Help me understand "the swarm" in the broader audiophile world

northman:
" And yet the discussion of multiple-sub array contains almost none of this fastidiousness. It's what academics would call a different discourse. It's by far the most casual approach to sound out here: mix and match inexpensive subs. What brand of subs? It doesn't really matter. What size? Also doesn't really matter. Should they be the same? Maybe, but it doesn't really matter. Where placed? It doesn't matter nearly as much as a single or pair. Connections, watts, power source? Doesn't really matter, relatively speaking.

My point is that, as an outsider to these technologies, the tenor of the discussion is completely different. It's not only asking audiophiles to consider a new approach to sound reproduction but asking them to consider a completely different way of thinking about, and talking about, the hobby."

  Hello northman,
     
     Good points.  There actually is a lot of technical, fastidious, scientific and interesting reading material available on-line, supporting the effectiveness of utilizing multiple subs and distributed bass arrays (DBAs) in home audio sized room environments, if you desire to learn more on the subject.  
     I suggest googling the writings of Dr. Earl Geddes, Dr. Floyd Toole, Todd Welti of Harman International and Duke LeJeune of Audio Kinesis for a good sampling.  You could also google topics such as "the use of multiple subs for home audio", "distributed bass arrays",  " how to obtain better bass performance" along with other topics you may be interested in.
     The DBA and multiple sub concepts are not really new but the use of subs in home audio has been traditionally shunned by many 'audio purists' in this hobby ever since I started began my journey in it about 45 yrs ago.
     I've never felt the need to restrict my personal audio knowledge, experiences and adventures to the confines of audio purist approved traditional lore, tropes and dogmas.  I've continued to attempt to maintain an open mind, listen well to others' experiences and tried to gain knowledge through personal experience whenever possible.
     I suggest you attempt to do the same since we all ultimately discover our own personal truths and preferences along the way.  I've even found my personal truths and preferences to change and evolve over time utilizing the simple, honest and unfettered approach of judging things on their merits and calling them as you hear or see them
     There's no denying there'll be a lot to see, learn, experience, reject and object along your personal audio/video  journey. Enjoy the journey  and I hope you don't mind if I refer to you as 'tiger', 'sparky' or 'young grasshopper' a few times along the way.

Later,
  Tim
  
     

Tim, "young grasshopper" works just fine. At nearly 60, I'm well past my meridian but always young at heart. My wife might use the word "immature," and she wouldn't be alone. 

The funny thing is that I've haunted stereo stores from New Haven to Maine since I was 16, and I've owned plenty of nice equipment (McIntosh tube amps, Maggies, Bryston, Nakamichi decks, CAL Audio, etc) but I've never taken the deep dive. I can feel myself coming over to the dark side...

There's something else, however, that's difficult for me to wrap my mind around. This forum insists on the importance of every detail, the importance of micromanaging every cable terminal and power source. Which is better for speaker cable elevation, cedar blocks or maple blocks? Where does one get just the right marble or granite for a speaker base? What color interconnects are the most transparent? (Blue ... no ... yellowwwwwwww!)

As me your questions OP, I am not afraid! 

You gest (I hope) but these are all serious questions. Well maybe not the color. But all the other stuff, yes it matters. Not just saying that. Actually tried and compared different wood, elevators, etc.  

And yet the discussion of multiple-sub array contains almost none of this fastidiousness. It's what academics would call a different discourse. It's by far the most casual approach to sound out here: mix and match inexpensive subs. What brand of subs? It doesn't really matter. What size? Also doesn't really matter. Should they be the same? Maybe, but it doesn't really matter. Where placed? It doesn't matter nearly as much as a single or pair. Connections, watts, power source? Doesn't really matter, relatively speaking.

My point is that, as an outsider to these technologies, the tenor of the discussion is completely different.

Good, grasshopper!

https://youtu.be/gbNCBVzPYak?t=56

There's two main reasons for this. One being the advantages of DBA are so overwhelming they tend to swamp the usual differences between subs. Things like size and power do matter. Its much better to have four really powerful high quality subs than four puny little cheap ones. Just don't be surprised if those four little ones kick butt on one big one that is much more expensive and powerful, even if it measures better. Its still just one. 

The other main reason is human beings simply do not hear very low the same as very high. Midrange and treble we localize to within a fraction of an inch. 30 Hz we have no idea whatsoever where its coming from. High frequencies we hear instantly. Low bass, less than a full wave and we don't hear anything at all. Finally there's the equal loudness thing. Really low bass doesn't even register until its much louder than the levels at which we can clearly hear midrange.  

Add all these up and it pretty well answers all your questions. It also answers the question of why its not more widely adopted. DBA shines a light on the fact our hearing is completely different with low frequencies than high. Therefore our system setup must take these two widely diverging aspects into account. Its a bit of a mental challenge. This may be the time to switch to a more modern movie metaphor and perform a Jedi mind trick.

Things did not end well for Jaco. I love his playing early on before madness set in. He was homeless - Grace, peace compassion upon them. 
For students of the art, you might look into dual cone / dual voicecoil push pull drivers with a honeycomb core.... I listen to just such a hyper linear animal. You can almost get there in am opposed driver narrow cabinet... almost

@audiotroy

That's very nice, but what exactly does that have to do with what the OP was asking?Self promotion is tacky at best.