@ oldhvymec --
... column can have a much larger volume, like 8-12 cf. or more. It’s easier to tune to a given room, and the roll off is much quicker mechanically. It’s much more controlled, like an infinite baffle, but can go very low, without the ever present noise from ports.
I friend of mine has spoken very highly of a set-up he’s heard a number of times that comprises bass columns (not IB). Some day I’ll have to hear them - I’m sure they hold great potential and coupling to-the-room capabilities, and with multiple drivers should have a nice amount of headroom.
Port noise can be a problem, and mostly is, but given enough capacity (i.e.: sheer radiation area and number of cabs) can be practically avoided, unless +120dB levels are your daily cup of tea. I prefer horn subs (make that 20 cf. per horn for a tune just above 20Hz), and while they’re less than easy to integrate in one’s listening space the coupling of the driver to the air (via the horn) is a vital part in them sounding the present and effortless way they do. Tapped horns, that I use, are also bandwidth limited, so knowing what you’re dealing with is paramount. Moreover the want for extension comes at the cost of sensitivity and adds size tremendously, so for me the "sweet spot" sits with a tune between 20-25Hz for a 20 cf. volume and 97dB sensitivity. In-room and corner-loaded a pair of them can output ~130dB’s, and this (i.e.: SPL envelope) is not trivial re: headroom.
What you don’t face with horn subs is port, or rather mouth noise. Theoretically I guess you could provoke mouth noise, but at that point the more dire urgency is that of dealing with blurry vision, structural instability and a desire to leave the building.
Columns are just better, but they are not usually partner pleasers and they cost more to build, The units I’ve seen and built can be very heavy, 3-500 lbs. BUT you get what you pay for, when it comes to bass.
Whether columns are truly better- to my ears, that is - remains to be heard, and I don’t agree paying large sums of money will necessarily grant you bass heaven. You get what you’re willing to house size-wise, and the effort and sense you’re willing to invest with design choice and implementation. Going the DIY-route (which is mandatory in the first place, I guess) this mayn’t be excessively expensive, certainly not compared to the über-offerings from the likes of JL Audio and a few others. The material quantity needed for bass columns I’m sure would not be cheap, though.
Just because there is a lot of it, and it’s everywhere, doesn’t qualify it as good bass. I’ve heard a lot of that over the last couple of years, now all of a sudden it’s the big craze. walk on subs through a room. LOL
What I don’t see is the blending, between low mids, MB, Bass and Sub
ALL are very important to address, not just squat and grunt out a sub/bass unit, like a pile of dung.. Geezzz. That’s "a way" though.. for sure..
Different ways to skin your cat. I’d agree an open mind with regard to bass augmentation isn’t always the most prevalent mindset on this forum now that the DBA approach in particular has taken hold on a sought consensus. Must make my acquaintance with bass columns, as you should with horn subs, be they Tapped Horns of Front Loaded Horns - if you haven’t already.
