Dual vs Single

[Love4sound]

Dear Fm's

I just wanted to know how many here have used dual subs and gone back to a single sub? Been 8 months i have been using dual subs. Few times i accidentally watched some contents with a single sub cause i would have forgotten to turn on the other sub or my daughter would have unplugged it. Didn't notice much change and noticed some area of the bass being smooth and tight. My room is very small and its just 10*11 so technically doesnt need a dual subwoofer. I also verified by measurements that there isn't much difference with dual subs apart from a 5-7db boost which can also be achieved by increasing the gain of the single sub or a better and powerful single sub-woofer. There is a dip in 105-110 with a single sub which shouldn't have any impact with bass. I have shared the pure direct and EQ graphs. In both graphs blue is the dual sub response and red,orange is the single sub response. I am in a huge dilemma to go back to a single lv12f or sell both and get a better single sub-woofer.

 

[manek]

Hi

Not sure what your main speakers are and how they sound without the subs for music and HT. A room that size I would think twice about subs let alone two of them.

Do you use the subs for HT or music ?

 

[arj]

2 simple rules with sub for music
1. a better single sub is always better than 2 less better subs ( with the usual caveats in what is better)
2. a dual sub is better than single as long as they are opposite corners irrespective of room. the gain for both to be reduced

For HT i guess SPL is enough and depending on the room decide in single vs dual

 

[Nitin K]

Hi Navin,

Try listening for a week with both the subs on and the next week with only with one sub. If you feel one sub is enough then sell the other one and be happy with 1 sub.

Avoid spending on a new sub and keep it as the last option.
If you feel you need to upgrade then given your room size with Xtz bookshelves and your love for movies, better to go with a single 12 inch sub like a Rythmik Fvx 12 or an equivalent Arendal as a last option.

Rgs,
Nitin

 

[Love4sound]

Hi

Not sure what your main speakers are and how they sound without the subs for music and HT. A room that size I would think twice about subs let alone two of them.

Do you use the subs for HT or music ?

My usage is only for movies. I have a 5.2.4 atmos set up. So definitely a sub is a must. My speakers details are in my signature

2 simple rules with sub for music
1. a better single sub is always better than 2 less better subs ( with the usual caveats in what is better)
2. a dual sub is better than single as long as they are opposite corners irrespective of room. the gain for both to be reduced

For HT i guess SPL is enough and depending on the room decide in single vs dual

Yes I have placed them diagonally opposite. Front right corner and rear left.

Hi Navin,

Try listening for a week with both the subs on and the next week with only with one sub. If you feel one sub is enough then sell the other one and be happy with 1 sub.

This has been the main challenge for me. If I test for a week continuously I can easily come to a conclusion. But due to loud noise damage and tinnitus my usage has reduced drastically and I don’t use my system continuously for preventive measures. If i watch one movie and that to at very low volume levels with dynamic eq I stay away from using my system for minimum 3-4 days to give rest to my ears. Some weeks I use the system for 30 minutes only for music giving 2 days intervals. This has been my story for nearly a year and I just can’t come to a conclusion

 

[Nitin K]

My usage is only for movies. I have a 5.2.4 atmos set up. So definitely a sub is a must. My speakers details are in my signature

Yes I have placed them diagonally opposite. Front right corner and rear left.

This has been the main challenge for me. If I test for a week continuously I can easily come to a conclusion. But due to loud noise damage and tinnitus my usage has reduced drastically and I don’t use my system continuously for preventive measures. If i watch one movie and that to at very low volume levels with dynamic eq I stay away from using my system for minimum 3-4 days to give rest to my ears. Some weeks I use the system for 30 minutes only for music giving 2 days intervals. This has been my story for nearly a year and I just can’t come to a conclusion

Then don't hurry, listen for a month with 2 subs and then the next month with 1 sub since given your hearing condition only you may be able to judge better.

If you cannot keep the volume at higher levels, then imho one sub for your room should suffice.

 

[arj]

. This has been my story for nearly a year and I just can’t come to a conclusion

in that case ie difference is not so palpable, 1 should be enough. The problem in this hobby is analysis paralysis ..have ended up hoarding stuff due to that

 

[Love4sound]

in that case ie difference is not so palpable, 1 should be enough. The problem in this hobby is analysis paralysis ..have ended up hoarding stuff due to that

Guess that’s what happened. I didn’t analyse properly. Just got curious experimenting with mini dsp and duals.

 

[vinothmanick]

I was using dual subs but both are different brands and power, couldn't match each other after lot of fine tuning finally gave up and now using a single sub

 

[aeroash]

I am in a huge dilemma to go back to a single lv12f or sell both and get a better single sub-woofer.

Currently, the prices for subwoofers are exorbitant! Keep both, you never know when you would need them.
If you don't see any use for the extra sub in the future or envision a secondary setup, you can sell the extra sub. In the current market, the resale value for a Rythmic should be excellent.

 

[Love4sound]

Currently, the prices for subwoofers are exorbitant!

Been a while since I stopped tracking the prices. Just looked at current pricing and got a heart attack. Judging by how prices are and for sure it will be increasing every year I will use the current gears as long as they last and might quit the hobby if any one one of them goes kaput. Even had a plan of going separates but no.

 

[srinisundar]

Go for 15 inch subwoofer and you will be happy with that ever. Once you heard the 15inch there is no going back..

 

[k-pad]

Go for 15 inch subwoofer and you will be happy with that ever. Once you heard the 15inch there is no going back..

I was gonna suggest to L4S that he keep one of the subs and sell the other.
Do you think a 15"-er wouldn't be too much for the room? I too have a room of the same size and a 12"-er works fairly well. Though i am sure the same 115 Hz dip is there for me too...

 

[srinisundar]

Really you have to hear the 15"-er in the room and can feel the difference. Size doesn't matter for the sub typically the settings and placements will make it to work.

Same applied to my Altec A5 setup with 15"-er woofer plus 8cell horn tweeter, which was tamed to make it sing in 10ft width room.

Difference of hearing the low frequencies with 10/12 against 15"-er is phenomenal. The ease of producing LF is very well higher.

 

[Love4sound]

I was gonna suggest to L4S that he keep one of the subs and sell the other.
Do you think a 15"-er wouldn't be too much for the room? I too have a room of the same size and a 12"-er works fairly well. Though i am sure the same 115 Hz dip is there for me too...

As Srini said size and power doesn’t matter. You can even keep 18 inch subs at small rooms. All you are getting is extra head room. Room response, calibration and placement is critical. I can even go for dual 15 inch subs. Since my room response is smooth with no major dips I don’t need dual subs so going to settle with one sub. I do have other issues. Since room is small and not treated for LFE,the decay time is very high. There is a nasty room node at 50hz and the decay time between 40-60hz is very bad which is the crucial region for that chest slam bass.so what ever sub I get these problems are going to exist. What will improve is the bass region that is already good will get better.

 

[k-pad]

As Srini said size and power doesn’t matter. You can even keep 18 inch subs at small rooms. All you are getting is extra head room. Room response, calibration and placement is critical. I can even go for dual 15 inch subs. Since my room response is smooth with no major dips I don’t need dual subs so going to settle with one sub. I do have other issues. Since room is small and not treated for LFE,the decay time is very high. There is a nasty room node at 50hz and the decay time between 40-60hz is very bad which is the crucial region for that chest slam bass.so what ever sub I get these problems are going to exist. What will improve is the bass region that is already good will get better.

Understood.
Then, you should probably look at keeping one of your existing ones. Try it out. Dont sell both. Might be easier to manage with a known devil.

 

[Love4sound]

Understood.
Then, you should probably look at keeping one of your existing ones. Try it out. Dont sell both. Might be easier to manage with a known devil.

Well this is a hobby and I have owned 8 ported subs in the past 5 years and it’s time to experiment with sealed subs

 

[liverpool_for_life]

There is a nasty room node at 50hz and the decay time between 40-60hz is very bad which is the crucial region for that chest slam bass.

Are you still using MSO to integrate your subs? If so, can you change things so that your PEQ filters are all RBJ type and set the limit for Q to <=7? (effectively eliminating narrow bandwidth filters). Let us know if that improves things audibly from a time domain perspective.

 

[Love4sound]

Are you still using MSO to integrate your subs? If so, can you change things so that your PEQ filters are all RBJ type and set the limit for Q to <=7? (effectively eliminating narrow bandwidth filters). Let us know if that improves things audibly from a time domain perspective.

No I am not using MSO.

 

[liverpool_for_life]

No I am not using MSO.

I expect it’ll be a worth a try with the options I’d posted above. On the basis of my listening (haven’t measured yet), this was a noticeably positive difference.