Are big subwoofers viable for 2 channel music?

@noble100 I found the same with my 4 AK subs, without the port plugs they sound very good so the sealed vs vented sub dilemma I have a feeling it depends on other things, maybe the dimensions (length and diameter) of the port in proportion to the enclosure? Not saying sealed is not good, just that I assumed for music sealed was always better and Duke prove otherwise.

It is funny you said "they sound" the beauty of bass in my system is I forget about the subs, I don't tweak them, they are part of the room's furniture, I totally forget these exist, I don't "hear them". The only time I realize they are there is when I play rock and my wife starts screaming because candles and ornaments she put on top of the subs start falling off, otherwise to me they don't sound.

And again I'm not trying to promote my subs, PSA, rhytmik, excellent gear which I respect, but (again) quantity (4 or more) and ability to integrate them is more important than the actual brand.

Just that Duke of Audiokinesis if I'm not mistaken was the 1st "commercially" to approach the array, the concept and theory comes from Geddes I believe?

Oh ok, thanks again BigG! In that case I would recommend @smodtactical to get vented subs - and chose a manufacturer, shop or store that will let you hear them whether it be walk in and or has a decent return policy.

Also note that audio stores that are still open - now will a great time to go and listen as hardly no customers will be frequenting the store and you may get a chance to hear the differences between a sealed, vented or ported sub in a very quiet place to judge for yourself.

But if you do get a chance to hear a vented, ported or sealed sub - do so. Don’t take ours or anyone else’s word as a fact. Listen for yourself.

@luisma31,

I agree with you and want to expound further. I think it has always been a misnomer that ported and vented subs are better home theater and sealed subs are better for music. They both can be used for either with excellent results. A high quality sub regardless of port/vent or sealed will always sound better than a sub of less quality and design. I don’t think a mechanical sub (vented/ported) will outperform a non mechanical sub (sealed) of less quality, period.

Maybe the ’sealed vs ported/vented’ thing was used for pure selling points of the two different subs as they both sound good when done by a good designer in any situation? I don’t know.

@b_limo brought up Tekton subs and I see where their top tier subs use a proprietary sub structure known as a ’Tesla Valve’ to vent the sub enclosure with a ’patent pending design as a set of restricted flow vents, which combines the benefits of both sealed and conventional ported designs’.

I would enjoy a chance to here some of those Tekton subs but at this time are only available by internet store with a high return shipping price which may or maynot be to much for some.

But if you’re just starting to think about investing in subs and haven’t made an initial investment, Tekton with their Tesla Valve designed subs just maybe the way to go too?

luisma31-

And again I'm not trying to promote my subs, PSA, rhytmik, excellent gear which I respect, but (again) quantity (4 or more) and ability to integrate them is more important than the actual brand. 

millercarbon, first post-

With subs it is not a question of which. It is a question of how many.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
luisma31 again-

Miller's 1st reply was right on target 

luisma31-

Just that Duke of Audiokinesis if I'm not mistaken was the 1st "commercially" to approach the array, the concept and theory comes from Geddes I believe? 

Not sure he was the first, or even if he is the most prolific supporter, but around here he may as well be. 

The distributed bass array concept is not new. It has been around a couple decades now. Probably was Geddes who "discovered" it. As with so many things on this subject Duke has nailed the many reasons why so important a revolution in audio has yet to gain much traction with the masses.

DBA doesn't fit the standard bigger/newer/more powerful marketing mantra. DBA doesn't provide any advantage to any particular manufacturer or design. DBA doesn't help sell at all, because think about it, what manufacturer is gonna come out and say woweee! Our sub is so good you need four of them! Right. DBA is hard to understand. There's guys here had it explained to em a hundred times now, still don't get it.

The one thing DBA has going for it is, it actually works. 

Been just over a year now that I've had mine. A lot of research was done first. One of the bigger surprises was yes, this guy Geddes, figured this out as part of a Phd dissertation. Painstakingly measured and mapped out bass response in a whole bunch of room with a whole bunch of speakers. Took the raw data, applied the physics, figured it out. Genius! The physics of DBA is rock solid. 

At one point in the planning stages of my DBA project Duke thanked me for having the faith to do this. But as I told him then there was no faith involved. It is a matter of pure logic. This is the most rock-solid speaker project a guy could ever hope to find. There simply is no way of screwing it up. You build four, or more, and it just works. Its only when you try and do it with one or two that you have problems. Impossible, insurmountable problems. 

Literally impossible. Yet even now there are those who persist in pushing the same flawed paradigm that always and everywhere leads only to failure. 

With subs its not a question of which. Its a question of how many.

Its not often a doctoral thesis can be boiled down to something so simple. But there you go. Thank you, Dr Geddes!

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