So if I had said two 15" subs using a 2 channel amp at 500 watts per channel, vs one 15" sub with the amp bridged giving the 1 sub 1000 watts, do you still think that is a dumb question? I think it's a very good question because I have had the option to do one of those options or the other in the past and was curious if there was some theories on which would have more output.
Personally I'd take the dual subs for the better ability to combat room modes. Keep in mind a doubling of power is only a 3dB spl advantage. Really not about sound quality particularly in that regard (especially at max power).
I agree with lovinthehd.
The real issue with subs is not how much amp power you use to drive them, but where you put them in your room. In a normal sized room, what we hear below roughly 250 Hz is heavily influenced by reflections from the walls, ceiling & floor. That sound comes directly from the sub itself, and from a combination of reflected sound from those surfaces. In some locations of listener & sub, there will be reflections of sound that add together with that directly from the sub. And at other locations there will be reflections that subtract from the sound coming directly from the sub. The bass sound in those locations will be lacking, or even dead.
When lovingthehd said "room modes", that's what he's talking about. All subs will suffer from uneven sound, somewhere in that room, due to room modes. It all depends where the sub is and where the listener is.
If you have two subs – and if you put them in different locations in a room – you can smooth out the sound in more places in the listening room. Usually, that's enough to do the trick. Some people have rooms (they argue) that need more than two subs. We may scratch our heads a bit, but we tend not to argue with them.
Beyond 3 or 4 subs, more is not better. If you have 10 subs, the question becomes where do you put any furniture? Will you sit on one of those subs?
