Subwoofer Hidden in Plain Sight

by MitchellCochran in Circuits > Audio

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Subwoofer Hidden in Plain Sight

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I wanted a 22hz subwoofer for my livingroom. After meeting with the budget/aesthetics committee, my wife agreed I could build a subwoofer that would serve as an end table and look like a trunk.

Disclaimer

I am by no means a professional and I based my entire process on reading other instrucables and spending time on forums. I learned a lot through the process and would change a few things if and when I do it again.

Hardware

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Steps 1 and 2 go hand in hand. You need to decide what kind of performance you want combined with how much space you're willing to utilize. I decided to start with performance first and size second so I chose my hardware before settling on a design.

Design

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Come up with a plan for your subwoofer before purchasing building materials. I used a free program called winISD to help calculate my design based on the driver and performance I wanted.

Materials

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Using your design calculate how much material you need. I build mine out of 3/4 MDF, everyone online recommended 1/2 or 3/4, I chose 3/4 to play it safe.

Cut and Assembly

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If you're confident with your measurements you can cut all your pieces then assemble or you can cut and assemble as you go.

Break-in

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After assembling the enclosure I decided to install the driver and amp and let it run overnight using sweep tones to break-in the driver.

Paint

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I decided to paint all the areas that wouldn't be covered in leather.

Wrapped in Leather

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Began wrapping in leather. Attached leather with contact cement.

Accents

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Added hardware accents to make it look like a trunk.

Finish and Enjoy

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After the paint was dried I finished assembling everything, and began shaking the house.