Another Sub Setup Question...Opposite Corners (1 Viewer)

[Eric A]

Okay, I have struggled with the bass in my 20x13x9 room for a good while. I am running dual SVS 16-46CS+s. I can get great bass in certain areas of the room but have had a very hard time with even response throughout the room. I downloaded the Lexicon Modes program from Secrets website review and played with it a good bit. I also read the Harman White papers. After doing all this I tried the recommended locations. For my room, I tried wall mid points and this was only marginally better. Then I tried putting the subs in opposite corners. I ran one in the front right corner and one in the back left corner. The one in the back left is on a riser so it is a foot above the front sub. Anyway, this seems to be the magical spot for me. I have great response throughout the room. I have walked it while playing tones and for the most part it is very even with suckouts in the corners without subs. This is not an issue at all. The response graph at my listening position is almost too good to be true. It is +/- 4db across the full spectrum with no significant swings until 71hz. I also have more output @16hz than I do at 80hz (ie House Curve). Anyway, I have told you my life story to get to this question. The sub in back is 9 ft from my listening position and the sub in front is 12.5 ft from me. How do I set the delay/distances in my processor? Do I use the sub's distance that is closest to me or the one farthest from me or do I take an average? Or do I just set the sub's distances to the same as the main speakers so they are all in phase? I am running both subs in phase so this is not an issue. Thanks for the input and help.

 

[Greg_Hammond]

You've reached a point that most people dream about -- consistent even bass response in all important areas of the room. Congratulations!

As for the delay, taking the average distance would give you the best compromise. Because the subs are being fed by a single LFE output from the receiver, you are always going to have one beat reaching you before the other because of the difference in distance from the seating position. With something non-directional like low bass, your brain probably won't be able to tell which one is firing first. We're talking about milliseconds of difference.

If you're getting consistent and even bass right now, I'd consider leaving your delay setting alone. At the very least, make a note of the current setting. When you alter the delay, you will be altering the phase of the sub in relation to your seating position, which could result in sound cancellation or resonance issues that don't exist right now. While it may be more "numerically" accurate to use the average distance and plug it into your receiver, it may not make good acoustical results.

Greg