put it right next to the couch but it seems that the sub needs some room around itself for best results. I do agree that I should not put the sub inside the cabinet...

hmmmmm....

[akhter]

why don't u move the mains further out...i think if u push them out another 5 inches, there should be enough room to stick velo in there. You would have to see if it impacts ur stereo imaging though...

[beden1]

I think you are faced with the same issue that I had in my system with regard to sub woofer placement. From where it appears you are sitting, and along with the limited wall space, one sub woofer is going to sound too directional.

I ended up going with twin subs which eliminates the directionality of a single sub. The Velodyne Sub Contractor Series offer a terrific high quality value when going into a twin sub setup. Check out their site. For example, you can get two 15" subs along with their amplifier, for the list price of a single DD12.

In your setup, you can probably use their SC10's or SC12's. And with regard to sub placement, you could angle them in on each side wall ahead of your main speakers. I would also angle your main speakers in (toe in), and facing the center point of your optimum primary seating area.

You may also have to move your entertainment cabinet left to the center, and give you more room to open up your main speaker stuck in the corner. By doing this, you may then have the room to put each sub next to your entertainment center and between each main speaker . . . and/or, try the main speakers next to each side of the cabinet and place each sub on the outward sides. My setup sounded best with the mains on the outward side, but I kept playing with the positioning until I felt I had the optimum sound output.

[Clepto]

Red and black Italian marble is nice. It can help make the bass tight and defined under your L and R Fronts as well.

If I have white marble, will painting it red and black improve the sonic qualities? (;

[nicky]

Looks great and very clean and modern looking SF_VR6.

Along with the subwoofer comments already listed, it's not a very good or ideal to store and place your center speaker enclosed inside the drawer of your media cabinet despite having "holes" or opening in the front of the drawer.

The more ideal place would be to place the center in the open on the top of your media cabinet (although that may not look as clean)....but I guess if you haven't noticed or are currently satisfied with the center sound already, never mind.