HT Basics: Should I Buy 1 Big Subwoofer or 2 Smaller Subwoofers? The Benefits of Multiple Subwoofers
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 25. 07. 2024
- Today I answer a question that several viewers have asked đ.
#sub #HTBasics #hometheater
0:00 Introduction
1:06 1st Reason
2:25 2nd Reason
3:10 3rd Reason
4:02 1st Drawback
4:31 2nd Drawback
4:53 3rd Drawback
5:27 Subscribe!
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Cody on Daily HiFi: âą Cody - Home Theater Ho...
To find out more about the Emotiva SE12 use this link:
SE12 12" Subwoofer: emotiva.com/collections/front...
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this is relaxing channel. no annoying intro or tricks and he isn't screaming. very refreshing, subscribed!
Thank you đđŸ
Thank you for gently convincing me to get another one, I currently have an existing 8 inch 4th order bandpass enclosure type active sub and after watching this video I'm so excited to get another same one for my 20 sqr. m room. and enjoy that balanced bass all over my room.
Glad I could help!
Smooth delivery đŻ
Yeah I have the Klipsch 15" RSW15 SUB with front Radiator and a Klipsch 10" with dual Radiators and it sounds great Even though the y are both sealed the different size subs cover a lot of sound variation in tight bass.
Great channel. Subscribed! :-)
Thank you đđŸ
I'm glad I found your channel, great video! I have one HSU subwoofer myself, the VTF-1 MK3, which I got to replace a decade-old HSU that stopped working. They gave me a decent discount because I could provide the serial number, even though it was long out of warranty. Great company with great products at a great value, if anyone's in the market. I do hope to pair mine with a second identical sub in the coming year or two.
I'd love to see a video about Atmos height channels, and how to figure out which height speakers to pair with an existing 5.1 or 7.1 setup. Let me know if that's already been covered.
Thanks for commenting! I donât have any Atmos module videos because my ceiling is not flat so itâs difficult to test in my room, sorry.
Great video bro.
Thank you đđŸ
What about comparing 4 low end model vs 2 high end model. Which one do you preferred. Thanks buddy.
I have 6 subwoofers in my theater room. 4 in the front and two in the rear. the bass is evenly dispersed from all seating positions. but one thing you really have got to do is EQ the room. because what i ran into when i first started was cancelation from a sub in the front to one in the rear. so phase and placement direction are vital.
Great comment! Thanks đ
great video, Cody. Another benefit I want to add is - flexible placement options (especially if you're trying to achieve balanced sound or flat frequency response. Smaller subs allow you to place them around the room you wouldn't expect to get best results (like opposite corners). Smaller rooms normally only have 1-2 places one large sub can fit (right next to a front speaker)
Thatâs a great point! đ
@chasecichorz Hi! I donât know much about the rest of your room but based on your description I think it will work. My suggestion is purchase your subs from a company that has a good return policy, like SVS, try them in your setup. If they work then keep them but if they donât work return them. Hopefully this helps!
thanks very illustrative picture :D
Youâre welcome!
When I purchased a new sub. I put my old sub in the rear of the room. Both are 10 inch. And it has made a huge difference. Nice and balanced both are set at the same crossover and volume.
đđ
One large sub will take over a room, but it's a one note boom or a dead spot. With two subs, it a smoother response, plus you actually have more due to the additional hidden sub between the two. If you do ported, though, try to plug the port and listen vs. without.
Hello my man love your reviews, thanks for sharing your thoughts. So he is my question now that you have had the HSU will you be purchasing a second one. I've been thinking of buying the one you have and maybe 2, I'm a PSB owner and I have 2 subsonic 6i and I love them but I know at some point I will want to upgrade. Are you satisfied with the hsu or will you need to pair it up with another.
Thank you! I still have my Hsu and itâs my main sub. I havenât purchased a second only because I was worried I would find some I like better but I havenât so far. đđ
Now that being said I did purchase a SVS PB-1000 to compare to various subs. I use it as a second sub some times but Iâm still thinking about getting a second HSU.
because two is just cool ! like it
It seems paradox that adding more subs to a room appropriately can cause the bass to be more even and hence appear "weaker", since the bumps and dips of your roommodes are reduced.
I will try dual subs or more subs soon and check if it has a similar effect in my room
Informative
thanks!
Thank you for the great explanation! I already have 1 large and 1 small subwoofer, and I am considering getting a second matching smaller one. Since I already have 2 subs, do you think the third would provide any additional balance or noticeable SPL? Or would that really just be a waste at that point?
That heavily depends on where the subs are now in your room compared to your seating position and room layout. If you have the subs are on one side of the room, then adding a 3rd sub to the other side may balance the seat to seat bass even more. It will also yield a few extra db but you could turn them all down just a bit if that is bothersome.
voice made for FM radio. enjoyed your video.
Thanks! Donât forget to subscribe and share the videos. đ
Hello đ from Nigeria. I'm a huge fan. I trust your reviews. Please I'd like to ask: how do those smaller woofers compare to the Hsu? Does a single one sound close to the Hsu, does a pare match the Hsu or outperforms it? What would be your frank recommendation: go with one Hsu or by any means get 2 of the small one? Thank you.
Thank you đđŸ! The Hsu plays much deeper than the Emotiva. I prefer depth so Iâd choose the single Hsu over the dual Emotivas. But if youâre ok not having as much depth but want more balanced bass at your seats go for the dual Emotivas. Hopefully this helps! đ
Hi. Iâm about to build a theater system and Iâm a bit puzzled: my inclination is to put the subwoofer in the middle of the roomâs ten foot ceiling, but I donât see anyone even considering the âobviousâ. Thoughts?
Hi sir! I have watched most of your subwoofer videos and got to wondering if you had found a subwoofer you prefer to your HSU. My old psw111 blew something today and I'm considering the BIC PL-200II or moving up in price to the Q Acoustics B12, the Monoprice Monolith, or the HSU VTF-2 MKS5.
I haven't found one yet but I'm still looking đ€Łđ€Ł
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Unfortunately, they are out until mid-March. Hopefully, I can hold out for another 6 weeks haha
I think my one JTR 4000ulf Captivator is enough. My other three Cerwin Vega Sub 120s just can't keep up with that one large subwoofer. Yes, they are 20+ year old subwoofers and I agree that multiple subwoofers is the way to go. But one large subwoofer of the JTR caliber is pretty hard to beat. Two of them, I may have to rewire my theater room with additional circuits to accommodate it.
so did you ever complete your system with the 2nd Cap, or
I prefer the symmetry and the saturation of dual subs with an additional sub for SFX.
Adding a third bigger sub behind the seating in the center position is also a cool upgrade. Some use a buttkicker for this..
Good point!
one in each corner and rock and roll
Are we in a library?
Question: If going with two subwoofers do they have match i.e. same make and model? Or can they be mix and matched?
This is somewhat complicated đ.......Simple answer, they should match.
Not as simple, it's ok if they don't because of the frequencies they carry and how those frequencies travel.
First of all a sub's sonic characteristics can differ from model to model but especially from manufacturer to manufacturer. But it's not as critical to match these characteristics as it would be for normal loudspeakers.
Example: If a voice is coming from 1 speaker (normal loudspeaker) then shifts to another speaker from a different brand the listener may notice a pronounced shift in the sound of the voice. This can be a distraction causing the listener to focus on the speaker not the music or movie. Since subwoofers play the lower frequencies not vocals a shift between different subs is less noticeable (our brains are highly tuned to voices). Bass notes are also omnidirectional which helps our brains not pick up on the direction of the sound difference. Basically if you're critically listening to the bass notes you may notice a difference but if you're just enjoying your content you're less likely to notice. Hopefully this make sense and helps đ! I'm finding it hard to explain via text. đđ€Ł
...Iâve also read that the human ear canât hear below 20Hz anyway so going with 1 that can go down to 16Hz isnât really helping.
Hi. My family room has 3 walls (front, right, back), the 4th side (left) is open to the kitchen. I have 2 identical subwoofers. One subwoofer is located at the front right of the room. My family room is 17' wide x 15' deep x 9' ceiling.
QUESTION: I have 2 locations that I can place the 2nd subwoofer. I read that option C is better but I would prefer option D below. Your thoughts?
C) the rear left of the room (I read that this is the preferred but the subwoofer would be an eyesore)
D) the rear right of the room (the subwoofer would be hidden.) Is it ok to place it here? Would it sound bad if both subwoofers are located at the front-right and rear-right of the room?
Thanks.
I agree with the opinion that opposing corners (option c) is probably better. But if you prefer option d then go for it it should be better than a single sub.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Thanks. Here are my 2 rooms setups: czcams.com/video/tCFWlgfOuN8/video.html
thanks
Youâre welcome!
You should do a home theater tour.
Yea I did one a few years ago, itâs probably time for another.
I suppose it depends on the size of your room and where you can hide them..I have one large one and it works fine for me.
I think most people have one but there are benefits to multiple if it can be done. đ
Until you move and hear no bass ,bass nulls ,one sub mean uneven bass lol
I have 2 klipsch spl120 what setting should i put them in?
I typically set my crossover at 80Hz. Use your Avr/integrated amp to calibrate/EQ the subs. I set my volume at 77db at my main listening position.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist thank you!
It depends on what you want to do do you want it for home theatre or music.
I have had 4 14 inch super cube reference subwoofers from definitive tech since 2010. For movies they dug really really deep but for music I thought they were pretty good until one day I got a cheap 12 inch bic subwoofer and then I realized how bad the big subs were for music. The smaller sub was way faster and picked up every detail of bass the big subwoofers couldn't. The big subs only hit hard on the deep bass but missed around 25-30% of the notes the smaller sub could pick up. But for movies the 12 inch subwoofer was cringe when it tried to hit the same deep bass notes that the big subs could easily hit. The 12 inch sounded to me like nails scratching across a chalk board it was almost comical. I'm currently creating multiple setups and for music I will go with high power ported dual 10/12 inch subs and for movies I will go with 15 inch or larger subwoofers
Yea, smaller subs are typically faster so better for music listeners. Closed box subwoofers are also musical when compared to ported boxes.
A good sub is one where you buy once and cry once. I continue to daily drive my vintage Mirage subwoofer I bought new back in 1994. It's moved several cities, outlasted an integrated amp and 2 receivers, and still keeps ticking (with some help from a contact cleaner when the pots get staticky). It owes me nothing, but I'll keep using it until it croaks. Then I'll get a soundbar setup. haha
đ Which Soundbar setup would you buy today?
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist I'm into music rather than movies, so maybe a Bose 700 soundbar + 700 sub. Whether I can give up a 2.1 setup, I don't know yet. My gripe is you can't audition your own music until you take them home first.
đđŸđ
Need sound demos
The real solution is: 2 big subs
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
I here this all the time, bigger is better but it depends on room size, a small room will not agomedate 2 large Subs and a large room needs 2 or more large Subs
Then run them at 20% of their power , pointless
Then again you could go with 4 smaller
I can imagine you having 2 Hsu Vtf 2 in your room that would be "Beast ee" Do you still use your HSU? Just curious
đđ, yes the hsu is still my main sub.
Two or more subs are better sonically, but it depends on the room size and space available and funds. But one sub is still better than none if you want those lower frequencies.
What if you only ever sit in one position? I'm buying a Rel T/Zero MKIII for my office. I'm going to be listening from my office chair 95% of the time. Can I still benefit from two of them? Your main reason seemed to be enlarging the sound sweet spot.
E lard
Going the sweet spot is the main reason. If you only sit in one spot bigger can be better. đ
No. The main reason for multiple subs it for a more even response across multiple seating locations. There are other benefits but that is the main reason going dual subs. If you are sitting in the same seat and not worried about multiple seating locations than quite honestly that second sub would be a waste of money and it would be better spent upgrading the one sub to a much bigger and more powerful subwoofer for a single sub setup.
so it is better to have 2x10 "than 1x12"?
In general, yes because the bass is more balanced throughout the room. Obviously 2 terrible subs wouldnât be better. đ
Only thing I disagree with is hearing where the bass comes from. If you have it tuned in correctly. the bass should sound like it's coming from your front speakers! Otherwise - great video!
Thanks
â€
What about a 15â and a 10â together?
Interesting, haven't tried it though so I can't say for sure.
Umm, you can't get peaks and troughs from a single source, that only come from interference patterns when there are multiple sources. It would take a really bad room to have the reflection cause interferance patterns at sub frequencies
Not necessarily true.
A room's dimensions determine the resonances in each direction (side to side, end to end, and vertically).
A sub's location determines which modes are excited.
Listener location determines which modes are heard.
Significant peaks and nulls will be established throughout the room, by a single sub.
Multiple subs placed accordingly can diminish how prominent the room's peaks/nulls are.
I got two 12 inch subs
Bass is heavy, drummer is steady,
In this situation we need some kinda protection,
So don't get panicky and run in the wrong direction!
Would four 12â subs be ok?
Yes đđŸ, experiment with placement and you should have excellent results! đ
I use two Speedwoofer subs in my room and it blows away the bigger single sub I used to use in that room.
Those are nice subs!
2 suwboofer 8 inch vs 1 subwoofer 12 inch? Or double 10 inch??
Of this combo, Iâd go dual 10âs
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist other combo Bowers & Wilking Db2d
I donât have any experience with these sorry
First
Nice đđđ
why not get an 8 for punch and then tune 12 to cut off what the 8 is playing .. then you get full controllable bass
Hey. I placed 2 subs in each corner. Well, in my case I noticed that 1 subwoofer in corner sounds deeper and punchier compared to 2 of these same..
Is it phase cancellation effect(subsonic filter)?
What you recommend?
đ1 big sub vs 2 big subs
It could be, did you run your auto calibration software on your Avr/integrated amp?
cheaper subs often fall on their face and sound like crap. High spl isn't everything.
two subwoofers will cost twice as much, period. If I will spend $600 or less, I will get vtf2 mk5, not two subwoofers of $300 each. You can not find any two subwoofer cost less than $600 that will have same sound quality and head room as one vtf2-mk5. This is not an issue to talk at all. If any one wants spend twice as much for two subwoofers, go ahead. One will get more headroom, but extra headroom is not needed in 99% of movie sound track, let alone in music. One should use that money to upgrade two main speakers, that are used in all the time and improves sound and headroom in more that 99% movie sound and music.
What about a single sub with two active woofers?
Better than a single sub with a single driver but not quite as good as two individual subs.