Choosing Sub-woofers. Please advise ASAP.

sautan904,

    You obviously have invested in some very good amps and speakers.  Getting a good bass system in place will complete the audio portion of your home theater.

     I think I'm the 3rd person to recommend multiple subs for the best bass performance both in terms of ensuring bass sounds good throughout the entire room (no bass peaks or weak spots at some seats) and quality bass impact. 

     A very good solution for you would be what's called a 'Distributed Bass Array System'.  If you google this name, there is a lot of info on this; the theory behind it explained by the acoustic engineer, Dr. Gettis,who 1st proposed it,  explanations of how it is applied and sellers of these systems..

     I purchased one of these bass systems for $3,000 called DEBRA from Audio Kinesis in Utah.  I was so impressed I started a thread here on Audiogon that describes my system and asks for input from others that have employed it.  Unfortunately, there aren't many current members who use it.  A good place to start would be to read this thread.  Here's a link to it:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/anybody-else-using-a-distributed-array-sub-system?highlight=d...

      I was originally considering solutions like you are.  2 subs along the front wall at spots that are convenient.   I was looking at Hsu, Rhythmik, REL and JL that would be good for music and ht.  Fortunately, I discovered the distributed bass array system before I decided on specific brand and model of subs.  Here's a link to the site I bought the Debra at:

     http://jamesromeyn.com/old-pages/home-audio-gear/dsa-1-0-distributed-subwoofer-array-5-pieces-4k-usd...

     I was skeptical at first but, after many emails and phone conversations with James Romeyn, I decided to give it a try.  I justified the cost by rationalizing that 2 high quality subs would likely exceed the $3k cost of the array.

     The system consists of 4 67 lb  4 ohm  subs that are relatively small with 8" woofers that are ported.  The subs are powered by a 1,000 watt class A/B amp that has a variable  cut-off frequency control. There is an extensive and detailed setup procedure that instructs exactly where to place each sub in your room and how to wire the subs in-series to the amp.

     I know 8" woofers seem small but the 4 summed together produce excellent bass for both music and ht.  It's very versatile and can reproduce taut and nuanced bass for music and reproduce wall- shaking deep, powerful and sustained bass for ht that makes ht effects sound very real which can  be startling at times. The added bonus is that you won't have a bad seat in your room for great bass response and you'll have no need  for bass room treatments or  digital signal processing systems.

I'm not a dealer and I have no financial interest in distributed bass array systems or companies.

Just a big fan of this method,
   Tim 

     

     I need to make 2 corrections to my reply post earlier tonight about my DEBRA distributed array bass system:

1. Each sub contains a 10" woofer, not an 8" woofer.

2. The subs are connected in-parallel, not in-series.

Sorry,
 Tim

2x 12" it is.  Yes. My stereo system will be setup and professional tune for my listening area with acoustic treatment too. 

home theater will be setup by another HT and Mcintosh specialist.

i hope all work out well.

now, I just need to wait. Wilson will ship my speaker mid January! 

" Your speakers are pretty full range so you'll need 12 inch or larger to extend lower if needed at all.  Two are better than one for balance across the room. "

" @ mapman. I thought so too. That is my original idea but shaken up a little when spoke to the dealer. He suggested his 2 used 10" subs at super crazy discount....

Also the room size is OK for 2x 12" subs?"

Not true. If you buy subs with 12in drivers, the only thing you can be sure of is that your subs will have 12 in drivers. Are all 12in drivers identical? Better yet, if you have one of the drivers blow in your Wilson's, are you going to run down to your local Radio Shack for replacement? People may disagree with me on this, but I think the quality of the speaker is a factor in how it sounds. 

If you want to make bass, you can either move a large driver slow or a small driver fast. If all other factors are equal, there'a no difference. Not only that, a high quality 8 or 10 in woofer, can easily outperform a low quality 12 in unit. 

mb1audio02

If you want to make bass, you can either move a large driver slow or a small driver fast.

That doesn't make any sense. A driver's movement corresponds to the frequency it's asked to reproduce. If it's a pure 32 Hz tone, the cone will move at 32 cycles per second, regardless of the cone's diameter.