Dual subs and or speaker uograde

Appreciate the responses. I have tried different crossover settings for Monitor Audio Gold 300s and find 60hz to be best with my current Paradigm Sub 12. 80hz may work better though with 2 or more subs.


I could get 2 additional subs and put the Paradigm at the rear of the room. I'll check out the subs you mentioned and see about 4. I've been told and have read, more is better. My concern is to get a good balance with speed and accuracy for music and decent rumble for movies. 4 smaller subs may work better .


Thanks for the input.

Nice speakers, however, I am not a fan of ports. If any, front facing for direct radiation of bass fundamentals and their overtones supporting definition/imaging. Not indirect diffuse multi-reflected sound waves as you have now.

You want to test/listen in 2 channel mode, not surround sound, no center, no sub, no surrounds, do that last.

As Eric suggested, I would start by temporarily closing the rear ports. It will not effect the mid and tweeter. It will effect the two 8" drivers.

Play something with distinct moments of highs, mids, and bass first, then temporarily cover the ports, what differences?

Now, are you wanting extended directional bass, or simply extended bass?

My home theater, I use 1 self powered sub, in a non-directional way, to simply add the dinosaur stomp in Jurassic Park, that kind of thing.

For music, bass is/can be stereo/directional, that requires a pair of front firing subs located adjacent to the mains. Self powered. Now you will know where the bass player is standing.

Balance the subs with the mains only, i.e. 2 channel with bass extension. Then, add the center and surrounds. Avoid too much surround volume. Generally (i.e. not specific helicopters from the rear left) you should not be aware of them until you turn them off and the sound collapses to the front. Many people have them too loud.

Keep in mind, much content has been altered along the way, If something is not sounding great, I switch to 2 channel mode, often find it better.

Those are nice comments about dialing in the speakers, Elliott... I really like the idea of blending the sub properly with the larger mains first, then adding the other three, etc. Even better if the system does double duty for two channel music.

I would not be surprised if you are correct about the 80Hz crossover, Erik. It seems everything I run for mains is relatively full-range and my sub is probably too muddy so I shelf it down low. I should try fiddling a bit in the home theater with sub & main crossover points, and shop new sub(s).

I am going to start actively reading about setting up several smaller subs in our theater, small at 12 x 22.5 x 8. I can 'hear' two or three 12" powered subs making that room come alive.

In the music room the D2s drop into high 30s; I run them full-range, not yet finding a good way to blend a high pass to them. Best with an REL B1 is 23Hz and 9/40 on volume. Smooth down to almost 25Hz, no concert volumes though, thank you.

there's a good thread from earlier this year,  where Duke talks about subs with tower speakers, sometime two subs sounding great,  and they don't need to be identical...

Looked up the Audio Kinesis Swarms. Sounds interesting. 

Room treatments would be good. I have an issue with the room, it's not square/rectangular.

The one long wall runs straight for 22' front wall with projector is 10'6" wide then the wall parallel to the long wall runs about 5' then I have a bannister with wooden spindles for the staircase going to the front entrance. Then besides the stairs it has an opening at bout 3'6" to access under the stairs then a door to the garage, then the wall does a 30 degree turn back into the room then runs a couple feed parallel to the long wall then widens 4' turns a 90 degree to two other doors to the back wall. The back wall parallel to the front wall is about 18' wide. 

The main issue for room treatment would be the front part of the parallel wall beside the stairs.

The right front main is just behind the bannister. There's no wall (just an open staircase with wooden spindles, so I don't know where I'd put any room treatment on that wall by the stairs. The long wall would be doable. Bass traps couldn't be too wide at the front wall because of the 100" screen. They'd have to be put in the corners with a round front side.

I am not too familiar with room treatment so I'll have to watch some videos on YouTube and do some reading. Hopefully it wouldn't kill too much volume as I like to watch music concert videos pretty loud.

Thanks for the info.