Small Room Subwoofer Upgrade - Single or Dual? (1 Viewer)

[bscriv77]

I had my home theater set up last October ('17) and have been enjoying it ever since. All the equipment was new with the exception of the subwoofer, which I had from my older set up - an HSU STF-2 Powered Subwoofer (10”). Now I'm itching for an upgrade...

I saw that SVS released a newer series of subwoofers and the PB-3000 has piqued my interest (https://www.svsound.com/collections/3000-series/products/pb-3000). However, this is what I am wondering:

1. My room is rather small - approx. 12x12x8 - would two subwoofers be overkill? I've heard many reviews saying that two can be better, even in small rooms, to help balance the sound.
2. Given the size of the room - are these subwoofers a decent size or should I go smaller? My current is 10" sealed, but I wanted to go ported as this is mainly used for movies. I know it's not possible to go too big, but I also want to make sure it's appropriate for my needs.

Thoughts and opinions?

Attached is a view of the front of my room. Here are my system specs:

Projector: JVC Procision DLA-X750R
Receiver: Marantz SR7011
Front Speakers: SVS Ultra Bookshelf
Center Speaker: SVS Ultra
In-Wall Surrounds: B&W CWM664
In-Ceiling Atmos and Rear Surrounds: B&W CCM664 (2pr)
4K Player: Sony UBPX1000ES
Screen: Screen Innovations 110”W 4K Pure White 1.3 ref screen

 

[Robert_J]

1. When properly calibrated, there is no such thing as overkill, there is only headroom which keeps distortion lower. I'm upgrading from dual 15's to quad 15's and if there is room, I'm throwing in a 21 as well.
2. What are your goals? I had a pair of SVS 12" Plus drivers and built my own passive cylinder subs based on their original designs. It was not enough bass. In fact, when I reached my normal listening levels, I would start to hear the drivers bottom out. My current 15" subs are in sealed boxes and give me output down to 17 hz. My goal is to go lower so I'm building my quad 15's in large, low tuned boxes and should have significant output down to 12 hz.

 

[Chris Strnad]

1. When properly calibrated, there is no such thing as overkill

In addition to this, the statement about car engines also applies quite well to subs: There's no replacement for displacement.

Be it one big driver or an array of many smaller drivers, as Robert has already stated, concern yourself mainly with proper amplification & calibration.

On a related tangent, my DefTec fronts have been oversized & overpowered for just about every room I've ever set them up in. I've triggered the protection circuit of my Denon and the speakers showed no sign of running out of room. I have a 2.1 setup on my PC: Vanatoo Transparent One & Velodyne Optimum 8. At generally-acceptable (and "enthusiastic") listening levels, both setups are better than adequate--the volume levels required to find problems are high enough that staying in the room is very uncomfortable.

Getting back on-topic, multiple drivers will deliver the .1 signal better than just one; Obviously part of calibration will include proper positioning. N+1 drivers will be preferable to just N within a given budget...

 

[Robert_J]

Thanks for the amplification information Chris.

I'm running the http://projectgallery.parts-express.com/speaker-projects/the-d-iii/ as my left/center/right speaker. My Pioneer receiver could push them until a fast transient sound hit like a gunshot and the receiver's protection circuit would trip. It is rated for a 6 ohm load and the speakers are 4 ohm nominal. I added Crown XLS-1000 amps and each speaker gets one channel. Based on specs, that's about 375 potential watts per speaker. Even at uncomfortable volumes, the signal lights on the amp barely light up.

I'm using a Behringer EP-2500 amp on my subs now (2 ohms per channel / 800ish potential watts to each sub) and I can push the amp to the limits. I'm not even worried about the subs - http://web.archive.org/web/20070224172836/www.tcsounds.com/tc3000.htm. I'm going overkill (I mean headroom) on the upgraded subs with one channel of a Behringer NX-6000D on each driver.

 

[theJman]

1. My room is rather small - approx. 12x12x8 - would two subwoofers be overkill? I've heard many reviews saying that two can be better, even in small rooms, to help balance the sound.

Duals have many advantages, provided you have the freedom to place them where they can compliment each other. With a room barely more than 1100 ft^3 it's unlikely you have much flexibility though so a single powerful subwoofer might be a better option. If you opt to go that route the PB-3000 is probably a good choice. The Rythmik LVX12 is another sub that might work for you.