Stereo subs - Do they rock or is it overkill?

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by Mitchell Erblich

Wow... Don't believe that 2 8" woofers are better than 1 15" woofer. IMO, in general the 15" woofer is going to be able to produce freqs that a 8" can not touch. Again if both can produce this lower extreme freq, ex: 10Hz, then the larger woofer
will be able on a one to one basis be able to produce it at a greater decibel. Now, most subs are designed for sats, and thus will crossover at a directional higher freq. Thus, you need at least 2 subs for the fronts. If you have a 5.1 system you need a third to pick-up the sounds on the .1 channel. Now, if your fronts are in a large room and you want/need more dbs, then you add more subs to keep those lower freqs as your dbs increase. Now, if your subs really do crossover at a directional freq and you sit and stand listening to music / DVD, then stack your subs and you are at 5.

FYI, my main older vintage Infinity IRS Betas stack 4 12" woofers per channel. Plus running two Krell Ref Subs, plus ..

Is way overkilll and can make you physically ill, if a Ref Recording drum CD is playing..

I don't know about being made "physically ill' by a stereo pair of 4 12" speakers, since the Genesis monster $135,000.00 speakers, which were also Arnie Nudell designs, and which had about twice as many very high end 12" speakers, did not come close to making me ill any more than listening to live music does, since they came close to replicating a live performance, whether symphony music, rock, country, or heavy metal. Movie sound effects did come close, however.

I tend to agree about 8" speakers; with their much smaller cone area and their higher resonant frequency, trying to use them as "subwoofers" amounts fighting physics. 15" have lower resonant frequency, but tend to have inertia effects, so I do prefer 12" in multiples, as you mention. If the crossing over is high enough to cause directional effects, then my feeling is that they are being used as subwoofer/woofers rather than true subwoofers. I prefer using woofers as woofers, allowing speakers designed as subwoofers to act as subwoofers and be virtually non directional. I wouldn't stack five subwoofers, but would distribute them, since they would then provide diffraction, reduing nodes. Annie Nudell advised using one subwoofer per speaker.

Dave

[stevign]

I get physically ill even when I listen to Kenny G on 2 inch speakers. Just sayin'.......................

[rbinck]

Originally Posted by stevign

I get physically ill even when I listen to Kenny G on 2 inch speakers. Just sayin'.......................

Don't do that. Some have that reaction to him live! Not me, but some. Just sayin'......................

[flaminio]

On my system, Kenny G is right in my living room. You cannot tell the difference. The Infinity speakers so accurately reproduce those sounds that I have my concerts right at home. I am an invalid who cannot go out, so I have invested quite a bit in bringing the sound to me. I absolutely love it. It is my biggest vice and I should be ashamed, but what else do I have?? I'm proud of my system and highly recommend it to others although Infinity is no longer carrying the speakers that I have. I don't know why they got rid of perfection.

[stevign]

Originally Posted by flaminio

On my system, Kenny G is right in my living room. You cannot tell the difference. The Infinity speakers so accurately reproduce those sounds that I have my concerts right at home. I am an invalid who cannot go out, so I have invested quite a bit in bringing the sound to me. I absolutely love it. It is my biggest vice and I should be ashamed, but what else do I have?? I'm proud of my system and highly recommend it to others although Infinity is no longer carrying the speakers that I have. I don't know why they got rid of perfection.

re: " Kenny G is right in my living room"

Then tell him to stop playing music; he's harming the children, the adults and is probably responsible for Global Warming and the poor ecomomy. I ask you; has this man no shame or civic responsibility?

[Save the Whales, Stop Kenny G]

[flaminio]

Originally Posted by stevign

re: " Kenny G is right in my living room"

Then tell him to stop playing music; he's harming the children, the adults and is probably responsible for Global Warming and the poor ecomomy. I ask you; has this man no shame or civic responsibility?

[Save the Whales, Stop Kenny G]

It isn't just Kenny G, he is not one of my liked musicians. Any musician that is recorded well ends up right in my living room. That was the point of my story. I was replying to "you can't get good stereo from 2" speakers and I agree. It wasn't about the musician.