Will subwoofer affect TV (negatively)

[asiquis]

I have been looking at my room size and would like to build a sub that will be effective in my 50x13x7'6 basement rec room. I had bee looking at a couple of options which were over 4.5 cu ft when the word came from on high; "What No Way !"
I got looking at my cheap entertianment centre and thought if I gutted the bottom part where there is storage cabinets and my DVD and HD Dish receiver and slid the sub in there and put fake doors back on to finish the look I could get some volume this way and the sub would be between the main speakers ( I would have about 60" width by 20-24" depth and 24-26" of height to work with).

See pic I guess don't see picture I am not sure how to resize small enough...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15640395@N05/?saved=1

I would just build a box and set the TV on it, but WAF is a big issue here she likes having the TV "surrounded" and having the space on top for plants and such--bad enough the centre channel lives there!
I am concerned that the TV (42" Panasonic plasma) might not fare well sitting directly on the new box


Any suggestions would be appreciated.
The entertainment center, basic shape:


THANKS, RAY

[BoomieMCT]

That's a decent sized room (5200 cubic foot) for one sub! Are you sure you don't have a good corner somewhere to put something big?

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that to fill that space you will need a conventionally ported (not EBS) 15" sub that is not tuned super low (to keep efficiency up). Two subs would be better. A 15" sub takes up space but not tuning low may cut down on the volume a bit.

Give us some more constraints other then volume. What budget are you working with? Is this for movies or music? Can you do a tall sub with a small footprint (like a sonosub)?

[BoomieMCT]

Also check out the HTshack subwoofer database to see if anything there fits the bill.

[asiquis]

I have a modest budget about 300 for driver(s) the amp is another issue, I am checking Ebay and this is a work in progress--I move slowly gathering info (and parts) and then get at a project and press on quickly.

The sub will be used for music 25% and 75% home theater. Maybe I need to look at building something for the corners that is attractive and tall but I doubt this will pass muster! My wife does NOT like the idea of anything in the corners-unless you can't see it!

Ray

[BoomieMCT]

The corners are more efficient places to put subs. The corners themselves act like large horns and will boost the low end a bit. If you made a sonosub with a raised cover over the port you could put a flowerpot on top of it. Another option is to disguise the sub as a piece of furniture or make something that fits underneath furniture.

Off the top of my head if you can work the corners I'd look at the Mach5 IXL-18 or two Dayton DVC-15's (from Parts Express). Both will be large but might get the job done and will come in under budget. For smaller options I'd have to think. Smaller options often require more power which means a more expensive amp.

[derekbannatyne]

I don't think the tv should be too affected by the sub. Since it's not a CRT, you don't have to worry about magnetic shielding, and if you brace and sufficiently construct the sub, it shouldn't vibrate too much (I used 3/4" MDF plus 1/2" OSB board, and my sub won't visibly vibrate, even on bass-heavy passages).