The Benefits Of Using Multiple Subwoofers for Home Theater

[@empire7179]

Even in a small room 2 subwoofers even out the bass in the space. That setup help my home theater tremendously.

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

I’m about to make that move, in a 10’x12’ shoebox that I turned into my stereo room

[@dwightballard3868]

Good information. I am building a home theater and planning on four subs- who are actually Genesis towers that I wanted to keep the L and R along with the mains, but thought I would put two Rel Stentor's in the rear corners with the mono from the surround processor. The Stentor's have some fine tuning available designed to tame the room nodes and standing waves. We'll see how it goes but this is some helpful information.

[@katzincafton]

Hi guys, over the years of testing sounds, I've found that instead of facing your front subs towards the middle of the room, that the best option is to face them towards the wall at 180°. Thus thrusting the bass notes back over the wall. You don't need to face the subs towards the chairs as the wall does this for you on it's own. (Btw, This won't work for those people with brick walls, sorry) As for the rear facing subs, they were placed behind the lounge suite which has enough room to recline the chairs still, only this time facing each other, acting like a tunnel. With the lounge chairs in front, and the wall beside them, I also had to put one of these Out Of Phase. Doing this will take away any dead spots in the room, if you are running all four. All I run are 4x100w RMS 10' subs which people love to sit in on. They shake the house, violently. Panels may rattle, your bones will vibrate. All in all, you will get the best and cheapest massage ever.

[@mr.spankinsmcreallyneedsom1813]

This makes no sense. 4x 10's.One 12" QUALITY either front firing or DOWN firing sub is MORE then enough to have EXCELLENT bass both for watching crazy Marvel superhero comicbook remake movies or listening to booty bass music.And the nonsense about face two together is quite honestly the WORST advice I've a ever heard anyone give.You don't want a "Tunnel effect" ...Your subwoofer should only help to make you fronts,rears,rear in- facing surrounds, or if you have more then a 7.1 (such a 9.1,11.1,13.1 or even better 7/9/11/13.2 or best & lastly up to a 13.2.2's then your front surrounds,Atmos,even their bass.

[@TheShivABC]

I run 2 15" cerwin vega powered sub's on top of my vintage pioneer G series 3 way 12" woofers front speakers tuned at 32hz, and Klipsch premiere rear surrounds and yes I know pioneer but I must say this is a fantastic setup, movies are unbelievable and just all around general sound, my pioneers may be old but they have upgraded Klipsch mids and highs with a range of 30khz, total power is 3800watts, I power it all with a harmon kardon amp which can output 1800w, and for pcm/dts conversion I use a yamaha decoder

[@moviedog1]

I have a 7.1 surround sound receiver with 4 powered subs, I used splitters to get the signal to the powered subs. I use older Mitsubishi speakers that still sound amazing. I have also wired in eight gaming chairs, so you not only see the movies but can feel the movie. Everyone who visits my theater thinks it sounds amazing. My theater is the best sounding I have ever experienced.

[@TheSteppenwolf666]

+Audioholics - Hi guys, British home theatre fanatic / cinematographer here. Very informative video. I'm using three subs. REL S5 SHO / Sunfire True EQ and BK Monolith. They all go down to around 20hz and although different brands, they are all fairly similar in performance level and blend well. Despite having front speakers that go down to 27hz, I run all my speakers as small. This offers the best integration and the cleanest midrange. My subs are all 1/3 of the way down each wall bar the rear. So one at right. One at left near couch (acting as a kicker) , and one in front. I find it a good compromise between a flat response and impact, as opposed to corner placement. My Rel is at 40hz crossover, the BK also 40hz and the Sunfire 50hz. I was a bit worried about adding a third sub as I thought it might be hard to tune and sound boomy. But after only a bit of tweaking the bass is now far more solid and dynamic and isn't dragging down the midrange. I was watching Jurrassic World recently and you can now feel the pressure in the air like you're at a concert, as well as the floor and in your back. Also with two subs I felt I was losing impact at certain seating positions. The bass now really gets your attention compared to just two. I don't know if it's just my room but 3 subs has made a big difference for me. I don't feel the need for 4 and going back to two would be so disappointing now. Here is a video I put up recently that goes in to more depth, The least impressive of all my subs for HT is the Rel. it is incredibly fast but not as loud and breaks up easier. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXqufGeEbbylbbc

[@Prabhu_njd]

hi gene and hugo.. i've a suggestion for a new video.. perhaps you guys should do a comparison and explain to us your viewers on the differences between subwoofer sizes like 8", 10", 12",15" or 18".. what do the different subs sound like and what is the ideal subwoofer sounds we should be hearing and feeling.. and what's boomy bass and deep bass and what's fast responding and what's slow response.. these points might be a very big question mark on novices and newbies who wanna venture into home thater and audio.. please do a video on this topic..!! thanks and love what you guys do for us enthusiasts..

[@Pjater81]

I think there are lots of videos, what i think 12 inch works great if you dont have neighbors and live in a house and paid alot on the other stuff, i recomend one 15 or 18 inch sub with 1 or 2 12 inch beacuse the big one will give you bass that you never dreamt of and building a good one and bass pumping in 120 decibel while your chest vibrate and pusches in the whole body then you done great, and stereo sub woofers are great and give best sound like 2 12 inch and one big for the lowest and loudest boom, you can build 2 stereo subs with 10 inch and use slave bass like ported extra subwoofer but low frekvens an the bouncing of waves in the box but gives little low range waves it gives low frequince and loud bass, many different ways, what front speakers do you have and amplifier? Check this 1000 watt on 8 channels amplifier out and combine it with a 7.1 channel or more amplifier and get best sound with great big speakers. :) www.amazon.com/PT8000CH-8000-Watt-Channel-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B002UL0XIQ?SubscriptionId=AKIAIQWHH4HRPK7LRQTQ&tag=compare99-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B002UL0XIQ

[@jtqthetieman]

What? I attempted to read your comment about three times but, I can't make any sense of it.

[@FamousCanadian]

"If you got bad seats, that's where you put the mother in-law" lol. Nice!

[@addonisryan]

Great video guys. My system comprises a Pioneer Elite VSX52 receiver, Definitive Technology Procinema 800 system and 2 Klipsch Synergy Sub 12s, which replaced the Definitive Technology Pro sub 600. Using 2 subs has made all of the difference in the performance of my system and especially since my basement home theater is in an oddly shaped room, which is a semi open floor plan. I wouldn't ever want to go back to a single subwoofer setup. What's nice too besides coverage is that the two subs working together frees up some headroom across the range, thereby keeping the distortion really low and really opening up the soundstage.

[@justins.1283]

I have two 10-inch ported subs and I use them as speaker stands running them off a high-level input seems to work really good for music and movies

[@mstr-rptr]

You are totally correct about the Audyssey thinness. I have used it and thought that my room just sucks bass wise. My main speakers have dual 8" drivers plus I have a 15" subwoofer. I bought them from my friend and in his house they sounded much better to my ear. I did use Audyssey and did not realize that it cut the bass too much. Now that I have disabled the Audyssey EQ the sound much better to my ear. Audyssey still calculates the levels and distances properly so I use that aspect of it just not the EQ.

[@Billy123bobzzz]

This video is actually a good starting point to understand that the science of subs is complex and can require a lot of effort to get a half decent sound from them.

[@darkultra]

Audyssey Dynamic EQ will give you a variable bass boost to ensure you get proper bass for whatever volume level you are listening too. No need for the "house curve" which only applies to one volume level.

[@bignastynando2393]

I purchased the Klipsch 2.1 promedia system and I'm constantly amazed at how awesome they sound regardless of room size/dimension/etc. Sound quality is amazing and acoustics irreplicable. Dual/multiple subwoofers sounds like(pardon the pun) overkill. But whatever floats your boat,gets you thru the day is worth it.

[@Schrodinger24]

One thing that seems like it can really help with two points Gene brought up is looking for a receiver with the highest level of Audyssey: MulteqXT32 and Subeq HT. Some receivers have dual independent sub outputs where the delay is independently set on each sub, when running the room eq. Also, just about any receiver that has Audyssey seems to also have Audyssey Dynamic Eq. This means that at reference level it will be a flat frequency response, but as the volume is set lower and lower it begins to elevate the curve as you go lower in frequency more and more, to correct for the non-linearity of our human hearing. This way at any volume level it should sound flat, to us. I have a room that is close to rectangular in shape and plan to get two subs, so I think that having a receiver that can independently set delays on each sub is a must, because the Harmon research is only likely going to be a rough starting point to the optimal place of positioning the two subs. Hopefully, the delays can get the rest of the way there to pretty uniform seat to seat measurements and I don't have to spend years playing around with positions like Gene is experiencing in his room.

[@davidraimundo7554]

Had 1 sub for a couple years now in the corner. Should be getting my second today, however can't place them mid-wall R&L. They'll have to be opposite corners. Room is about 19D x 19W, using Klipsch R-120SW.

[@jacobkeller29]

I am Hanze, and he is Franze, and we are here to pump you up, with more BASS!

[@iancano]

I use the built-in subwoofers in my Aperion 533-PT front tower speakers that are placed on either side of my wall-mounted OLED. Unfortunately the right tower is 1-2 feet away from the short wall of my home theater room, which is L-shaped and includes the living, dining, entry and kitchen.

[@charlesgarcia5348]

Okay just got my 2nd sub. I am so glad that I watched this video. Best decision I have ever made!

[@rlwings]

It is available for the consumer... Audyssey Multi EQ XT32 along with a a discrete sub receiver output does Sub-EQ which sets the delay, gain...then eq's them together. Presto. perfection anywhere in the room! ... Example: Denon X3400E receiver.

[@walrusgumbootable]

I’m using a Polk 10” front firing subwoofer inside of the right channel and a down firing 8” Polk sub left side rear.

[@dupree68]

I have dual Subs in the Rear...tried the front...Better in rear...more Rumble..cleaner bass

[@baassmaster81]

Im currently using 6...yes 6. Four JL Audio 12" w6 in the front with 2 on each side, in Tline boxes tuned to 35hz They are wired to 4ohms and are being powered by a Crown XLS 2500. the other two are the 12" Sony home theater subs wired for to 4homs and being powered by 250 watt JBL home theater amp. they are on either side in the rear. The bass feels like one of my old car audio systems. Its pretty intents.

[@robertrudd6970]

I have a Hsu research VTF-2 MK5 12 inch subwoofer. It doesn’t seem to matter where I put it, it shakes everything in the house. I feel it as much as I hear it. One night I was playing The Dark Knight, and the police showed up and said that neighbors 2 blocks away from me were complaining. Do you think I should get another subwoofer? It seems like it’s enough.

[@buttonman1831]

agree, powerful low freq base sounds incredible

[@specialformula14]

there is one factor that i have never seen in the home sub woofer industry.. ( box HZ tuning ) in car audio it is extremely common to to tune the box to the frequency HZ that you desire for maximum output at that frequency .. so i decided to build my own for my system.. i made 1 x 12" sub tuned to 84hz bandpass box .. then i did 2 x 12" subs in sealed boxs tuned to 45HZ i used car audio subs dual 4 ohm wired to 2ohm powered on 2 crown xls amps at said 775 watt each .. all 3 boxes are in the front of the room.. and holy crap .. it can make you jump in the seat and scare you when the bass hits.. i honestly wasn't sure how it was going to sound .. but it blends very well with the different tuned boxes // strong high hz and decent lows

[@MSpeedThree]

I keep waiting for the guy on our right to get mad and turn into the hulk.

[@SagaciousFrank]

He's about the size of the hulk, he just isn't green.

[@basspig]

Although someone difficult to construct and tune, plywood resonant bass traps are the way to deal with the standing waves by absorbing them.

[@dukelejeune2245]

Enjoyed your video, well done. I learned the benefits of multiple subs from Earl Geddes, who developed his asymmetrical placement strategy independent of Todd Welti. Earl told me his ideas before Welti's paper on symmetrical placement strategies was published, but he and Welti were unaware of one another's work. One problem with relying on the symmetrical approach is, the room is not going to be acoustically symmetrical at low frequencies because of room openings and other soft spots (not even studio-quality doors are as reflective at low frequencies as a decent wall). So in other words, your placement is almost certainly acoustically asymmetrical at low frequencies no matter how symmetrical it looks. So we might as well embrace the asymmetry. What we want is de-correlation of the in-room bass energy, and deliberate asymmetry is often an effective way to get there. A major difference between the low frequency soundfield we get in a large room, vs a small room, is the much greater correlation in the small room, resulting in those large peaks and dips. A good multisub setup will make a small room behave like a much larger room by promoting decorrelation (so that what we get is more like the continuum that the reverberant field presents at mid and high frequencies in a good room). Just in case some of your viewers aren't aware, the emphasis on getting the in-room-sound smooth, as opposed to just focusing on the "first arrival sound" from the subwoofer, is because, perceptually, there is no such thing as "first arrival sound" in our acoustically small home rooms. The ear/brain system cannot even detect the presence of bass energy from less than one wavelength, and needs multiple wavelengths to detect the pitch. Think of how long bass wavelengths are, and how big our rooms are, and you'll see that by the time we hear the bass, the room's signature is all over it. In my experience further improvement in smoothness (and remember "smooth bass" = "fast bass") can come from reversing the polarity of one sub (I use four, usually driven by a single amplifier, and reverse the polarity of one of the four). We have more degrees of freedom to improve decorrelation when we make the move from a single ubersub to multiple smaller subs, and often have greater placement flexibility, as the location of each sub is non-critical as long as they are widely distributed, imo preferably with deliberate asymmetry. Duke LeJeune builder of the Swarm

[@dukelejeune2245]

Duke LeJeune Correction: I should have said, "perceptually, there is no such thing as "first arrival sound" IN THE BASS REGION in our acoustically small home rooms."

[@Audioholics]

+Duke LeJeune Symmetry in a room and sub placement is always the best approach as the results are more predictable. Welti was the first to figure this out and show the math that supported it. Reducing seat to seat variation and EQing out the bumps provides flat consistent bass for all seats with minimal need for LF passive treatments.

[@dukelejeune2245]

+Audioholics In my opinion the goal is not maximum predictability, but best results.Note that Welti necessarily made some simplifying assumptions in order to make his simulation-based research practical to carry out, and there is such a wide range of possible asymmetrical positioning strategies that it wasn't practical to include them. Earl Geddes has written on reducing the frequency response variance (improving the in-room smoothness) by adding more subwoofers. In particular, note what he says about symmetrical vs non-symmetrical locations: "Basically if I have one source which has a variance, V, of the frequency response (the variation of the response from the average or smooth response) of say 6 dBs, then by adding a second source we will reduce this variance by half to 3 dB. Adding a third source reduces this to 2 dB, etc. Basically the variance goes as V/N where N is the number of “independent” sources. A key requirement here is “independent”. If the added sources are close to the first source then they are not independent. And two sources in opposite corners or symmetrical locations are not as independent as two sources placed in non‐symmetrical locations. It is impossible to have two sources that are completely independent at LFs in a small room, so the effect is never as good as the formula suggests." Quoted from this paper, only four pages long but well worth the time it takes: gedlee.azurewebsites.net/Papers/multiple%20subs.pdf

[@icopal]

Try the latest Lyngdorf amps / processors with room perfect. Spectacular.

[@owen420]

enjoy watching all your videos, I am running two subs myself.

[@steveburke436]

I have three modest setups in “my” home (Stalin owns it). The unique thing about the living room set up is I have no options as to where speakers will go due to Stalin, I mean my girlfriend, dictating where nothing should change, which is everywhere, including the present speaker locations. The room is approximately 17’ x 26’ but is a living room and dining room combo with a kitchen and hallway to complicate things; a typical California tract house. The primary listening area is half of the room and it does sound good (Denon 1802 with BIC DV64s, a DV62CLRS, Polk RTi-A1s in the rear and a BIC Acoustech H100ii sub) I am toying with the idea of adding another H100 subwoofer to the mix. She nearly had an aneurism when she came home from a business trip and I had the towers on the living room floor (she didn’t know I ordered them) replacing the Polk bookshelf speakers next to the TV as mains. I didn’t think her eyes would ever stop spinning. To add another sub would drive her mad, which is kind of fun watching the process. So, what do you guys think? Should I get another sub and put it by the patio door at the back of the long end of the room or should I just leave it as is and show mercy to her brain and the possibility of living longer for myself? BTW, I was watching this video when she walked by, listened and looked at me like Mike Ehrmantraut looks at Walter White in Breaking Bad. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t just find a house to buy for myself. I think our relationship would improve and I wouldn’t have to keep waking up and seeing her standing over me poised with a bat over my head. What a sense of humor she has.

[@Audioholics]

Steve Burke Haha very funny post but understandable concerns with your spouse approval factor. Have you considered in-wall speakers and/or subwoofers? There are many great options here with great performance and no visible boxes. James Loudspeakers has some impressive in-wall subs as example. Tons of in-wall speakers out there to look at from companies like Triad, RBH, Paradigm, etc.

[@steveburke436]

Audioholics Thanks! I will check out the in-wall speakers and I think you guys have touched on that which I will look for in a bit. I'm still somewhat new to your videos and reviews. Truth be told, I love playing with new stuff so I'm not sure in-wall is right for me, but you never know! "Stalin" is a good sport about all of this and we tease each other relentlessly. Thanks guys!

[@phillipjones3439]

Many people have studied room modes not just Harman but what these people dont say is: When you use multi subs you can use the subs to cancel troublesome nodes. Also it is vital to roll off the satellites as the subs roll in. You dont want to feed the satellites with low frequencies they cant handle (crapping out) in their lingo. Redshirt has big muscles though!

[@Audioholics]

+Phillip Jones Multi-sub manipulates room modes by changing their timing so that there is less destructive interference (the major cause of seat-to-seat variations). So it absolutely can eliminate nulls if properly setup. We don't ever recommend feeding bass to small satellite speakers. That is why bass management exists.

[@tmaxx1996]

I have 2 BIC America F12's at the front of my living room...lovee it 👍

[@AdamSpade]

Lou Ferrigno giving audio advice. Now I can say I've seen it all. Well, maybe not everything... what if the guy on the left is a mocap hologram disguising Adam Eget.

[@fossil-ww5pb]

what happens if I install the subwoofers in at the junction of the wall and the ceiling? Moreover what if I install it in the corner but along with the ceiling? Also, when I install 2 subwoofers on opposite walls, should they be driven in phase or out of phase?

[@Hustler1339]

Why does my sub sound 'bassy'? I've heard subwoofers in other people's homes and they sound more punchy rather than bassy. Anyone have any tips on how to achieve punchiness in bass rather than a general bassy sound which tends to distort the sound? Would be much appreciated. Thanks

[@letterphase]

Would two SB 2000's sound as good and punchy as one SB Ultra 13? I primarily listen to music

[@buttonman1831]

Wonder if you have figured this out yet? I am curious about running dual subs. My issue is one sub produces the response I want, but I can localize the sub on certain frequencies which drives me crazy. If I got 2 sub, I wonder if I should run them in stereo or mono and corner load them in the front for my 2 channel system?

[@shaundavidssd]

Two will beat one ,it's that simple ,punchier,smoother

[@wa2368]

@@buttonman1831 it is close to impossible to make it non localizable with a single sub. 2 cheapers subs is better than 1 expensive sub

[@mpitogo]

the swarm sounds interesting. I have two subs right now and get a good amount of low deep bass. They are mainly for music but the two are much better than 1 for movie punch.

[@DJFRASSMAD]

OK I GREW UP IN JAMAICA WHERE GUYS BUILD AND MAKE THERE SOUND SYSTEMS..AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU GUYS ONE DAY WOULD GET INTO A TOPIC ON "SCOOPS"...IM SURE U GUYS KNOW WHAT IS..IF NOT THEY ARE THESE POWERFUL HUGE SPEAKERS. THE COUGHIN DESIGN IS CRAZY...

[@addonisryan]

Personally I run 2 Klipsch Synergy Sub 12s in the front of my room, flanking my television My listening/home theater area is not huge but it's large enough that my 2 Definitive Prosub 600s were too small, and struggling. I'm on a budget so I can't affford the same equipment you've got, but my Klipsch subs are tight, tuneful, acccurate and they not-only plumb the depths, but they slam when called upon to do so.My Pioneer Elite VSX-52's MCACC does a great job of calibrating levels, frequency and standing wave. Based on my results, I see no reason to spend thousands for 1/12th octave resolution.

[@joevigil2]

I have martinlogan 7.2 set up with the vistas motif x and the ml2 satellite for the surround and two ML Dynamo 8in subs so basically this would suggest I have four subs I just want to know if having them lined up in front of my listening position is not maximizing their effectiveness in my 20x24 room addition with the right walls 2 openings leading to kitchen and second living room so basically like a U shape turned right facing north is looking at setup do your number say this is completely wrong the four subs lined up

[@dtm9096]

I am Looking for a decent sound bar with a great Subwoofer. I will need ARC. My pick so far is LG-SH7B.... for a LG- 65HJ-7700 TV that is coming Do you have other recommendations or reviews available please..? Thank you

[@jimydrinkworld]

good job guys you are the best you helped me a lot! Wish you the best!

[@WalrusRiderEntertainment]

Nice video. I only have one sub for now but a 2 sub capable amp. So, just put the one sub in a corner?

[@sonicboomin]

can u make a video on calibrating multi subs. I have 3 so I can use your help.

[@michaelzoran]

PHASE QUESTION: I often hear people ask, "Should I have my subwoofer set at 0 Phase or 180 Phase." This is an important question and I understand the logic behind it. If it was simply a matter of a Phase switch on a subwoofer, the answer would be fine - there would be only two possible choices (0 or 180). However, it is not that simple. My A/V Receivers from Onkyo and Sony allow me to select 0 or 180. This means there are FOUR possible scenarios. Those scenarios are: AV Receiver = 0 and Subwoofer = 0 AV Receiver = 0 and Subwoofer = 180 AV Receiver = 180 and Subwoofer = 0 AV Receiver = 180 and Subwoofer = 180 I fully understand that if you have your subwoofer in the front of the room, you should have both the A/V Receiver set at 0 and the Subwoofer set at 0. However, my confusion and question relates to when the subwoofer is in the back of the room. I know by subwoofer should be at 180 Phase. ... However, does this mean BOTH the A/V Receiver and the Subwoofer should be set at 180? Or does this mean only ONE of them should be set at 180? In other words, I'm asking if you want the Subwoofer set at 180, does that mean the A/V Receiver also needs to be set at 180? If not, does this mean placing both the A/V Receiver at 180 and the Subwoofer at 180 will create a form of 360 Phase? If you could explain this, I would appreciate it.

[@rosstee]

Michael Zoran I agree it’s a little confusing and would be great to hear from the guys about this. To make things even trickier, my subwoofer has a continuously variable phase knob allowing me to set it to anything from 0 all the way through to 180!

[@fatboy19831]

The best testing equipment that will get you the best sound quality is your ears! Having the most bass is not having the best bass. Keep your Subs the same distance from your ears as your main left and right speakers. You will get the most uniform and natural sound providing you have quick responsive subwoofers. The closer you have multiple subs to each other the more gain and dynamic range you get. Two subs each with the same power and the same distance from the listener will give you about 6db of gain. Place the two subs next to each other and you will get another 3 db of gain. Or 2 subs will be just a tad shy of being twice as loud as one. I would pick the best sounding location for one sub then double up. Using more than 2 subs you start to get time alignment problems. The best way to avoid standing waves is to brake up the room. Put things on the walls paintings carvings clocks shoes anything. Use your ears. Testing Equipment can help you eliminate a bad sonic flaw. To get life like sound quality you have to use your ears.

[@edmundgil6008]

Love you guys! Great knowledge!

[@vitalismunchen5740]

1/4 wall means exact middle of the driver measurement or from the side wall of sub?

[@DigitalDonAV]

Always great advice from the Audio Godfather...

[@707SonomaComa]

Nice video, very informative. What would you recommend for an SPL Meter? I know they can get into the thousands of dollars but what would be a good one for accurate home use?

[@MrKristoffle]

Dearest sir, may I have your guidance, please. May I ask is the subwoofer speaker level input IMPORTANT or not. Because I was thinking of buying pair of subwoofer of the JBL 250P/230. but the subwoofer itself does not have the speakers level input, and it is actually doesn't matter, or actually is a serious problem for a subwoofer does not have the speaker level inputs? Also, the subwoofer itself don't have auto switch on/off button. Does it worse or actually not a problem too? lastly, I was actually wanted to buy the rythmik fv15hp for it's ultra low 12Hz, but due to its highly pricey for a pair.. and as for the JBL 250P/230 is 25hz. does the 25hz consider as very high Hz not A GOOD SUBWOOFER? hope you can reply when you have the times, million thanks and God bless.

[@Bydand]

I have a 10inch sub and no room for a 2nd one except possibly a ceiling sub ~ does this sound ok to do or just stick with the one sub? Thanks

[@kewlbug]

I am unclear with what you are saying around 12:00, You recommend stting all speakers to small? I am running very capable Polks (Rti12 and all the matching variants) as well as dual Klipsch SUB 12s. Yamaha A2030. Love the videos.

[@Audioholics]

Kewlbug generally you want all of your speakers set small as a starting pt. If your speakers have meaningful output down to the extension of your separate sub, you can run them large and preferably run them as dedicated subs too. If you can get ALL of your bass sources to play the same summed mono bass + LFE it is better.

[@AGC828]

Most people put their subs up front. But since subs are "non-directional"...could you not put then on on the back wall (on the floor of course)..quarter of the width of the side walls into the room? That would allow more freedom for L/C/R speakers...if not in-wall and are floor standing...

[@Davek2sb]

Should the phase be the same on both subs or 0 for one and 180 to the other

[@AdrianIII]

I had been told by a speaker designer that for frequencies 80Hz and below, a SINGLE subwoofer is preferred. This is due to nulls and peaks in the room response resulting from 2 subwoofers in different locations. Much more difficult to obtain a smooth low frequency reproduction with two subwoofers. Since frequencies 80Hz and below are non-directional, no loss in stereo imaging occurs with a single subwoofer. Of course, if the subwoofers are handling frequencies above 80Hz, it's a different story. But then they are not really SUBwoofers any more, are they?

[@StribiZG]

would you sugest me to make one sealed box and another one ported? and maybe in one box with two cabinets!... I`m using stereo amp and 2 satelite speakers and now I have push-pull box and want to experiment with woofers ;)

[@roadkingrich1]

I'm placing four 18 inch Ultimax subs in sealed cabinets up front and two 15 Ultimax ported subs in the back of an 18x27 room. If that doesn't produce kick ass bass, I'll add two more 18's. Do you think I'll really need to crawl around or move subs around? Oh yeah...each sub will have 1000 watts delivered to it.

[@mrpmj00]

Hi. My family room has 3 walls (front, right, back), the 4th side (left) is open to the kitchen. I have 2 identical subwoofers. One subwoofer is located at the front right of the room. My family room is 17' wide x 15' deep x 9' ceiling. QUESTION: I have 2 locations that I can place the 2nd subwoofer. I read that option C is better but I would prefer option D below. Your thoughts? C) the rear left of the room (I read that this is the preferred but the subwoofer would be an eyesore) D) the rear right of the room (the subwoofer would be hidden.) Is it ok to place it here? Would it sound bad if both subwoofers are located at the front-right and rear-right of the room? Thanks.

[@demolitionfc]

Great channel, love the advice. I'm wondering the best way to manage volume on subwoofers. Should I turn the volume all the way up on the sub(s) and manage volume levels from the receiver? Looking for best practice. If you've already covered this in another video, please let me know.

[@biteme263]

The common practice with a powered sub is to set the volume on the subwoofer amp to half volume then set the actual level using the level adjustment on the receiver. If you run out of adjustment on the receiver then tweak the volume level on the sub amp. An example would be if my subwoofer level was at its minimum, which is -12 on my system and the sub is still too loud I would turn the volume knob on my sub to 1/4 instead of 1/2 and re do the test. If my level is at +12 which is its max setting and the sub is not loud enough I would turn the volume knob to 3/4 instead of 1/2. Then redo the test. If you are using the built in room correction on your receiver check the levels after you run it. If the sub level is at its max, or minimum setting asjust the volume knob accordingly and re run the calibration. I have a single seating position in a small room with one sub. I actually like the audessy settings better than doing it manually. I don't know how it measures to be perfectly honest. However I seem to like the sound better by doing the self calibration than I do if I spend hours doing it manually with a db meter. Which actually makes me a bit mad for some reason lol. As I get older I have given up and caring what other people think and worry about what I like instead. Sound is subjective to every person. Some like more bass, some like more midrange. Whatever floats your boat I guess.

[@redneckmudder79]

I have a lg 3D smart tv and paired with the the lg LHB335. it sounds ok for only 1100 watts but I can hardly notice bass with low volume. all speakers are turned up. setting is on loudess and some times bass boost. but bass boost seems like sub gets quieter. I also have a rca flat with a Lg BH5140S in my bedroom. I want to add another subwoofer and thinking of the 500 watts that the bedroom has id add a powered subwoofer. and also thinking of the living room also. if I combine both speaker wire from both subs will this hurt the unit or decrease power?

[@gjhunter9326]

OK, so I have a room over a garage turned into my theater. It rectangular but has dormers on each of the side walls and the rear wall has stairs that make that wall irregular. Looking at the floor plan it kind of looks like a puzzle piece. Would the 1/4L placement along the screen wall still be a good place to start?

[@RAMtrails]

just bought a second SVS SB-2000. I hope it's gonna be worth it!

[@optimusprime708]

Zimba's Doom Corner was it worth it?

[@morbus74]

If only option of locating two subs, is between frontspeakers, what is the recommend distance between those subs? Is it "bad" thing if there is only few (3-4) inches space between subs...or should they be further apart...?

[@SagaciousFrank]

I've been using a dual sub setup for a while now. It might be overkill as my room isn't particularly large and only have one row for seating, but still, perhaps there are still benefits? I calibrate them using Audyssey Dual SubEQ.

[@realjaxon]

I have a 4 ohm Subwoofer that needs to be an 8 ohm subwoofer. Is there a way to wire it into my 1996 Sony 5.1 surround sound pre-amplifier? Can I use two 4 ohm subwoofers, wired together to make it an 8 ohm subwoofer? And if so, how do I wire it into the Sony?

[@raytrotter8713]

ive recently followed your youtube channel.. i dont know if you have before.. but was wondering if you could post a demo of your home theater.. love to hear how good it is

[@Audioholics]

Ray Trotter We have an overview video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iILKpGqYebqdhqM

[@jordanbrooks7900]

I have a question about dual subs built into a stadium seating riser platform box in a home theater. There is a couple forum threads discussing this topic online but nothing very recent and I don't think I have heard Audioholics comment on this. My home theater room is rectangular (10.5' X 17') with drywall and insulated walls. I prefer a clean look so this riser platform thing interests me plus I have a L shape computer desk (in another room) up against a wall and I notice when the sub is underneath the table, the bass seems better. Thought having a sub in a riser platform could have a similar effect.

[@vitalijjurt8107]

Hi guys. Recently became your fan. I have Yamaha NS-777 front, center and two subs yamaha YST-215. Don't now where to place subs in my bow window room. Also have no measuring equipment. What do you think about this system and please give some prompts where to put subs for better effect or define those places? Thnka you in advance.

[@Glock_4717]

Really enjoy your videos thank you

[@DJSonicScotland]

Can i use 2 large speakers as passive subs? I want to mount them to my sofa for best effect.

[@carlosbucio6869]

I have 2 12”, 1 15” and 1 18” (all Velodyne DD series) subwoofers in my setup. Can’t have enough bass.

[@jacobkeller29]

What about sub coupling? Putting two identical subs next to each other, or stacked, in one corner? They say that adds 4-6db for free and sounds great.

[@dm17nc17]

That increases output yes but does not help with the bass around the room differences, that is what multi sub fixes.

[@Sebastian_Athea]

What about stereo setups primarily for music with integrated amp or power + pre amp; Is it better to use smaller speakers and invest i subwoofer(s) or large speakers and big power amps without subwoofers? Could we get video about that, And more videos about stereo setups for music would be appreciated.

[@Audioholics]

clockwerk1d It depends. If your looking primarily for a single sweet spot, large towers are hard to beat. However, if you chose a bookshelf or smallish tower with lots of output in the 60-100Hz region and mate it with two potent subs, you can get the best of both worlds; fullrange tower like integration, wider sweet spot.

[@Sebastian_Athea]

Audioholics Thanks, that helps a lot.

[@trevorlabree6233]

Love the video but I find it ironic that there's a 600hz hum from the mic or something not being grounded in the background of the video 😂

[@aegisofhonor]

how did you increase the slope of the high pass filter? Do you use an active crossover for that or did you manually change the speaker's passive cross over to increase the slop? Now is this rule about wanting subs strictly for home theater/5-channel+ setup, or even for mostly stereo music setup? I have a stereo setup that is at least 90% music or basic TV, only a few movies. My speakers without subs sound pretty good without a sub, but my speakers push down to 30hz and I get really good lows on movie sounds that require a lot of base, maybe not QUITE as good as if I had a high end sub woofer, but quite impressive for a no-sub configuration.

[@sirjammer]

I have two Crown MA3600,s pushing two dayton ultimax 18"s. I can't imagine running 4 of these.

[@wa2368]

When you get to 8 of these ultimaxes, it will cure your chronic constipation as well. Don't stop at 2.

[@FungedeBagre]

My amplifier only has one sub output should I split the cable to install a second sub?

[@AOmega72]

Yes a splitter at the source

[@richardjackson9083]

thats ok

[@robertweisinger5655]

Or you can use sub out to connect another sub in series

[@mahammadshariff6162]

@@richardjackson9083 use a powered subwoofer in a A satellite system.

[@mr.spankinsmcreallyneedsom1813]

Absolutely NOT.

[@MrApple-qf3qo]

I have a question say you have a home subwoofer can you connect a car subwoofer to a home subwoofer if it has the high line ins ???

[@SaucyBegger25]

I've ran 2 subwoofers for years. the difference is if you have a subwoofer in each corner you will here all the bass tones. sound is sent round a room and certain walls and objects cancel out sound if one subwoofer is used. were not talking super loud bass here by installing 2. both my subwoofers have active subs and bass/volume adjustment. also the receiver has Hz range and bass depth. I am still using 5 satellite speakers as apposed to 7.1 or 9.1. if you have a good setup 5.2 is more than enough

[@aardvarkansaw]

one issue is that many receivers now offer left and right channel sub outputs. Any comments about dealing with placement of theses 2 discrete sub outputs ?

[@number1pappy]

Would it be better if you had a down firing sub and a forward firing sub to get both effects or does it not work that way?

[@DCUPtoejuice]

as the room becomes very large, does subwoofer placement become less and less important, for example, placement is only affecting a lower range of frequencies?

[@double2706]

hey guys. I'm considering getting one of the denon AVR's. kind of stuck with best buy so I'm choosing denon from everything they have. Of the 2 I'm models I'm choosing from both have dual subwoofer outputs. my room is set up like a long rectangle. tv in the front middle of the room. should I put a sub on each side of the tv? individually it says I should have it on the left or right side of the tv. so if I go it 2 subs. do I put one on each side? room is 14x25

[@awwbollocksthen1359]

I just purchased an 8 in (380) monitor Audio sub to go along with my my 10-inch (mass 200) sub and I'm afraid to say it hasn't worked out well so far because I've got a very high-pitched electrical distortion sound as if I was suffering from tinnitus, I'm starting to think maybe I've over killed my small 12 ft by 13-ft room I had my both subs set at 80 Hz with the volume set at 40%. Any advice from anybody would be most welcome.

[@themergen1]

I agree with the 4 sub idea from the article of years ago about multiple subs. I am looking at Golden Ear Technology. I want the Triton 2 for my mains and Aon 2 on stands for my rears. I want to use subs in the corners. I have a small room, 50 square feet. I am thinking of buying a Onkyo TX-RZ 3100 11.2 Network AV receiver, I am planning on a multi room setup at a much later date. Could I have your opinion ? What is your opinion of SVS Prime Elevation speaker at the side high wall pointing at the seating area ?

[@curtpark4316]

Are 18" subs better than smaller drivers in terms on Home Theater?

[@aawells07]

I prefer 80''

[@aawells07]

Just goofing around lol

[@luigipriolo4745]

Hi, great article on multi subwoofers. My question is for three subwoofer configuration- two are part of main rbh svt main speakers (L & R) + pbk independent, paradigm sub 1 subwoofer. Does minidsp works for this situation - playing both 2 channel or home theater? Any suggestions? Regards, Luigi

[@roco9504]

QUESTION! Watched 3 of your sub related video.. still didn't find definitive answer, if I do place 2 subs in front of room, or say front and back wall, do I set one at 0 and other at 180 phase??? How do you set phase with multi sub.

[@Audioholics]

Start with all subs at 0 deg, then use wideband pink noise and SPL meter at the listening position to measured the combined output of ALL subs, toggle phase of one sub and see if the SPL drops or goes up. If it drops, put the phase back to 0, if it goes up, leave it at 180.

[@ming-liyee2158]

Talk about house curves! Reference versus Preference.... EQs

[@porschedriver06]

great video gents! Very informative! I agree about flat frequency response as well in that ideally you'd want a rise in db as frequency lowers rather than going for this nearly flat response curve. I do have 3 subs I would like to make use of. I have 2 in front corners (REL201e) and one Earthquake dual 10 that I am thinking for the rear left. Should keep it in place being different but maybe sim output? Maybe change the crossover and phase on that one? One REL is at High level (REL's typical connection) and the other is LFE. Oh and I don't have the room for a 4th nor would my wife like the idea of another black box.. :) Great work as always on the website, reviews, and here on this channel!

[@HgOH16]

Dear Audioholics, love your videos and scientific approach to the testings! I have a concern that I hope you can guide me on to solve. I'm planning to add sub or subs to my stereo system, but I'm on a budget and I can only go through High speaker filter as the pma110 has no sub out or preouts, so I can go for a expensive more sub or 2 that fits the budget, I'm in between of a JL audio e110 or 2 Rythmik F12 or 2 HSU ULS 15 MKII. My roon is not that big now but will be in the future. What do you think? Anyone's opinion will be value. Thanks!

[@sahyadri1389]

Can we use 2 different subwoofers, one expensive and one affordable one. Or they have to be same

[@bimmelbahnfahrer]

i use a sony dav-dz860w with the the included sub + a phillips one from a 500w 5.1

[@panteraowns2515]

I have to Klipsch r28f for fronts I have a psw505 Polk Audio 12 inch subwoofer 400 watt Peak for movies I use the crossover on the Klipsch fronts at 80 Hertz I have my subwoofer hooked to LFE although hook to LFE I have Crossover at 100 Hertz on my subwoofer 4 movies this works great cuz I don't turn up quite that loud maybe Midway at Max but for music when I get to 80% to 100% the klipsch towers overtake my sub and all I can hear at that loudness is mids and highs and end up putting towers to large . is there a way to leave small . and improve performance of sub on that top end

[@eddierevas6742]

Can I connect a extra subwoofer to a sony hifi system 530 watt mine is a older model I think is a 2009 is the one that had two speakers and a subwoofer on aside

[@Glock_4717]

I have a polkaudio spw404 is this considered a good entry level subwoofer

[@chipadams648]

do the stacking methed, stack two on the left and two on the right.