Are big subwoofers viable for 2 channel music?

Hello luisma31,

     For someone who claims to not know a lot about audio, I think you're doing pretty well and have a nice system.  I think you benefited by talking with Duke and James at RMAF, they're both very knowledgeable and won't steer you wrong.  James Romeyn talked me into trying the 4-sub Swarm/Debra distributed bass array system and I'm always so glad that he took the time and effort to do that.  It was a true bass revelation to me just as it seems to have been for you.  As you know, it provides near state of the art bass performance and you made a great choice that will work well even if you move or change main speakers. 
      I find it interesting that we both operate our amps at about 50% volume and use fairly low crossover settings, well below 80 Hz.  We've also both discovered that bass room treatments, DSP, EQ and room correction are not required for the 4-sub DBA concept to work well.  
     I recently treated my room with GIK room treatments but the improvements I noticed were mainly in the midrange, treble and imaging qualities but the bass does sound just a bit smoother and more detailed, too.

Enjoy,
 Tim

Duke,

Your above easy to follow, in concise in layman like terms of DBA are very welcome, needed and surprisingly understandable. Some months ago I took millercarbon’s advice and read:

Optimal Bass Palyback In Small Rooms By Earl Geddes
Why multiple subwoofers in sound reproduction?
GedLee.com - GedLee LLC Papers by Earl Geddes

And ever since then I came to understand to NOT

’judge bass by it’s level despite the fact that some bass levels are not at all natural or neutral’.

In Earl Geddes ’Why Multiple Subs?’ papers - when I read:

1) If there are corners, then one sub should probably go in a corner. Corners have the unique characteristic of see all of the modes. But using two corners is not an effective use of two subs because the symmetrical situation makes these two sources less statistically independent. A less symmetrical location for the second sub would be better. 2) One of the subs should be relatively close to the mains, but not too close. Ideal here might be to locate the first sub close to the mains, but back in a corner, if in fact the mains are pulled out slightly from the wall behind them, as they should be. 3) The rest of the subs locations become far less important if the first two points above are adhered to.

Subwoofer requirements:

Because we are using 3 (or more) subwoofers, they do not need to be as powerful as a single subwoofer. Any decent active subwoofer (ported or closed design) with a 10" or bigger driver will do. It should have controls for.is

• level (continuously variable)
• low pass frequency (continuously variable)
• phase (switchable or continuously variable)
• parametric equalizer (optional)

It was if the subwoofer lesser deities themselves opened up to me and I tried the technique with only 2 subs at first. One in the left corner of the room closest to the mains and I moved the sub that was in the far right corner and place it asymmetrical out of the right corner and against the far right wall and noticed an improvement right away. Of course there’s more but I won’t’ go on.

Duke,
I’m just trying to let you know that because of your Swarm Subwoofer System I understand exactly what you have shown above NOW in a step by step manner to do the same thing in my own home and I say thank you.

It is extremely hard to convince some of us hard core bass heads that a very high level of gain, volume, headroom and ’mega bass’ are not needed for ’good bass’. But now I know.

There’s just one caveat, My subs do not have phase (switchable or continuously variable). My PSA subs have 2 pots for:

Time Delay from 0ms to 16ms and
Room Size from small to large

Theses PSA pots were made to be adjusted by ear.
How do and where should the adjustment be made with the 2 above pots
with the multiple sub (4 or more) equation?

@luisma31,

Outstanding room and rig indeed! I too have PSA and SVS subs that may be going up for sale. 

Duke,
I have been to the Swarm website this weekend but did not see the Azel's? Could you give me a link to the Azel's and any other of your products I may have missed please. Thanks!

smodtactical,

I and others here did not intend to hijack your OP. Thank you for being so patient with us as this kind of bass stuff is very revelatory.

Tyray wrote:  "Duke, I have been to the Swarm website this weekend but did not see the Azel's? Could you give me a link to the Azel's and any other of your products I may have missed please. Thanks!" 

My website is being revised, but Jim Romeyn's site has all of my current designs.  Jim is my partner in crime... for example the Space Generators that Luis mentioned were his invention: 

https://jamesromeyn.com/ 

Duke