[jsalk]

A friend of mine ordered a home theater system built around a pair of SoundScape 10's (in hand-rubbed, burled walnut no less).  He really wanted a subwoofer.  But his wife really did not want "a big ugly box" in her living room.

So I mentioned an idea I had floating around in my mind for a couple of years now.  Why not build a subwoofer in the form of a coffee table?  You could finish it just like a speaker and perhaps put a nice (heavy) granite top on it.

My friend liked the idea, but wanted a heavy glass top.  His wife wanted to get a better idea of what it might look like.  So we did up this illustration...



In the end, they decided since they had spent so much already, perhaps the sub would have to wait until later.  But I thought I'd share the drawing anyway.

- Jim

[Cacophonix]

Looks wonderful, Jim!
My rythmik sub also is built like an end table.

For your design, have you looked into wireless transmitters so that one doesn't have to run long wires? It'll allow us to keep the sub anywhere in the room without having to jump over wires.

[ctviggen]

Looks wonderful, Jim!
My rythmik sub also is built like an end table.

For your design, have you looked into wireless transmitters so that one doesn't have to run long wires? It'll allow us to keep the sub anywhere in the room without having to jump over wires.

You'd still have to plug the sub into power.  They make some chair shakers that are wireless, but again, they have to be plugged in. 

[TomW16]

The wires to the sub are definite considerations as well as the first reflection point on the table if it were between the front speakers and the listener. 

I would go for a pair of end tables.

Cheers,
Tom

[Big Red Machine]

Jeez, in 1982 I built end tables, a rack, and a coffee table-subwoofer combo out of birch ply and used the heck out of those for 10 years.  That was one rockin' coffee table with two 12 inch woofers in it!

What's you plan for keepng the glass stable?

[jsalk]

For your design, have you looked into wireless transmitters so that one doesn't have to run long wires? It'll allow us to keep the sub anywhere in the room without having to jump over wires.

Well, that would require amplification and thus power to the sub.  We were thinking of running this one with an outboard amp in his rack. 

I would go for a pair of end tables.

We discussed that option, but he didn't want them. It is a better approach though.

What's you plan for keepng the glass stable?

Mass.  The sub would have 2" thick walls and the glass top would be 3/4" to 1" thick.  Hopefully with all that mass, it wouldn't vibrate much.  We would use horizontally opposed passives to cancel out some vibrations in that regard as well.

It was just an idea...

- Jim

[Nuance]

I really like this idea, Jim.  I've seen DIY versions of something like this, and they turned out pretty darn good.  Your work would, of course, blow away any DIY project I've seen, so I'll be following this thread closely. 

[Mudslide]

That is SO cool looking, Jim.

Please send a pair of them with Dennis for his trip out here to Oregon.  I'll give 'em a full testing, including WAF measurements.     (I think I found the limits of her tolerance level with my twin SVS PB12-Plusses.   )

[charmerci]

How about four not-too-large round but flat (1/8") rubber spacers on the corners between the glass and the SW?