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Will a sub woofer mess up my tone and phase aligned speakers

Hi, I posted recently about my vandersteen 1ci 's. Someone suggested I add a sub woofer.  Well I've found a nice 2nd hand Martin logan grotto (not i) (comments welcome).

My question is: will the addition of a 3rd party sub work at cross purposes to the time & phase alignment of my 1ci 's?

~Jim
128x128jimspov
erik_squires
16,061 posts
 
No.

Having said that, integration of a sub is always many times more difficult than getting a full range pair of speakers situated correctly.

Plan to spend quite a bit of time and energy, or get professional help.

Properly integrated a sub is glorious for all kinds of music.

Best,


E
erik_squires
16,061 posts
 
So the issue with the Grotto is it lacks fine equalization.

Having a parametric or digital EQ, especially one that self-equalizes well is a big deal. Without this a sub will be hit or miss.

Best,

E
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
The Reference 3A Decapo’s are phased aligned speakers and in answer to your question then as well as now no, a properly integrated sub can not only add the lower frequencies but flesh out the mid bass through the upper frequency range. One of my earliest experiencies with the benefits of a properly integrated subwoofer was with Vandeersteen 2C speakers in a properly set-up and treated room over 30 years ago, subs, there were 2 subs in that setup both Vandersteen as well. With my current setup there in absolutely no loss of anything least of all tone. The amp is working less, lower distortion, less noise/artifacts, thus greater clarity, detail, dynamics and tone. The room is treated and the subs were adjusted using a spectrum analyzer. One thing I would add two subs offer a significant improvement over one.

I would speak with John the of Audio Connection in New Jersey. I’m sure he could help you with any questions regarding your 1ci’s. Good Luck Jim!

wolf_garcia
6,696 posts
 
Don't be afraid…you simply move the sub around until it sounds good to you. Not rocket surgery, not difficult unless you want it to be. Also, music is not a test tone, so adjust the damn thing from time to time.

murphythecat
181 posts
 
a 60hz FREQ is 16 feet long. 1/4 wavelenght is 4 feet


As a rule, path length differences of less than 1/4 wavelength do not need to be corrected (time-aligned).

So, if the distance from listening position to main speakers and subwoofer are less than 1m different and the crossover point is below 80Hz, no correction needed.


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