Optimal positioning of subwoofer in a UAII cab - Suggestions?

[kujina]

Hi Everyone

I have got hold of a nice Creative MegaWorks THX 2.1 250D system and I want to position the subwoofer box in the best way. Its a little different from most 2.1 subwoofer boxes as the subwoofer speaker is mounted on the bottom (downward firing).

Heres are pics of the subwoofer its quite a lot larger than the other creative subwoofers.


 


Here are some pics of it placed inside my unfinished Ultimate arcade II cabinet:




Am I right in thinking just placing the subwoofer inside the cabinet probably isnt a very good place to put it, how would it effect the sound?
Heres the deal, I'm up for hacking the subwoofer box or even completely taking out the amp and speaker to get the best from it.

One of my ideas is to place the box in the corner at the back and to take out the reflex tube/port and to mount it on the side of the cabinet connecting into the box.

My second idea is to remove everything from the original box and to mount the subwoofer at the back of the cabinet as below:




Any ideas, feedback, comments welcome!

[Trimoor]

Whatever you do, keep the subwoofer in the box and don't take it apart.

The box is specially designed to perfectly match the speaker.  Taking it out would ruin this harmony, and possibly damage the speaker at higher volumes.

What I would do is cut a hole in the bottom of the cab, and fit the box right up against it, sealing it as best as you can.

[kujina]

Whatever you do, keep the subwoofer in the box and don't take it apart.

The box is specially designed to perfectly match the speaker.  Taking it out would ruin this harmony, and possibly damage the speaker at higher volumes.

What I would do is cut a hole in the bottom of the cab, and fit the box right up against it, sealing it as best as you can.

Ideally I would prefer to keep it in its own box, as it will be less work for me anyway. Would your idea be ok, there is clearence of 1/2" under the cabinet floor but there is no gap as all the side and front/back panels touch the ground.

[electricd]

Well, I could be wrong (its been known to happen), but I think bass is omni-directional, meaning that even if the speaker is completly inside the cabinet, it will still sound decent.  

[Trimoor]

Bass is fairly omni-directional, but if it's inside the cab, the sound will be deadened by the cab walls.

I say mount it anywhere so that the speaker is on the outside.

[kujina]

Is it important where the reflex tube/port is?

[roybfr]

I have mine in the cab (UAII) firing against the side wall, sounds great. The sub will actually sound and perform better with the port firing at a wall/side, sitting a few inches from it. The wood will not deaden the sound, it will actually help amplify it. A sub is not like a mid or tweeter and is better off not firing right at you.

[Xiaou2]

 Unfortunately,  most pc type subs use bass ports
 to help make them sound like they are louder.  This
 port is like an instrument, and so must be positioned
 in such a way that its not obstructed... else you lose
 a lot of the bass effect.

  Id say, take the side off the speaker box that has the
bass port on it.  Then, drill a hole in the cab near the
middle bottom, and mount the bass tube insert.
 
 Next, glue the rest of the speaker to the inside of the
cab.  This should keep the correct airflow and sound
quality of the speaker.

 The bass port could be popped onto one side
of the cab rather than the middle... but I think It
might sound a little more even if centered.

 The bass speaker itself should be fine firing
against the cabet walls.  You prolly should leave a
about 6" from the sides  tho.   Id say, experiment
and see *at high volumes*  how the sounds react.

 If you hear an echo or low bass levels... then try
moving it further or closer to the walls... or on different
walls  (I should have mentioned this as a fist step as : )

 If needed you can change things by adding bounce
walls from scrapwood... or insulate areas...ect.

 For some really cool bass effect that you can feel...
Look for these on ebay "Bass Shakers".  With very little
power and no airflow... they make you feel like theres a
5000 watt subwoofer rocking away... when your other
speakers are at comfortable non offending volume levels.
Basically - bass vibrations, without the audio.

[ras2a]

I've just installed a car amp and some decent Sony XPlod (6"x9") speakers in my UAII cab.  However the sound coming from them is not as good as I imagined it would be.  The only thing I can think of is that due to the speakers simply being mounted in the speaker panel (no back on etc), then there is no 'enclosure' to create resonance and hence the speakers sound rather dull.  The amp is deffinitely powerful enough to drive the speakers so don't think it's that.  Does anyone have any tips for getting the best 'sound' out of this sort of setup? maybe adding material at the back of the speaker panel?  Anyone else done this sort of thing?

thanks in advance guys

Craig

[clanggedin]

In home theater situation the subwoofer is best placed in a corner of a room or near a wall where the sound can bounce off. I have a front firing sub in my UAII cab and the port is kept 3 inches from the side wall. The best thing to do is get the cab put together and then test the sound. If you like the sound of it better out of the cab, then leave it out. Just DON'T OPEN THE BASS BOX. You have a THX system, opening it will have grave effects on your sound quality.

[Rocky]

I agree that testing it is the way to go.