@rauliruegas wrote:
" Even the AK SWARM manufacturer/owner posted in this forum:
""" You can get good bass in one sweet spot with two equalized subs """. Not 3 or 4 but TWO."
I probably said the first part, but just to be clear I DID NOT say the second part ("Not 3 or 4 but TWO"). Imo three or four subs intelligently positioned are superior to two, whether or not EQ is involved.
Quoting rauliruegas again:
"Again, even the AK designer/owner from where came your 4 bass array configuration posted in this same forum that two subs for two channel stereo MUSIC are ENOUGH."
I don’t remember saying that in so many words, and if I did, the word "ENOUGH" is highly subjective and I should have been careful how I used the word.
The basic problem is, the room imposes a significant peak-and-dip pattern on a subwoofer at low frequencies. The peaks are especially undesirable because they take longer to decay and can make the bass sound slow, boomy, one-note, etc.
We can move the subwoofers and change the peak-and-dip pattern, but we cannot eliminate it by positioning alone.
We can use bass traps to absorb bass energy and reduce the magnitude of the peaks and dips.
We can use EQ to reduce the energy going into the peaks and maybe even boost the energy going into the dips, which can work well at one location, but will usually make the bass worse at other locations because the peaks and dips will be at different frequencies.
We can use multiple subs spread intelligently around the room so that each produces a significantly different room-interaction peak-and-dip pattern, and the sum of these different patterns will be pretty smooth, and this smoothness will hold up well throughout the room. In general two subs intelligently distributed are twice as smooth as one, and four subs are twice as smooth as two.
I see no reason why these different approaches cannot be combined.
I really haven’t spent much time figuring out the best way to use two subs, because imo the improvement in going from two to four is worthwhile (assuming approximately the same total expenditure). If someone is limited to using two subs, then I suggest they go to one of my competitors. Not that I’m an expert on all of the subs out there, but ime Rhythmic makes some very nice ones.
Duke
guy who makes the Swarm
" Even the AK SWARM manufacturer/owner posted in this forum:
""" You can get good bass in one sweet spot with two equalized subs """. Not 3 or 4 but TWO."
I probably said the first part, but just to be clear I DID NOT say the second part ("Not 3 or 4 but TWO"). Imo three or four subs intelligently positioned are superior to two, whether or not EQ is involved.
Quoting rauliruegas again:
"Again, even the AK designer/owner from where came your 4 bass array configuration posted in this same forum that two subs for two channel stereo MUSIC are ENOUGH."
I don’t remember saying that in so many words, and if I did, the word "ENOUGH" is highly subjective and I should have been careful how I used the word.
The basic problem is, the room imposes a significant peak-and-dip pattern on a subwoofer at low frequencies. The peaks are especially undesirable because they take longer to decay and can make the bass sound slow, boomy, one-note, etc.
We can move the subwoofers and change the peak-and-dip pattern, but we cannot eliminate it by positioning alone.
We can use bass traps to absorb bass energy and reduce the magnitude of the peaks and dips.
We can use EQ to reduce the energy going into the peaks and maybe even boost the energy going into the dips, which can work well at one location, but will usually make the bass worse at other locations because the peaks and dips will be at different frequencies.
We can use multiple subs spread intelligently around the room so that each produces a significantly different room-interaction peak-and-dip pattern, and the sum of these different patterns will be pretty smooth, and this smoothness will hold up well throughout the room. In general two subs intelligently distributed are twice as smooth as one, and four subs are twice as smooth as two.
I see no reason why these different approaches cannot be combined.
I really haven’t spent much time figuring out the best way to use two subs, because imo the improvement in going from two to four is worthwhile (assuming approximately the same total expenditure). If someone is limited to using two subs, then I suggest they go to one of my competitors. Not that I’m an expert on all of the subs out there, but ime Rhythmic makes some very nice ones.
Duke
guy who makes the Swarm