Stereo subs - Do they rock or is it overkill?

[wazzzup]

how would you go about setting up stereo subs? my receiver only has a single sub output.

[kennyt]

wazzup,

You can split the sub output or some subs can be daisy chained together. Posititoning two subs gets tricky as you have to do each one separately, then balance them together. Two subs adds a smoother fill and lets each sub work less for the same output, this may not be necessary depending on the sub you use. Four subs is likely the best if you and your room can handle it, but the logistics of this can be hairy.

I am currently waiting on four of the new Def Tech Mythos ST's, each with a powered sub in them so soon I will have four subs in my maiin rig and will try to post on them as I work through the review.

KT

[EDA]

Lower frequencies have long sound waves which can make it difficult to position a sub to fill the entire room with solid base. I think this is when a second sub can help fill some of the "gaps" created by low frequency sound waves. Try sending a test tone (or better yet get a tone generator) through the sub and walk around the room. Some areas you'll hear a fairly solid tone, while in others that same tone will seem to diminish substantially.

[Westcoaster]

Originally Posted by wazzzup

how would you go about setting up stereo subs? my receiver only has a single sub output.

I have done this for years...

If you have a receiver that has 'pre-out' and 'main-in' you can use and electronic crossover to get the bass to a set of stereo subs.

See my recent post here: http://www.avrevforum.com/subwoofers...er-2-subs.html

[xorbitman]

Two subs are very hard to manage because of the complex wave forms and depending on the frequency the two subs could end up cancelling each other out. (Standing Waves etc.) The lower the frequency the longer the waveform. Your sub(s) could end up sound better in an other room down the hall or even accross the street!

[Joel R.]

Multiple subwoofers are most useful because, when they're properly located in a room they can help overcome standing wave problems. This is a major benefit and I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned it in this thread. Or maybe I'm just jumping the gun, but after years of ignoring these types of forums I simply couldn't let this pass. If you place the subs according to the information contained in the Harman White paper you'll typically end up with multiple "good" bass locations in the room and you'll also know where not to sit. Especially if you use one of the many room mode calculatiors available on the web.

Follow this link to understanding... http://www.harman.com/wp/pdf/multsubs.pdf