Newbie question of the day. 1 big or 2 small?

[2Sunny]

So, I watched a video last night that has me convinced that the ideal number of subs is 4, but 2 is a big step up from one. I'm sure this is well discussed here so I'd love to hear the forum's opinion as I am sure there is much I haven't considered. I'm thinking of returning my Revel Concerta2 B10 that hasn't even arrived yet, and going with one of the two following choices. Ignoring for the moment the difference in price what's better:

SVS SB-3000 (2)

or


SVS PB17- UltraR Evolution

or was the video not correct and one sub is just fine. The room is 15 x 20. (I'm looking at SVS mostly because of the finish of Piano Black that best matches the Revel finish as well as the fact that SVS is well reviewed online, but I am open to other sub choices so long as they come in glossy black.)

 

[Rednaxela]

This discussion might be of interest:

One sub or two?

Hi Forum Where did the notion that two subwoofers are necessary come from. Every sub I have looked at from the affordable Yamahas to the pricey Genelecs have two analogue XLR inputs (L+R) and two XLR outputs for the studio monitors (L+R). In fact Genelec who call themselves ‘the world leader...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Oddball]

2 generally work better than 1. You also have a big room that is open to other areas, so not sure if sealed subs would be able to get some decent room gain. Might be a safer bet to go ported as port works in all circumstances. So for SVS 3000 could work well but PB. There are many brands in the US that provide potentially better value than SVS, so look around.

Looks like you already have a sub so you might be able to figure out if possible locations for 2 subs would work well. Not sure if Sony AVR would give you any measurements (like e.g. D&M Audy), or you would need to go UMIK-1 and REW, which would anyway be a preferred approach.

Some other observations - center would likely work better under TV as currently positioned pretty high. Could put something under TV feet to gain space if needed. Best practice is to have tweeters aligned for LCR, which is mostly not possible with TVs, but as close you can get to that is as good it will get. You might want to check if the Atmos bouncers are effective. On the photo it seems you are not angling them which might be OK, but getting the right angle is tricky as it depends on location of the speaker, ceiling hight and location of the MLP relative to the speaker. Angling is easy - just put some rubber pads under either front or back of the Atmos speaker.

Hope you will enjoy your HT.

 

[GXAlan]

More subs are always better, but I recommend going with one good sub to start and then upgrading to two good subs later. You will typically have more variability but in a single seat it’s better. The reason to go with one good sub now is that it’s pretty cumbersome to sell and ship old subwoofers.

If you can hide the subwoofer in a corner somewhere (since it’s not too directional) there are deals to be had without going piano black. The JBL HDI-1200P sub is $3300 in gloss black but $1100 in wood veneer. It doesn’t go subsonic but it’s very clean.

The other nice small sub with a lot of output is the PSA S2410M which can be made to order. That is matte black though.

 

[kyuu]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to do a fair amount of work to properly integrate multiple subs, or use an automated EQ system like Dirac Live Bass Control to do it for you. You won't be able to just stick the second sub in there and get a good result.

Agree with GXAlan, get one good sub to start and, if you get the itch to upgrade later, then worry about the second sub and integrating it. I'm probably biased because I just bought one myself, but I'd say stick with the Revel B10.

If you do want a second, you can currently get an open box B10 in white for a nice price.

 

[Oddball]

Not really sure if the best approach is to get one sub and then worry about the rest later on - especially if the one sub would be quite costly SVS PB-17.

Budgeting wise, it is IMO better to understand what you need and what to expect as upgrade path. Obviously don't have a crystal ball, but based on some experience with open space rooms, one sub in that room will likely suffer from severe room modes wherever you put it.

A good point has been raised about room EQ. Not really sure what Sony has in store for that, but as I understand it is basically a black box solution without ability to tweak at all. To the extent it does not work effectively as-is, there is always Mini DSP HD that can save the day, but requires some manual tinkering.

 

[2Sunny]

First, please rest assured that I am most appreciative of ALL the input so if my remarks seem in any way to run opposite to what folks are saying please understand I'm just trying to learn more by asking questions With that in mind below are examples of the information I'm finding in multiple videos. It seems that no matter what one does in terms of EQ or moving around the room, one sub will always suffer from serious interference problems at several frequencies, but that a two sub setup goes a long way to solving this problem. Since this forum is supposed to be "Audio Science" what I was looking for I guess was someone saying they managed to overcome the limitations of a one sub setup by doing x and they have measurements to support their choice.

 

[2Sunny]

I should also mention as part of another discussion I was encouraged to buy a UMIK-1 and download REW which I have done; so I am looking forward to testing the Revel B10 as a single in the room and then I have 2 other subs already including the one shown in the picture above that I can use just for testing a 2 sub setup vs the 1.

 

[Madlop26]

Yeah, 2 is better than one.
My HT room is maybe 30% larger than yours, I have 2 SVS subwoofers; a 3000 and a 1000, and there is more than enough subbass power, if turn up volume too much things start to shake, If I were you, I would try 2 1000s, quite cheaper and easier to place around the room. The 2 options you mention may be overkill in my opinion

 

[2Sunny]

Yeah in full honesty (not that I want to stop the conversation because I do find it interesting to hear others thoughts) but in full honesty I just initiated a return for my Revel B10 and ordered 2 SVS SB-1000s from Crutchfield. Should be here Friday and you can bet I will post some pretty data pics once I learn how