phase switch using 2 subs.....

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dtsfreak

Enthusiast
:confused: hello guys,great forum ;) i have a simple question,when using two subs,should i set the switch of one of the subs to in phase(0) and the other one to (180)? just wanna be sure because when i set both subs to the same phase i get bass cancellation iin my room :( . as a rule of thumb, one should be in phase and the other one out of phase??? .................thanks.joe. ;)
 

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markw

Audioholic Overlord
As a rule of thumb, you should go with whatever sounds best to you. Waddaya gonna do if someone says they should both be set the same?
 
jrohland

jrohland

Enthusiast
What about the other ones?

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dtsfreak said:
:confused: hello guys,great forum ;) i have a simple question,when using two subs,should i set the switch of one of the subs to in phase(0) and the other one to (180)?
dtsfreak,
An important question I would consider is do you have a steep high-pass filter on your mains? The reason I ask is, if you switch one of your subs out of phase it is not only out of phase with the other sub but, also with your mains. If you have a steep high-pass filter on your mains, they would have very little bass component and therefore would not be greatly effected by the inverse phase on the one sub.

As a rule I would not run any speakers out of phase and would instead move them around to clear as many nulls as I could. I do that using a tone generator where I sweep a sine wave from about 20 hz to 120 hz in small increments (about 5 hz). I use a sound pressure meter to look for nulls in the room. I find even small movements of the subs can correct these problems within the seating box (there is always a sweet seat but I try to make the sweat spot as large as possible).

You can use EQ to solve some bass problems but nulls are not well corrected that way. The problem is the direct wave and a reflected wave are hitting out of phase at the seating location. Using EQ you can notch the frequency where the wave is but, if it is a musical note or overtone, you will put a hole in the music at that note--not good.

Bass traps and speaker placement are the best ways to solve these problems. They stop and/or move the reflections and leave you with the direct sound which, should be fairly flat.

jrohland
Stand on a Texas plateau during a summer thunderstorm and you will know how a subwoofer should sound. Of course, it would be good to survive it.
 
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dtsfreak

Enthusiast
thanks for the great input guys, i'll try moving the subs arround a bit.......and be listening careful.............thanks...joe ;)
 
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