wolf_garcia:"
Using subs while running main speakers as they were designed at full range, at least the full range they're capable of, works fine. My 2 RELs simply enhance the sound of my mains and add the necessary low bass, and are easily dialed in without the unnecessary addition of an extra crossover...time for low bass is essentially irrelevant and correct phase is easily dealt with...note that if you're in a small club near the musicians (remember those?) with a band across a stage, you hear all the instruments with timing delays...drummer 10 feet away from the piano, guitar player on the side with plexiglass barriers...whatever...and the result of all that can be great sounding music. Don't be warned off by self appointed experts, except me of course."
+1 wolf_garcia Well said and I agree with everything you stated. Humans are not nearly as sensitive to the arrival time of bass frequency sound waves as we are to the time alignment of midrange and treble frequencies.
Bass sound waves are extremely long, spread out in all directions from the driver, whether the woofer is in a main speaker or a sub, and they continue to reflect off room boundaries (walls, ceiling and floor) until they're either absorbed or run out of energy.
In fact, we don't even hear or perceive any bass sound at all until the very long complete full cycle bass sound wave is detected by our ears/brain. If we detect anything other than a complete full cycle sound wave, we hear or perceive any sound at all. If the room is not very large, this means the very long full cycle bass sound wave must reflect off of 1 or more room boundaries before it is even recognized by our ears/brain as such and a perception of sound generated by our brain.
The truth is, much of the deep bass sound we hear in a room is perceived as a result of reflected sound waves. Given these physical realities in most normal sized rooms, it's obviously not possible to time align over the entire audible frequency range.
It's virtually impossible to ensure that the long and omnidirectional bass sound waves arrive at the designated listening position at the same time that the much shorter and highly directional midrange and treble sound waves arrive, Fortunately, it's not relevant since humans don't require time alignment for accurate sound perception.
Tim
+1 wolf_garcia Well said and I agree with everything you stated. Humans are not nearly as sensitive to the arrival time of bass frequency sound waves as we are to the time alignment of midrange and treble frequencies.
Bass sound waves are extremely long, spread out in all directions from the driver, whether the woofer is in a main speaker or a sub, and they continue to reflect off room boundaries (walls, ceiling and floor) until they're either absorbed or run out of energy.
In fact, we don't even hear or perceive any bass sound at all until the very long complete full cycle bass sound wave is detected by our ears/brain. If we detect anything other than a complete full cycle sound wave, we hear or perceive any sound at all. If the room is not very large, this means the very long full cycle bass sound wave must reflect off of 1 or more room boundaries before it is even recognized by our ears/brain as such and a perception of sound generated by our brain.
The truth is, much of the deep bass sound we hear in a room is perceived as a result of reflected sound waves. Given these physical realities in most normal sized rooms, it's obviously not possible to time align over the entire audible frequency range.
It's virtually impossible to ensure that the long and omnidirectional bass sound waves arrive at the designated listening position at the same time that the much shorter and highly directional midrange and treble sound waves arrive, Fortunately, it's not relevant since humans don't require time alignment for accurate sound perception.
Tim