Best room treatment

Ronboco, no need for embarrassment!  We are all learners trying to help each other enjoy the music.  Eric's comments above with respect to REW are correct.  REW can be used to develop equalization files, but I are not advocating that use.  I'm advocating its use as a sophisticated measurement tool that allows you to understand what your speakers are doing in your room.   It allows you to make highly informed choices about the tradeoffs that result from positioning decisions, absorption and diffusion decisions, and other system changes including placement of subwoofers, phasing of those subwoofers, etc.   

I have nothing against digital room correction.  I use a Lyngdorf 2170 in my living room, where I don't want a bunch of subs and I don't want to install conventional absorption and diffusion panels.  I do not, and probably will not, use DRC in my dedicated listening room.  

If you plan on using a receiver that offers DRC, then there is no harm in trying it and seeing what it does.   The key word there is "see."  Seeing requires measuring.  Measuring requires REW.  As I said, every decision you make involves  tradeoffs.   

Hi, with this sort of thing, look to youtube, it shows how to make them and there are a shed full, of idea's , and will save you a packet,

Hello ronboco,

     I just want to clarify a few things that will hopefully help your understanding.  The distributed bass array (DBA) is a concept discovered virtually simultaneously through empirical scientific experiments performed by Dr. Earl Geddes and Dr. Floyd Toole.  Their basic results can be summarized as:  the more subs utilized in a given room, the better the bass response performance becomes.  They found there were significant performance gains up to 4 subs and only marginal performance gains beyond 4 subs.
      The empirical scientific methodology utilized is important because it means their experiments can be independently and reliably duplicated by others, while obtaining highly similar results, following the exact same methodology.  This is the process that establishes scientific truths or facts.
      Geddes told his protege, Duke LeJeune, about his discovery and generously gave Duke his permission to use the concept if he wanted to.  Duke said "thank you very much E.G.", proceeded to create a complete kit product based (bassed?) on this concept and named it The Audio Kinesis Swarm.
      In turn, Duke has also been generous with this DBA concept.  He readily admits that it performs equally well, along with it being scalable and likely performing even better,  if a custom 4-sub DBA is created by using larger and/or higher quality passive or self-amplified subs.  However, a custom 4-sub DBA will not only be more expensive, it will be more difficult to set up since the volume, crossover frequency and phase controls need to be optimally adjusted on each sub rather than just once for all 4 subs on the Swarm's amp/control unit.
     I have a lot of experience and knowledge with using 1-4 subs but mainly in my 23'x16' room with an 8' ceiling.  It may be best for you to first experiment with optimally positioning your 2 existing subs in your room, using either the REW or the sub crawl method, and evaluating the results.  If reasonably satisfied, you always have the option to add a 3rd and/or fourth sub.  You also have the option of buying a $200 Mini DSP unit  which makes connecting and adjusting up to 4 subs easier.
     Your choice should also be guided by whether you want very good bass performance throughout your entire room or just at a single designated listening seat.  At least 3 subs are required for good bass throughout the entire room.
     To answer some of your other questions, I wouldn't concern yourself with bass traps and other room treatments until you get the bass sounding right in your room.  I'm also confident that 2-4 subs, properly positioned and configured, will integrate well with any pair of main speakers.

Hang tough,
 Tim
     

Hey Tim , 

    First let me thank you and everyone else again for all of your time you have spent helping me learn about this amazing hobby I’m loving more every day. I am going to play with what I have coming for a bit and go from there. I hope to be able to move to a swarm system sooner than later. I am confused about getting the bass sounding right without any room treatments. There is a fair amount of reverberation in the room. Does sub crawl and REW work regardless of the reverb and any other room issues? 

Hi OP:

I strongly suggest you treat your room first. It alters everything, and in a good way.  What choices and effort you put into your system without it may be moot, or wrong after.

So, any subwoofer solution will only alter frequencies below about 80 Hz. 

The average wall panel / diffusor however works in the mid to treble.

You want to limit early reflections, eliminate coherent reflections (i.e. echoes) and you want the decay of the sound in the room to be smooth and quick across all the audio bands.

In addition to lack of clarity, the extra time it takes for a signal to decay in a room alters the tonal balance, much like a tone control.  It's quite common in a modest living room for treatments to reduce the mid-treble energy, which also means the bass comes up.

A common report is "Wow my speakers sound so much bigger"

This may not be all you need, bass traps, EQ, or swarming, but I strongly encourage you to take the mid-treble room treatment seriously, and begin there.

Best,

E