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Searching for matching(?) Subwoofer solution

Hi folks,

I have a relatively new setup in my home office (12' x 14' with hardwood floor) and am seeking recommendations for a subwoofer solution.

Speakers: Ologe 5
Preamp:    Bryston P26 
Amp:         Forte 1A
Budget:     Flexible but just want something to provide a good match for the above components.
Music:       Mostly Classical and Jazz.  Some rock, some fusion.
Source:     Well, that's something else I am seeking advice on too and will post under the appropriate discussion topic

Problem is none of the local Hi Fi shops here in the Boston area have any experience with, let alone heard of Ologe speakers.  Couldn't get any recommendations there.

Has anyone owned or at least listened to these speakers? Or any of the other Ologe speakers?
The Ologe site (http://www.ologe-acoustic.com/) features a subwoofer called Ologe 20 at USD $8550.  
Just wanted to look into alternatives before dropping over 8 grand on the Ologe 20.
 I am open to but don't know much about subwoofer swarms.

I am not looking for anything overkill.  Just a subwoofer solution to nicely complement my somewhat modest home office system.

Thanks,
H
hleeid
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

Duke, here's a simple question for ya: is for the subs to be wired/operated in mono mandatory in a swarm sub system? In other words, does the swarm not "work" (reduce/minimize bass peaks and nulls in the room) if the subs are run stereo? Or is it just a matter of that with a steep enough filter (say 4th-order, 24dB/octave), there is nothing to be gained by running the subs stereo?

Is running two subs at the front of the room (in the neighborhood of the loudspeakers) in stereo, and the third and fourth in mono, a viable option? THAT would make using a shallower low-pass x/o filter on the subs (for whatever reason) possible. 

audiokinesis
2,737 posts
 
@bdp24 asked:
"Is for the subs to be wired/operated in mono mandatory in a swarm sub system?"

Not at all.

"In other words, does the swarm not "work" (reduce/minimize bass peaks and nulls in the room) if the subs are run stereo?"

Works just fine in stereo. The only reason my commercial Swarm system is normally mono is, I can hit a more attractive price point by driving all four units with a single amplifier. As an option the Swarm can be supplied with a second amplifier.

"Or is it just a matter of that with a steep enough filter (say 4th-order, 24dB/octave), there is nothing to be gained by running the subs stereo?"  

If the bass is summed to mono on the recording anyway, which I believe to almost always be the case, then imo there is nothing to be gained by running the subs in stereo. But imo there is something to be gained (greater sense of envelopment) by using introducing a roughly 90 degree phase difference between the subs on the left-hand side of the room and the subs on the right-hand side of the room, and doing so requires two amplifiers, in which case you might as well do stereo. That way if you know you have a recording with true stereo separation all the way down, you can quickly dial back in normal phase using the phase controls on the amps.

"Is running two subs at the front of the room (in the neighborhood of the loudspeakers) in stereo, and the third and fourth in mono, a viable option? THAT would make using a shallower low-pass x/o filter on the subs (for whatever reason) possible." 

You can do that, but imo it doesn’t really make a shallower low-pass filter more feasible. Imo the main reason for using a steep low-pass filter is to prevent the subs from passing upper bass and lower midrange energy loud enough to betray their locations.   

If your subs have fairly shallow (12 dB/octave) built-in lowpass filters, you might try this: Use a lower low-pass filter frequency for the subs that are closer to the listening area, since these are the ones most likely to be heard as separate sound sources in the upper bass/lower midrange region. 

Duke
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
Excellent, thanks Duke. If you care to, would you expand on your recommendation of introducing a 90 degree phase difference between left and right subs? That's a new one on me!---Eric.
audiokinesis
2,737 posts
 

@bdp24 wrote:

"would you expand on your recommendation of introducing a 90 degree phase difference between left and right subs?"

This is an idea I learned from a paper written by David Griesinger many years ago.

David recommended two subs, one directly to the left and one directly to the right of the listening area, up against the side walls. With the phase 90 degrees apart (in "phase quadrature"), this would approximate at the left and right ears the somewhat out-of-phase low frequency waves one would experience in a large hall. The result is a greater sense of being immersed in a large acoustic space, which means the ear is not perceiving as much "small room signature" super-imposed on top of the recording. As you hear less of your room’s signature, you correspondingly hear more of the ambient space on the recording.

Wouldn’t say it’s a huge difference, but as long as it doesn't bust the budget I think it’s arguably a worthwhile improvement. 

Duke

m-db's avatar
m-db
970 posts
 
H

   Your primary concerns seem to be a subwoofer that will match your speakers presentation, its just a modest office system but your open to the idea of swarm system.
  You should be looking for a DSP sub that uses a calibrated mic (not a smart phone) to make auto and manual adjustments to multi band EQ, variable phase, crossover slop and freq, adjustable Q, etc.. A sub that has the connectivity to daisy chain its equalized signal to non DSP powered subs for your own swarm if desired.
   Check out JL Audio F series and their CR-1 crossover $$$ read the CR-1 manual. SVS has a new DSP line, Syzygy, Martin Logan, Velodyne Plus did it all but they're no longer available.
   
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