2. home-theater
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Two subwoofers in smallish HT room?

My home theater system is set up in a 16x11x8 ft room. I currently have one line-level HT subwoofer in the front-right corner. It's a very good subwoofer (Vandersteen V2W), but it needs to play pretty loud to produce good LFE. When it plays loud, it seems to localize.

I've been thinking about getting a 2nd sub and locating it near, but not in, the back left corner of the room in an attempt to smooth out bass response and give me the opportunity to turn down the volume on the front sub.

Does this make sense, or will it make in-room bass response worse? Is the room too small for two subs?
rex
gregm
3,411 posts
 
Wy on earth would one drive stereo subs channels out of phase? They would cancel at some frequencies and add at others, surely...
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Gregm...If the two out-of-phase SW are physically half a wavelength apart they will add at that frequency. I guess some people use this to boost the SW SPL. My point is that if this distance between SW is the length of the room that frequency is already boosted by the room, and cutting it by a rear located inphase SW makes more sense to me..
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
The out of phase hook-up method is used more for fun...has nothing to do with boosting SPL or trying to effect or not effect room modes.

Two subs in front and two subs in rear (out of phase) give deep bass sound effects in movies a roll-through wave effect that can add to the fun...thats it in a nut shell..fun.

For music only types...this may not be fun. It may also not be fun for those that use there subs in the freq ranges where Boom takes place...very deep bass can not Boom.

Dave
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
More reading on out-of phase subs.

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=15708

Dave
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Sogood51...Fun and games for sure.

I don't think this has anything to do with SW X/O frequency. The sound wave doesn't care whether it is launched from a separate box or not. Very deep bass will boom nicely if your room is large enough to sustain the frequency, and the speaker/subwoofer is capable of the frequency. And, by the way, if your ears are sensitive to the frequency.

When almost 30 years ago I first observed the bass-boosting effect of out-of-phase rear speakers I didn't like it. However, for exploding car movies I can understand why people like it.
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