Using two different subwoofers together

[olds1959special]

I am trying to use my Elac Sub1010 and Klipsch R-121SW together. Any tips for doing this? Any reason not to do this? One is a 10” ported sub, the other is a 12” ported sub. They are both set to 0 phase. I’m using splitters into splitters from my DAC to do this.

 

[DVDdoug]

A splitter is fine. I assume the each have their own volume controls so they can be level matched. It's ok to "split" a signal into two inputs like that, but it's NOT OK to use it as a mixer, connecting (shorting) two outputs together.

Sometimes the crossovers (or low-pass filters) can be an issue if they have different crossovers (or filters) and they have different phase shifts. It's not unusual for a crossover to introduce phase shifts but they are designed to keep the main speakers and sub in-phase with each other at the crossover frequency where they are both operating.

 

[Chrispy]

A reason not to do two different subs is generally if they have quite different response. Splitters work fine, tho.

 

[olds1959special]

I found putting the smaller subwoofer out of phase with the other speakers made it sound better. Does that make sense?

 

[MaxwellsEq]

I found putting the smaller subwoofer out of phase with the other speakers made it sound better. Does that make sense?

What do the measurements show?

 

[Oddball]

What you lack in your setup is individual sub delay adjustment. Perhaps not so important as have them placed close to each other, but generally placing subs in different positions in the room could provide better frequency response. Do you have any EQ for the subs and/or other speakers?

Running one sub out of phase might work well, but then as noted understanding how it measures and summons is better than winging it by ear. If by ear, bass sweeps and dB meter would probably be more accurate.

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

My first thought is to put the larger sub towards the front of the room and the smaller one towards the rear.

If you use a sub crawl you can get both of them in good places, but then you will have to deal with how they interact playing together. I would not want to do that without measurement, but if you take time you should be able to get things sounding good for you.

I found putting the smaller subwoofer out of phase with the other speakers made it sound better. Does that make sense?

That is going to be very placement dependent. Getting delay settings right based on distances would be my first option before messing with phase settings.