Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Axiom sub rejected; now in search of in-wall sub

Earthquakesound.com has an in-wall sub. Called the THOR-10 In-wall subwoofer. MSRP $1999.00 U.S. That is the only one I have seen. But if they have one others may too. Good luck.

tomtuttle,

Thanks for the link. I've never heard a setup like the ones shown. I would think they'd still be subject to all the room placement/standing wave anomalies that are a given when you generate low frequencies in a room.

Anyone here ever heard one of these?

Regards,

Did you show your wife all of the Axiom custom finishes?

Sometimes bringing her into the buying process and allowing her to make decisions can cause her to be more understanding about your purchases.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/customshop.html

TELL me about it...

Hi Alan,

I am very interested in your observations. I have NOT heard an infinite baffle sub, and I agree that the inability to position the sub subsequent to installation seems like a fatal flaw.

I think the concept is fascinating.

"I agree that the inability to position the sub subsequent to installation seems like a fatal flaw."

Still better than no sub at all I would think.

The in wall subs require making a big hole in your wall. If your wife freaked out over the little EP175, what will she think when (say) you cut a 23"x13"x4" hole in a wall? Yes when finished it can look fairly neat, but it will be a big mess beforehand.

I hate to suggest a non-Axiom solution but here are three more:

(1) Hide sub in "plain sight" as an end table. Typically this requires a down-firing sub with a finished top, like the Hsu VTF-3R: VTF-3R MkII Put a lamp or vase on top and few people will know the difference.

Alternatively maybe Axiom's custom finish shop could build an Axiom sub to a similar look.

(2) Use a small cylinder sub laid horizontally behind a couch. Bass frequencies are non directional so physical placement is less restricted. Out of sight, out of mind.

(3) Get the smallest decent sub possible and hope for the best ("look dear, it's only this big"). The Velodyne HGS-10X is an 11" cube: Velodyne HGS-10X

Alan:

I am building one this year. I have put probably 50 or 60 hours of research into the design of the these subs. Positioning is just like for a box. Play bass tones at your listening position, check your SPL at your wall locations and pick the best location for the hole. I am going to use 4 15" drivers with a prosound amp and a BFD for equalization. I have seen many people post charts of their IBs showing flat frequency response down to less than 10 Hz. Many people in the know insist IB bass is the best you can get, unless you want to spend 10 times more money. My entire setup, including driver, amp, Behringer BFD, and construction materials will be less than $1000.

There are many threads at www.hometheatertalk.com expounding on the virtues of IB bass, in addition to the Cult, which was previously mentioned.

Pete

"My understanding is that infinite baffle designs need LOTS of power."

Hi Tom:

Actually, they do need a bit of power, as well as multiple drivers. I am building an IB with 4 15" drivers that will require 800 watts of power (200W per woofer). However, check the watts on some box subs (which usually have only one driver) and you will see that don't really need excessive power.

After all, the EP500 has a 500 watt amplifier for one driver.

Selecting a good location before cutting the hole along with an equalizer (should use one for subs anyway) can produce great results.

Pete

"You're going to have to be creative and probably spend more money to get performance similar to a decent box or cylinder design."

Tom, I think you have this part backwards. You can get better performance from an IB at a fraction of the cost of a similiar box or cylinder. The downside is the hole in the wall and the DIY nature of the project. It is not "plug and play".

Pete