Home theatre - multi sub calibration advice.

[john61ct]

From my current understanding, I may therefore not want to even use MSO at all to manage these three stacks, with other tools handling a baseline set of speaker EQ, FR xovers, delays, phase tuning etc. filters within each stack.

MSO just treating them "as given" like the passive floorstanders they are emulating.

In which case MSO will only manage the collection of diverse mono trueSubs, right?

as required to tame room effects and get smoothed average consistency across say four seating positions, again for watching films, or at the central area of the "dance floor".

In "critical listening" mode for a single smaller MLP a "simpler" stereo approach (no center, no surround) should help keep transient responses tighter I think.

 

[john61ct]

And yes, I will work very much in stages, starting simpler - my budget limitations will allow nothing else

 

[ernestcarl]

In which case MSO will only manage the collection of diverse mono trueSubs, right?

That's pretty much the recommendation/specification written by the author of MSO.

It is not entirely impossible to use the separate sub/low bass only units of your main speakers "stack" combined along with a tool like MSO for the bass managed subwoofer and LFE channel but that would increasingly complicate the overall system design.

 

[Sokel]

And yes, I will work very much in stages, starting simpler - my budget limitations will allow nothing else

The problem starts with the "stack" of the pseudo-3-way you want to build.
With an x-over of 200Hz and mains stacked on the bass modules you will definitely need a full spin of measurements, like any other 3-way.

And that includes all parameters. amplitude, phase, etc.
Once you get to the optimal result (even on and off-axis, etc, the works) and solidify the x-over (active or passive) you better bury it in concrete and forget about it, that's your speaker building.

And then come the subs and the room, completely independent from the speaker building and depending the target (mono vs stereo subs, "flat" amplitude vs AE, etc) .
That is a separate stage with its own challenges.

I would suggest to listen both system configurations through friends and dealers and decide.
Having both at a switch (let alone on a budget) is near impossible.

 

[john61ct]

The problem starts with the "stack" of the pseudo-3-way you want to build.

Yes I agree that is where to start.

> mono vs stereo subs, "flat" amplitude vs AE

and that this stage comes last, both in my learning curve / testing and with each "room" change implementation.

Room issues must be kept as a "final EQ overlay" since different boxen combinatiins will be mobile, deployed in wildly varying environments over time, including outdoors.

I'm thinking something like @OCA 's GSonic Reference for above 200-300Hz, or maybe Acourate

then maybe MSO for below, but ONLY IF that current configuration includes multiple overlapping LF boxen.