Dual subwoofer setup question

[eric0531]

I'm currently running the BIC Acoustech 5.1 system, and I still have my previous sub (an Audiosource SW15) that isn't currently being used.

Right now I run all speakers as "small", including the towers which just don't have enough bass for standalone 2 channel music IMO.

One of the things I've always had trouble with is the conflicting taste for "feel it in your chest" bass for movies, but clean and not overpowering bass for music. My Yamaha receiver crosses over at 90Hz. I've always run the sub a little hot since 80% of the system use is for movies.

I was thinking about the possibility of running the Acoustech sub using the L/R speaker level inputs and setting the towers to large, and then running the Audiosource as the LFE channel. This way I could keep the Acoustech sub calibrated "properly" for the best sounding 2 channel music, and then leave the Audiosource sub goosed a bit for the movie experience. Anybody else running subs this way?

My only concern is that due to room layout the LFE sub would need to be next to the couch at the side/back of the room, and would require a cable run of a good 25ft - is that going to be a problem?

Thanks for any input on this.

 

[jaxvon]

Yes, that should work just fine. As far as the cable run, it will also be just fine, provided you're using a quality cable with proper shielding, good construction, etc. These aren't hard to find, nor are they expensive.

 

[tbewick]

You might have some trouble if you place the subwoofer too far away from your main speakers.

The main Audioholics webpage has tips on subwoofer placement.

 

[j_garcia]

What you'll want to find out is what the high pass is from the Acoustech sub. The passive high pass is fixed and are generally a bit too high, which may actually hurt your 2ch performance.

25ft run for a sub cable shouldn't be a problem at all. You can do it yourself with RG6 coax and RCA terminations or a pre-built cable and use F to RCA adapters.

What I would consider also is just selling both of those subs and getting one good one. A friend had that SW15 also and he replaced it with a SVS 25-31PCi and the difference was quite dramatic.

 

[tbewick]

The problem with having only one subwoofer is that standing waves can become more troublesome.

 

[j_garcia]

The problem with having only one subwoofer is that standing waves can become more troublesome.

??

Cancellation becomes an even bigger problem with two subs that are not co-located. Standing waves with a single sub or dual subs are entirely room dependent, and they will occur no matter what.

 

[eric0531]

Thanks to everybody that provided input on this. Unfortunately my plans were foiled by the dreaded WAF ;-) While the alpha male in me wanted to respond to "It will look like we live in a dorm room" with "And your point is?", I wisely nodded agreement and lived to fight another day.

The root of the problem is that the existing sub has to be in the front corner, which is causing a bit of boominess with music (the H100 is rear ported), and turning things down to deal with that eliminates the "feel it" effect in movies too much. A $4.00 fix went a long way to resolving this, today I bought a package of 4 16"x16"x1" urethane foam seat cusions, two of which which are now against each of the two walls in the corner behind the sub. I can't even believe what a difference it made, the boominess is gone and I was able to nudge the sub volume back up to where you can feel it in movies and yet it still sounds good for music.

 

[mtrycrafts]

??

Cancellation becomes an even bigger problem with two subs that are not co-located. Standing waves with a single sub or dual subs are entirely room dependent, and they will occur no matter what.

Here is a great link to Dr Tooles papers:

http://www.harman.com/wp/index.jsp?articleId=1003.0


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