Subwoofers in cab..

[cdbrown]

I bought a Logitech Z-560 package and it sounds great.  The subwoofer has a large port on one side and I as wondering if the cab should also have the same hole.  For those out there with subwoofers originally contained in a ported enclosure have you just placed it on the bottom of the cab or have you cut a hole in the side of the cab the same size as the port to allow the "sound" to escape from  the cab.

By not providing the cab hole isn't it the same as just having a fully enclosed sub.  I like the bass I get from the sub and don't want to lose it because it gets enclosed in the cab.

Subs in general - would you recommend fixing them to the floor using L brackets.  Do you have rubber gromets to prevent unwanted vibration?  Or am I getting too carried away with this

Cheers
-cdbrown

[CthulhuLuke]

Well the reason why there's a hole in the subwoofer, is because that's how the subwoofer box is designed, it's air tight except for that hole, which allows air to be pushed through it, if you added another hole to your cabinet, it'd be pointless since you're cabinet is not air tight, well I'm not 100% sure on this cause I"m not a sound engineer or anything -__- lol, but if your cabinet has NO holes in it at all, and IS air tight, it'd probably be a good idea to maybe put one or two holes in it just to let air in and out.  You don't want the subwoofer to make so much bass it corrupts your hard drive or anything though, that'd be lame as hell.
  -Good Luck
     -CthulhuLuke

[dac]

and audiophiles sometimes construct boxes for their subs anyways, to give it more oomph feeling....  I'd avoid cutting holes for it, the cab will just make it stronger

and as far as mounting the sub, I put it directly under the cp towards the front, and "locked" it in the corner by screwing in a couple of small pieces of wood right up against the sub, pressing the sub against the front left corner of the cab

[ArcadeFX]

I would put the subwoofer outside of your cabinet. Think about it. A subwoofers send non-directional vibration out at a low frequency.   Vibration is bad for Monitors and computers. I spend too much money on my arcade PC to place it by my subwoofer.  

[1UP]

I just looked for a reasonably cheap set o speakers that have a good dynamic range, without bothering with a sub.  The Labtech Spin series is pretty good.  I got the largest (3") speakers they had at Fry's for $39 I think...  They had the best sound at the PC audio kiosk.  Really good bass for a 2-speaker system.

I think technically, the subwoofer needs to be in contact with the ground to get the best bass.  Unless your cabinet has no wheels or legs underneath, you might want to put the sub in a separate enclosure that rests on the floor.  Maybe you could build it to match your cab, or even make an arcade bench with the sub inside...  You'd really feel the bass then!  

[SirPoonga]

I would put the subwoofer outside of your cabinet. Think about it. A subwoofers send non-directional vibration out at a low frequency.   Vibration is bad for Monitors and computers. I spend too much money on my arcade PC to place it by my subwoofer.  

You don'y play real arcade much???  Man, they get a beating and shaking of their life!  That's why arcade monitors have that roll cage around them.

[cdbrown]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I was originally thinking of having the sub box (me standing in front of cab) with the speaker facing forward, port on the left up against the left side of the cab.  The I thought I could remove the left side panel of the sub box, cut the port hole in the cab and mount the box hard up against the left side.  This would improve the sound coming out of the cab.

Would this help the problem of vibrating the harddrive, monitor? Or is it still affected by the the speaker movement.

I will have to check how much the sub vibrates, I know I can feel the bass, then I could see.  I have felt there is a lot of air moving through the port so I thought it would be best to have that push outside air.

Some more thinking required I guess.

Cheers
-cdbrown

[1UP]

I believe bass is mostly transmitted thru vibration, not direct movement of air.  Really top-line subs actually have spikes on the bottom so they make contact with the floor thru the carpet!  Guys drive down my street with woofers in the trunk, and I can FEEL it 3 floors above!  I think you should be able to just mount it inside the cab without drilling a hole in the side, and still hear and feel the bass.  Just don't block the port so it doesn't hinder movement of the speaker cone.  I think you're way overthinking this...

[HeadRusch]

Subwoofers are a very tricky item to place.  If you've ever set up a home theatre using a Sound Pressure Level meter, you'll know that where you place and point a subwoofer can have a dramatic effect on the sound it makes.

Too far away from a wall and it sounds weak, too close and it sounds boomy.  PS: The reason for spikes on some subwoofers is not to touch the floor, but rather to prevent the cabinet of the subwoofer from contacting a carpet, which can dramatically change the sound of the sub.....same rule applies to floor standing speakers.

Anyhow, the Z560 sub makes a *TON* of power.  I mean, it might not be Home Theatre quality, but as far as power output it is a monster for JUST a PC soundsystem.......you'll get better sound outside the cab, since the air is going to move in the direction the woofer is facing (the side port is for air "behind" the diaphram to escape".....the sound comes from both openings......however trappingit inside wont give you much less "oompgh"...it just might make the sound "boomier".

[SirPoonga]

Yeah, I built my sub for my home theater.  I'v ebeen moving it around the living room seeing where the best spot it.  near the bay window is it boomy.  Where it is now the sound is very precise but a little quite.

I put the cone feet on too.  having a complete side of the box touching the floor changed how the sound reflects off of it.  

My next sub will be more powerful.  I want to install it in a sano tube because I hear that is the best for sound.  Right now I have an 80w amp and the 10" Titan driver from partsexpress.com.

[HeadRusch]

My Home Theatre speakers are all Paradigms, from Canada...best money I ever spent.  blows away all the mass-market junk you can buy at Best Buy and Circuit City, but they're not uber-expensive like some of the luxury Hi-Fi-Store brands.

I have a Paradigm PDR-12......120w mean, 360watts peak, 12" woofer...and that thing rattles the concrete floor in my basement when its really workin.

I also have the Logitech Z560's on my PC, and just for laughs I cranked up the bass on both the control and my SB Live Card's bass, and played some gangsta rap.  Outside in my driveway I could feel the thumps from these little pc speakers, they're so damn punchy its frightening.

I need a nother set of speakers for my mame cab but no way I'll use thes, they're just too much overkill.  I'll go with their lower-wattaged brothers the Z540's.  

[BombProofPlane]

My Home Theatre speakers are all Paradigms, from Canada...best money I ever spent.  blows away all the mass-market junk you can buy at Best Buy and Circuit City, but they're not uber-expensive like some of the luxury Hi-Fi-Store brands.

I have a Paradigm PDR-12......120w mean, 360watts peak, 12" woofer...and that thing rattles the concrete floor in my basement when its really workin.

I also have the Logitech Z560's on my PC, and just for laughs I cranked up the bass on both the control and my SB Live Card's bass, and played some gangsta rap.  Outside in my driveway I could feel the thumps from these little pc speakers, they're so damn punchy its frightening.

I need a nother set of speakers for my mame cab but no way I'll use thes, they're just too much overkill.  I'll go with their lower-wattaged brothers the Z540's.  

imho i think the z560s beat the tar out of any crap in a box (homo theatre in a box) you find at circuit city or best buy

but if you buy all your pieces seperate you could beat em out