I know there are a lot of subwoofer experts here. Is it better to stick with a single brand and model for all your subs, or is it OK to mix sub-woofer brands, models, sizes, etc., in a single room?
If you are trying to hit a budget, can you buy a big one and a small one, or is it better to get 2 medium ones?
If so, what are the setup and hookup considerations when mixing and matching?
Ok I'll bite. How big is your room? Also it would be nice to have the same manufacturer for ease of use and becoming familiar with their quirks.
I have a Vel FSR 18 and a ParAcas stereo 32 and I run them just above idle and the space to fill is 16x50x8 which is my living,dining,and kitchen which is all open pretty much.
The bass ripples through the entire house and they roll off at 30Hz. So how big is your room and do you like great organ music....
There will be trade-offs as with any approach. You can try to choose 2 subs with different and hopefully complimentary properties, or you can (perhaps) spend a little more to get 2 identical subs that match your tastes (or your main speakers) better. It's quite likely that integration will be more difficult with mis-matched subs.
Ok I'll bite. How big is your room? Also it would be nice to have the same manufacturer for ease of use and becoming familiar with their quirks.
I have a Vel FSR 18 and a ParAcas stereo 32 and I run them just above idle and the space to fill is 16x50x8 which is my living,dining,and kitchen which is all open pretty much.
The bass ripples through the entire house and they roll off at 30Hz. So how big is your room and do you like great organ music....
There will be trade-offs as with any approach. You can try to choose 2 subs with different and hopefully complimentary properties, or you can (perhaps) spend a little more to get 2 identical subs that match your tastes (or your main speakers) better. It's quite likely that integration will be more difficult with mis-matched subs.
My philosophy is that subs should be felt and not heard (easier said than done!). That narrows down choices. If a sub is made well enough to do this, I don't see why they can't be used with other subs that do the same.
As far as matching with the mains given they, the subs, are of sufficient quality and construction, all they have to do is be able to match and remain integrated at the peak outputs of the mains by not running out of gas, having their cabinets start whomping or start dancing around the room on their spikes.
I think that the biggest problem with integrating subs with loudspeakers is managing the group delay - and that is complicated when you use different brands of subs.
All subwoofers will have some built-in filter, phase control, etc. Depending on how all this control is implemented, the group delay can vary quite a bit. Depending on whether your loudspeaker has some form of high-pass filter (and a port is a physically implemented high-pass filter), the phase will be affected. How you integrate this to the subwoofer will definitely affect the coherence between the main speakers and the subwoofer(s). Fortunately, to many this is something that they don't hear. If you one of the lucky, then go at it - more subwoofers would integrate better into the room than one.
I'll share my subwoofer tip. I edited a single kodo drum hit and looped it. I warn you that this can be mind numbing! LOL!
Adjustments are made by making that one hit continuous until the end of the decay. Time and amplitude. If the subwoofers are placed in the wrong place and or phase set incorrectly, the decay will "curl" or "warp". If the gain isn't just right the decay will either stay crested and overhang or drop off unnaturally early. When you have everything just right everything should sound like a single event with no single source. It's just practice. Having an RTA on hand is recommended. Typically you might find a secondary dip or peak (curl, warp) that might need attention.
I don't see why you can't mix. I have 2 different pairs in my HT. One as my music subs and the second for LFE. When I am running in HT or surround mode all 4 are operating and you really can't tell them apart. As far as how many well I use a single in my upstairs stereo and it's fine. It really depends on how you integrate them, what your max SPL is and just how low do you want to go.
I would be looking for subs with built in DSP. My LFE subs use the DSP available in the power amp I purchased for them. Take a look at the Revels just to get an idea of what is possible. You get a well engineered sub that can cover the frequency range and output requirements with DSP and you should be just fine.
Hear is just a screen shot of what is possible using the DSP.
