Looking for feedback on my SubSofa concept

[Steven Henry]

Dear audiophiles,

 

I’ve been brewing on the idea of creating a sofa with a built in (or two) subwoofers. My main drive for this idea is to have people feel the bass sounds while they’re relaxing on a sofa, to have an immersive multimedia experience.

 

At the same time I’ve understood that a subwoofer built into a sofa creates less noise for neighbors for example, while amplifying your own perception of the bass sounds, through hearing and feeling.

 

My question to you is what would make such a sofa worthwhile. What properties should it have? What are the most important qualities you would look for in such a product? What would make or break the deal for you? And if you have any additional comments I’d like to hear them too.

 

Thanks in advance for your input. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

 

Regards,

Steven

[yamamoto2002]

It is better to create prototype model to test how it affect to your body.

 

I tested similar idea before (put a subwoofer to the back of the chair) and found it promotes a bowel movement and causes more frequent toilet...

[Kal Rubinson]

7 minutes ago, yamamoto2002 said:

I tested similar idea before (put a subwoofer to the back of the chair) and found it promotes a bowel movement and causes more frequent toilet...

A fundamental issue.

[bluesman]

19 minutes ago, yamamoto2002 said:

It is better to create prototype model to test how it affect to your body.

 

I tested similar idea before (put a subwoofer to the back of the chair) and found it promotes a bowel movement and causes more frequent toilet...

"MEMO TO ENGINEERS:  add "gastrointestinal normalization" to DSP settings

[firedog]

You guys are really helping out the newbie @Steven Henry....

[Norton]

You mean like this...https://4seating.com/soundshaker-seat-vibration-kit

 

[bluesman]

7 minutes ago, firedog said:

You guys are really helping out the newbie @Steven Henry....

Sorry - Yamamoto laid out bait too tempting to resist!

 

The bass in live music generates a kind of composite energy that’s palpable as well as audible.  But it does so without physical contact, which I believe is a critical distinction.  No acoustic instrument generates enough energy to add more than a minuscule amount in vibratory stimulus to that reaching the auditory cortex through airborne input via the middle ear and bone-borne conduction from the skull above about 40 dB over threshold sensitivity.  Even amplified instruments won’t physically vibrate your bones unless they’re far too loud (eg near field locations in small clubs with megawatts driving big speakers or sitting adjacent to concert sound reinforcement).
 

I’ve used my amplifiers as seats on stage for many years, as do many guitarists, bassists etc.  And the Leslie cabinet for my Hammond sits directly behind me at the club in which I’m the house band leader.  I can feel their outputs in my chest while playing, which is really cool but actually makes it harder to hear the band as a unit.
 

I can only imagine that a couch or lounge chair with a sub in it would appeal to the same group who like their bass so loud in their cars that the rest of us can hear the toneless droning 3 lanes away at a stoplight.  The effect would probably have no appeal at all to most audiophiles because it distracts from actual sound quality.

 

There are already many sofas on the market with speakers in them.  I know of none with just a sub, but a quick Google suggests a lot of potential patent infringement claims.   
 

 

[sphinxsix]

2 hours ago, bluesman said:

"MEMO TO ENGINEERS:  add "gastrointestinal normalization" to DSP settings

 

If it could also have a DSP setting options for making sex:

1. Effortless

2. Adventurous

3. ..an extreme sport

I would probably consider buying it, but beware, you may have not much time before starting production.. 

 

1 hour ago, firedog said:

You guys are really helping out the newbie @Steven Henry....

 

Yeah.. I guess, life of a subsofa designer sometimes isn't easy.. 

 

[bluesman]

5 hours ago, Steven Henry said:

I’ve been brewing on the idea of creating a sofa with a built in (or two) subwoofers.

OK - let's be serious.  AS is a welcoming community.  But we really should limit our lighthearted spirit to harassing each other and breaking newbies in before getting silly with them.  It was an inappropriate way to greet a new friend and I/we do know better than this.  Blame it on end-of-summer madness and communal Covid craziness.

 

The first step in assessing what you think is a new idea is to find out if it's really a new idea.  Without trying to be harsh or negative, this one is not.  People have been stuffing speakers of all kinds into chairs, couches, coffee and end tables since at least the early '60s (when I started hanging out in audio shops).  Freddy Martin and Dan Greenfield sold a massive system in a single cabinet they called the Coffin (guess why???), with huge down-firing bass drivers on the bottom and articulated reflecting panels on each end that drove the sound of upward firing mid / high drivers toward the wall behind the unit.  You could put cushions on the center 2/3 and use it as a couch.  Dan even tried damped passive radiators along with 12" bass drivers down below - and it actually sounded great from a normal listening position.  [Before you start thinking about Bose, be aware that this was years before Bose hit the market.  Dr Bose actually used to come to Philadelphia to Dan's shop and pick his brain.  Sadly, Dan never patented the reflector concept....and the rest is history.]

 

I also did the Google search for you.  Here's a thread from AVForums in 2009 titled "Sub Built Into Sofa?".  There are many currently available approaches to this, e.g. the Aura Bass Shaker that screws onto the frame of your chair or couch.  I also ran a quick search on the US Patent & Trademark Office site for the keyword combos "speaker & couch" and "subwoofer & couch" - there are so many hits that I'd simply recommend your looking for yourself.

 

FWIW, most of the comments on AV forums (which seem to be the only active discussion groups with any interest in this idea) say clearly that stuffing subs in or under the couch will do nothing for music listening.  Many comment that a buzzing butt is really distracting.  But they sure do love it for earthquake movies! And that Aura Bass Shaker and its competition are apparently quite popular for automotive use among those "... who like their bass so loud in their cars that the rest of us can hear the toneless droning 3 lanes away at a stoplight".

[R1200CL]

@Steven Henry

https://clarksynthesis.com/tst429-platinum-transducer/

[PeterG]

Hi Steven,

 

Since you write "Dear audiophiles", I'm guessing you are not one yourself.  I'm also going to guess that your idea of a subwoofer is for special effects in movies on your TV.  I think it could be awesome for this.  But for music, this would be deeply compromised over the ideal of a specially designed housing placed in a specified spot relative to walls, main speakers, and listeners.  As research, you should go to a hifi dealer and buy a stereo with a sub.

[R1200CL]

https://thebuttkicker.com/all-products/

A single-seat transducer with excellent musical response, from deep bass to lower mid-range, the ButtKicker mini LFE adds amazing impact and tone perception. The ButtKicker mini LFE features multi-directional mounting bracket for versatile mounting options.

Someting to test playing the canons in 1812 Overture 🤩
 

 

 

https://www.conrad.com/p/sinuslive-bass-pump-iii-car-subwoofer-passive-130-mm-80-w-8-378284

 

https://www.ljudia.no/produkter/hoyttaler/basshakers

 

 

[Allan F]

3 hours ago, bluesman said:

But they sure do love it for earthquake movies! And that Aura Bass Shaker and its competition are apparently quite popular for automotive use among those "... who like their bass so loud in their cars that the rest of us can hear the toneless droning 3 lanes away at a stoplight".

 

Thankfully, many cities have noise bylaws that are enforced to counter these selfish/self-absorbed motorists.