2 subs or one bigger sub??? (1 Viewer)

[Ben Hanrahan]

Can those of you out there with 2 subs talk about the difference it made to your system. Also, what would be better 2 moderate subs or one big one?? I prefer a tighter faster bass rather than boomy, muddy bass. Any experiences or ideas are appreciated.

Another thing, if you had 2 subs would it be best to run one up front and one in the rears or both up front??

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Ken Custodio]

I used to run two subs from the LFE channel of my receiver. One sub up front and one in the back by the couch. It worked pretty good, but someone told me I should try running one sub from the LFE channel of my reciever and one sub to power my rear speakers as satelites. Works pretty good, not as much bass but makes the rear effects sound fuller.

Ken

 

[Martice]

It depends on how big the sub is and how small the sub is. Also what size room they will be in.
I've seen pictures of huge water heater sonosubs on this site if you're looking for a big sub or better yet like me, my sub is 5ft tall, 21 inches wide and weighs 110lbs and has an Adire Audio 15" Tempest for guts. It's not flabby at all but instead of punching me in the chest like my other sub does, this one attempts to move you from your seat.
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If your after a smaller cabinet I'm sure that many others will chime in with there opinions.
Good Luck!

 

[Dustin B]

Your octosub only weights 110lbs with all that mdf. I woulda thought it was closer to 200lbs than 100lbs. My sonosub has to weigh around 60pounds and sonotube is incredibly light compared to mdf.

Did Kyle ever tell you how many sheets of 3/4" mdf went into it?

 

[Dustin B]

Oh, and Ben, really depends on what you are after. Small subs have a hard time with the last octave. The only ones that can do that last octave and keep the size down require kilowatts of power. Big subs can do that last octave with a lot less power.

There is a golden rule when it comes to sub design, can't remember the guy's name who defined it right now. Out of efficiency (how much power it needs), extension (how low it will go) and size (how big the enclosure is) you can control two and the third will be dictated to you.

If the last octave isn't important to you a small sub would suffice. Adding a second will gain you 6dB of output (if properly setup). If you want that last octave without spending big bucks on extreme excursion drivers and kilowatt amps then a big sub will do. Adding a second will again gain you 6dB of output.

 

[Martice]

Hi Dustin. Regarding the weight of the sub, I didn't go into detail as much as I did with my first sub I purchased from Acoustic-Visions. Maybe I should've inquired a little more but the service and product was so impressive with my first sub, concerns for construction quality wasn't a major concern as I assumed the quality level would be excellent or at least beyond sufficient. However, I do know that Rob (the actual builder) wanted to make the sub as sturdy throughout while not making the sub impossible to handle in a real world situation. The bottom line for me was how did it sound and that was the true measuring stick and the most important factor for all parties involved.

I forwarded your question to the builder and Kyle and I'm sure they'll chime in before the days out.

By the way, I always did like your sonosub

 

[Bob Christensen]

One more thing to consider is that when you use two subs, you are MUCH more likely to encounter wave-front interactions between the two sources which can be devilishly difficult to tame. Some rooms and sub positioning are more troublesome than others WRT this. Much easier to tame room nodes with a single sub.

 

[Rob Lloyd]

I think it was 2 full sheets worth but I don't remember how much was waste there was after cutting all the parts. I tried to make it as strong as possible while still being able to be moved around. I'm sure Martice can comment on how sturdy The Beast is.

 

[Dustin B]

Isn't a sheet of 3/4" mdf about 90pounds. So lets say you wasted 20% of that and add back in about 25lbs for the driver and other miscellaneous construction stuff,that would get you to 170lbs.

 

[Martice]

I don't know Dustin. However, since I weighed it I guess it's up to me to find out if the scale that I used from my job was faulty in any way. If what your saying is true about the weight of a sheet of 3/4" MDF then it's likely that the weight that I found was off and my first guess by lifting it which was about 150lbs was closer to the truth.
See my original post

 

[John Desmond]

Dustin said:There is a golden rule when it comes to sub design, can't remember the guy's name who defined it right now. Out of efficiency (how much power it needs), extension (how low it will go) and size (how big the enclosure is) you can control two and the third will be dictated to you.

Hoffman's Iron Law