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Bass Arrays

Sokel

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I was suggested (among others) of a custom array of bass drivers (from floor to ceiling) as a good bass option (for stereo,only).What's your experience with a solution like this?
One of the cons is the fixed position obviously (practically is like in wall).Other?
 

ppataki

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I have something similar in my living room:

It is not for bass only, but full range though
If you have adequate DSP I see no cons, apart from the fact that they are in the corner so you cannot move them :)
The drivers' surface add up nicely to create a huge 'subwoofer' + the corner itself helps a lot with sound reinforcement (but again, DSP is required to tame the peaks)
 

ppataki

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One more thought: if you intend to use it for bass only you could use bigger drivers and in that case you will have a huge surface area that will be enough for home theater usage too (btw I am using mine for home theater too, it is solid down to 23-24Hz)
 

nc535

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Google "double bass array"
Put identical bass arrays on your front and back walls with the rear array driven inverted and at a suitable delay so that it cancels the wave from the front array as it arrives, thus eliminating front to back standing waves. If the arrays are pairs of floor to ceiling columns placed at the 1/3 and 2/3 width marks, side to side and floor/ceiling standing waves are also eliminated.
 
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Sokel

Sokel

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I have something similar in my living room:

It is not for bass only, but full range though
If you have adequate DSP I see no cons, apart from the fact that they are in the corner so you cannot move them :)
The drivers' surface add up nicely to create a huge 'subwoofer' + the corner itself helps a lot with sound reinforcement (but again, DSP is required to tame the peaks)
Seems ideal in your place.In mine maybe it will not be so much as the corners will be some 3.5 meters away from the arrays.
One more thought: if you intend to use it for bass only you could use bigger drivers and in that case you will have a huge surface area that will be enough for home theater usage too (btw I am using mine for home theater too, it is solid down to 23-24Hz)
They are talking about 10 12" drivers (5 on each side,floor to ceiling is 3.2 meters)
Google "double bass array"
Put identical bass arrays on your front and back walls with the rear array driven inverted and at a suitable delay so that it cancels the wave from the front array as it arrives, thus eliminating front to back standing waves. If the arrays are pairs of floor to ceiling columns placed at the 1/3 and 2/3 width marks, side to side and floor/ceiling standing waves are also eliminated.
That's really intriguing!I will report it so.

I have to confess that you people are my second doctor's opinion and I find that valuable,so thank you all!
 

BDWoody

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I was suggested (among others) of a custom array of bass drivers (from floor to ceiling) as a good bass option (for stereo,only).What's your experience with a solution like this?
One of the cons is the fixed position obviously (practically is like in wall).Other?

Here's an interesting bass array.

 

BDWoody

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Jeeeeez, that will literally blow away the whole house!! ;)

I kept trying to justify this, but just couldn't.

19 Hz @129dB SPL would be something...

 
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Sokel

Sokel

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I kept trying to justify this, but just couldn't.

19 Hz @129dB SPL would be something...

Now add another one of those+2 more drivers.
Amplification is cheap as I can drive them with 2 or 4 1200as2 at a price range of 900-1800 euro respectably.
(As the possibilities might be there,I don't think the suggection is about SPL but more like low THD and room dependency as I understand from the little I know)
 

hex168

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How about a dipole bass array?
Still available from Newark.com. 20 of the 15" should be under $500. Check out the distortion measurements in the link.
 
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Sokel

Sokel

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How about a dipole bass array?
Still available from Newark.com. 20 of the 15" should be under $500. Check out the distortion measurements in the link.
As I forgot to mention to other friend who wrote about the opposed arrays,the room is highly asymmetrical,the only two same dimensions is the floor and ceiling and not even those with the structural elements and the furniture.So solutions who need symmetrical or close corner placement will not fit I think.
One other think I forgot to mention is that one of the five (of each array) drivers will run in opposite polarity as I was told (if I decide to go to that solution).I don't know why is that.
 

FrantzM

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As I forgot to mention to other friend who wrote about the opposed arrays,the room is highly asymmetrical,the only two same dimensions is the floor and ceiling and not even those with the structural elements and the furniture.So solutions who need symmetrical or close corner placement will not fit I think.
One other think I forgot to mention is that one of the five (of each array) drivers will run in opposite polarity as I was told (if I decide to go to that solution).I don't know why is that.
Symmetry is rarely required for low bass (<80Hz)... At the low price of the MCM drivers, this is very tempting. MSO (Multiple Subwoofer Optimizer) could help setu this...
 

hex168

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A caution about those MCMs. Monte Kay (linked above) measured them as having a Qts of around 2. Due to the very high Q they are pretty much only usable in an open baffle*, with the concomitant losses. You NEED multiples.

A Q of 2 is useful for the Bob Carver approach to open baffle: instead of lots of equalization, let the Q do it.

*If I had the time to make some sawdust, I'd like to try them in a passive cardioid and see if the low frequency losses from that approach can be made to flatten out the response. It would take lots of trial and error, unless someone has a clue how to model it. I certainly don't.
 
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