Is One Subwoofer Really Not Appropriate For 2-Chnl

Bryon,

I quit following the literature around 1970. I was an admirer of the Jeffries model of binaural processing, but a study I did using computer generated signals and narrow bands of noise was inconclusive about the phase relationships of the signal and noise even though the detectability of the samples differed markedly, and the models did not explain the results. I reported the results at a special JASA session devoted to Lloyd Jeffries, but never published them. After that, I lost interest in psychoacoustics.

I can believe moving a sub a foot or so can make a detectable difference, but I'm not sure I'd attribute it just to time alignment, given the potential interaction with room boundaries.

db

I make it a point not to hijack threads. But that is exactly what I've done to this one. My apologies to Ryder (the OP) and to everyone else following along.

Dbphd - Your last observation is a valid one, but I have experiences that are inconsistent with attributing the audible variations resulting from small differences in sub room placement to frequency response. You can read about my experiences on a recent thread I initiated.

I'd be happy to discuss this further, as it is a topic that interests me a lot. But, in the interest of courtesy to other folks, we should move our conversation to the thread I linked above.

Bryon

Bryon.

One of the most reliable phenomena in psychoacoustics is what Is know as the masking level difference (MLD). Present a mid-freuquncy sinusoid in correlated noise to both ears and adjust the level until it becomes inaudible; flip the phase of the sinusoid in one ear, and the signal pops up as much as 15 dB, depending on frequency. At the time, the data suggested the auditory system doesn't preserve timing as such up the neural chain, but may convey such information by the more central areas excited. Thus, the vector model of Lloyd Jeffries.

db

I couldn't afford a pair of the subs I wanted...so I went a little upline and bought a single sub.
That's OK, though. My room has enough walls to bounce the sound around and leave no 'hot spots' for bass. That would be 9 walls and a vaulted ceiling. Very asymmetric.
That nasty room and a very low crossover ensures the sub is both invisible and seamless.
Depending on how messed up your room is, that may also work for you.

The manufacturer of my sub recommends a near-field approach to sub use.

BryonCunningham -not a problem at all. I've briefly gone through the thread that you linked over here and can see that you are very knowledgeable in this area in setting up a sub at an advanced level. I'll do some in-depth study on this subject once I managed to digest all the technical stuff that have been elaborated here. Keep up the good work. I'm sure we all appreciate the time and effort you've taken in contributing your thoughts and beliefs on this forum.

Cheers.