One Sub For Music Only

[Chief2001]

As a refresher, I am the OP, so my system and original questions are contained on page 1.

My HSU VTF2 mk5 should come tomorrow or Tuesday, so I'm pretty excited.

Couple of rookie questions:

1. Does the angle of the sub matter? That is, I know the sound of my mains speakers are greatly effected by small changes of speaker toe-in. Does this apply to subs as well?;

2. When I set the volume on my sub to match(blend best with) my main speakers, is it only set for that volume or do I need to adjust the volume on my sub every time I adjust the volume from my preamp (no high pass filter at this point, just going with the cross-over on the sub to see how that goes)?;

3. I downloaded the REW software and have a mic on the way. How difficult is the program to use for a novice/non-math people?

 

[shadyJ]

As a refresher, I am the OP, so my system and original questions are contained on page 1.

My HSU VTF2 mk5 should come tomorrow or Tuesday, so I'm pretty excited.

Couple of rookie questions:

1. Does the angle of the sub matter? That is, I know the sound of my mains speakers are greatly effected by small changes of speaker toe-in. Does this apply to subs as well?;

2. When I set the volume on my sub to match(blend best with) my main speakers, is it only set for that volume or do I need to adjust the volume on my sub every time I adjust the volume from my preamp (no high pass filter at this point, just going with the cross-over on the sub to see how that goes)?;

3. I downloaded the REW software and have a mic on the way. How difficult is the program to use for a novice/non-math people?

Angle of the sub does not matter. Bass is omnidirectional so it will sound the same no matter which way it is facing.

You do not need to adjust the subwoofer's gain after it has been set. It will scale with whatever volume you set your preamp to.

There is no math involved in REW. It does have a slight learning curve, but a tutorial can get you up and running in 10 to 20 mins, at least for taking basic measurements. There are many tutorials for REW, just do a google search for "Room EQ Wizard tutorial" and you have dozens to choose from.

 

[Chief2001]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Chief2001]

It just arrived at my work! Won't be home for 3 more hours. It took 3 of us to wedge it into the back seat of my car...a bigger box then I thought! I can't imagine what one of the VTF-3s or an SVS Ultra 16 would be like!

 

[bradymartin]

update?

 

[lovinthehd]

update?

Usually a good sign that they're enjoying themselves too much to bother posting

 

[Chief2001]

A check-in for an update...awesome!!!!

I had the sub delivered to my work so it wouldn't be left on my front porch. It took 3 of us to squeeze it into the backseat of my car, as it was too big to fit into the trunk! My son and I had to perform surgery to remove the sub from the box in the back seat of the car once I got it home.

Work and life have been super busy since it arrived, so I have not yet found its permanent spot in the room or the final settings. I had it really nicely tuned one particular evening to the point the sub blended beautifully with the main speakers and everything seemed nicely expanded..it sounded awesome. Then my son wanted to listen to some rap, so we had to torque the bass up and now I'm back to fiddling with all of the adjustments.

I have REW downloaded and have picked up a mic, so ready to have some fun playing with settings.

I have to be a bit of a broken record, repeating what other new sub owners have said, that I was surprised with how much room the sub does take up (I know, I had the dimensions memorized...should know better) and, due to it's size, if I were to do it again, something with a nice wood veneer would suit the room better.

I am really looking forward to getting it into place and blending it with my mains.

Once set up, do you find that you still fiddle with adjustments depending on the music, your mood etc?

 

[shadyJ]

A check-in for an update...awesome!!!!

I had the sub delivered to my work so it wouldn't be left on my front porch. It took 3 of us to squeeze it into the backseat of my car, as it was too big to fit into the trunk! My son and I had to perform surgery to remove the sub from the box in the back seat of the car once I got it home.

Work and life have been super busy since it arrived, so I have not yet found its permanent spot in the room or the final settings. I had it really nicely tuned one particular evening to the point the sub blended beautifully with the main speakers and everything seemed nicely expanded..it sounded awesome. Then my son wanted to listen to some rap, so we had to torque the bass up and now I'm back to fiddling with all of the adjustments.

I have REW downloaded and have picked up a mic, so ready to have some fun playing with settings.

I have to be a bit of a broken record, repeating what other new sub owners have said, that I was surprised with how much room the sub does take up (I know, I had the dimensions memorized...should know better) and, due to it's size, if I were to do it again, something with a nice wood veneer would suit the room better.

I am really looking forward to getting it into place and blending it with my mains.

Once set up, do you find that you still fiddle with adjustments depending on the music, your mood etc?

Most people do not adjust these subs much after they have them setup. But personally, when I want to blast some music, I run the subs in '2 ports open' mode. When I want to watch some movies with deep bass, I will run the sub in '1 port open mode'. Just be careful not to run the sub with both ports open with the EQ switch set to 'EQ1', that can lead to some problems, per the owner's manual.

 

[Chief2001]

What is the difference, in terms of sound, between running sealed versus 1 or 2 ports open? Music only system. I finding I'm not getting much punch in sealed and it seems to get better with one port open. I also find that EQ2 seems to open things up more.

 

[shadyJ]

What is the difference, in terms of sound, between running sealed versus 1 or 2 ports open? Music only system. I finding I'm not getting much punch in sealed and it seems to get better with one port open. I also find that EQ2 seems to open things up more.

In '1 port open' mode (one port plugged with EQ switch set to 'EQ1'), you get more deep bass output around 20 Hz and lower, where as in '2 ports open mode (both ports open with EQ switch set to 'EQ2'), that will give you more output capability from about 25 Hz to 50 Hz. Measurments detailing the performance differences can be found on this page. The regions where these differences will mostly have an effect is movie content, it's too deep for most music, unless you like heavy duty electronic music or pipe organ music. Sealed mode strongly diminshes deep bass output. It should probably only be used in sealed when placed in a small room that gets lots of low-end gain.

For music only, you might as well just leave it in 2 ports open mode. Make sure the EQ switch is set to EQ2.

 

[Chief2001]

Great advice, thanks! I will give it a try when I get home. I have leaned more toward sealed or one port with the thought that it will give me "tighter, more musical" bass.

 

[2channel lover]

Hi All! This is my first post, so any insight would be appreciated. I am looking at purchasing an HSU VTF-2 Mk5
I have read repeatedly that 2 subs are better than 1 mantra. Unfortunately, I can't afford 2 subs and space is limited in my listening room. I am wondering if people feel one sub would be able to give me the bass that is missing from 50-30 hz in a way that would add to my listening experience?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Welcome the Holics!

I have the bigger brother to this sub...well two of them actually, the reason is not necessarily more bass (it's welcome) but better balanced bass.

The reality is the vtf2 mk5 is plenty of sub your space. The problem comes in with dead spots or seats within the room that are not in the sweet spot. Getting a bigger one helps, but it's not a cure all for localization, or dead spot issues.

Two vtf 1 mk3 would offer better performance overall than one vtf2 mk5 from that aspect...but you have the space issues too....get the vtf2 mk5 and work with it the best you can.

Edited...I see now you got the sub!

Congrats!

 

[shadyJ]

Great advice, thanks! I will give it a try when I get home. I have leaned more toward sealed or one port with the thought that it will give me "tighter, more musical" bass.

Sealed subs don't really give you tighter bass than ported. That is a myth because sealed places more emphasis on higher frequencies which are more easily discernible. The reality is sealed produces a lot more distortion in deep bass. Another reason why sealed subs have a reputation for tighter bass is because most people's exposure to ported subs with with HTiB varieties, which are typically horrible one-note flatulence boxes. However, Hsu's subs are some of the best ported designs around. Dr. Hsu actually holds patents ported enclosure designs. The measurements speak for themselves.

 

[Chief2001]

Cool. So, would 2 ports open give me more of a sense of impact, physically, in the range that music would play, particularly more than one port open? My room is small, but does open up to the rest of the house. So, very different from a sealed, dedicated room in terms of being able to create sound pressure.

 

[shadyJ]

Cool. So, would 2 ports open give me more of a sense of impact, physically, in the range that music would play, particularly more than one port open? My room is small, but does open up to the rest of the house. So, very different from a sealed, dedicated room in terms of being able to create sound pressure.

2 ports might give you more impact. It depends on what you listen to. Most music doesn't dip below 50 Hz, and there 2 ports open won't offer a very significant advantage over 1 port open. To be honest, you probably won't stress the subwoofer enough to notice the difference in music content, unless you deliberately try to do that. In your situation I would just run it in two-port mode except on those occasions where you want to listen to some really deep bass sounds, than run it in one-port mode.

 

[Chief2001]

I guess my main question is how do I get the most accurate, full bass? I have not found a place in my room and the settings to give me "musical" bass. It has been a lot of dead, one note bass. Until the night I found magic in the settings.

Another thing I forgot to share is the level of expectation with a sub. I was expecting perhaps a bit more physical impact in the frequency range of music. I find I have to, in order to get physical impact, place adjustments on the sub where it is at the point where there is almost too much bass. Kick drums do not kick. In fact, not sure there is any impact there at all.

So, it must be a matter of trying to t698ou7y8

 

[Chief2001]

Ooops..trying to find the best placement.

 

[2channel lover]

Ooops..trying to find the best placement.

That was always going to be the challenge....if you are the only one listening, it's a little easier, but finding the best spot for multiple seating can be hair pulling and might lead to you buying another one...

 

[Chief2001]

I am usually the only one listening, but if a friend or friends are over we rotate through the hot spot. Unfortunately I don't have the space or money for a second sub at this point in time.

 

[2channel lover]

I am usually the only one listening, but if a friend or friends are over we rotate through the hot spot. Unfortunately I don't have the space or money for a second sub at this point in time.

Okay...one listener, then you'll likely find a spot sweeter than others.

Few of us have the budgets to get the ideal system all at one time..my build took two years to complete...most of it was due to funding, but a lot of education as well.

So...funding, I think you can eventually work through that hurdle...space? That's a different animal.

In that case, you make do and enjoy what you have !