[geowak]

Before everyone starts to submit my name for a good audiophile caning...

I have a SV Sound subwoofer I had purchased for home theater use. Did away with the idea of the HT and it's been packed away. It is a very good sub, with two very large down firing 13 inch drivers. Not so fast as (say) a Vandersteen sub, but goes low and might still do well.

So I am wondering if anyone here has had good results using ONE subwoofer with stereo speakers? If so, how did you wire it? The SVS sub has a built in
BASH amp that has many different ways to configure setup. Line direct or speaker in/out.

Should I bust it out of storage and start the process? Or is it common knowledge that two fast subs are better for this process. I have both a tube integrated amp and a Parasound A21 that I can use. Source will be a basic CD or Computer driven media into a Benchmark DAC. Also using Vandersteen 2CE Sig II speakers.

Any thoughts or experience with this?

[sts9fan]

Absolutely!
Honestly if you had two subs and fed a stereo signal to them I would thi I less then of one getting Mono.

[*Scotty*]

geowak, What does your system consist of and how much bass extension do your main speakers have? Along with the usual questions about how big and what shape is your room?
Scotty

[roscoeiii]

It will depend on the sub and what your crossover frequency is, as well as whether you have nasty room modes to contend with.

[SteveFord]

I use a single SVS with my MMGs with good results, run line in, non HT mode, crossed over at 50 Hz, with the gain set low enough so it just blends in and doesn't overpower everything which it is certainly capable of doing.
Every so often I think of replacing it with a pair of RELs but probably won't ever get around to do it.  It's here, it works, I'm happy.

[geowak]

Steve. Good stuff thanks for sharing.

I have speakers that have decent bass extension, but would like to go lower if I can integrate the lower freqs well.

Don't know if two 13 inch down-firing woofers would get sloppy and slow....

[JohnR]

I'd say yes, if you use measurement gear. I mean sweeps, not RTA. Otherwise, it's just guesswork and you may or may not get a good result.

Or put it this way, if you measure, you'll have the best chance you have of getting a good result.

This is a good guide to what you need to measure.

[eclein]

I use one sub-2.1 setup and its fine. I even used it with mains that had good size woofers and loved it. I currently use a pair of 3 way bookshelf speakers with 6" woofers (JBL-L830) and the JBL 12" sub I got from CL for free. Hook it up, listen to it and I'm sure you'll enjoy the sound. I'll measure one day but knowing myself even if I do measure I'll change the settings to fit my ears anyway.

 I have read John's articles and will use them as a guide when I do finally measure and get one of those little programmable crossover type things, the name escapes me right now. I'm very easily confused and I understood John's stuff right off.

[medium jim]

In addition to JohnR's outstanding articles, I have posted several useful links in the "Useful Link" thread found in the sticky section.

While I'm a proponent of multiple subs, I agree that with proper setup one sub can do the job.

Jim

[JohnR]

Just to be clear, the Bass Integration Guide that I linked is written by Paul Spencer

[medium jim]

Just to be clear, the Bass Integration Guide that I linked is written by Paul Spencer

True, mea culpa...still good stuff!

Jim

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

I'd say yes, if you use measurement gear. I mean sweeps, not RTA. Otherwise, it's just guesswork and you may or may not get a good result.

Or put it this way, if you measure, you'll have the best chance you have of getting a good result.

This is a good guide to what you need to measure.

To our dear bass obsession 'cult' members,

Before you want to add how many subs inside you home sweet home, making it look like a dump yard & a huge pain in the neck to every other homeate (unless you live ALONE), please understand how our ears sense bass frequencies.

From a Threshold of Hearing chart, it shows humans are most senstive to tones at about 3,500Hz (0dB reference) & least senstive to sub sub sonic bass is 20Hz (77dB) & below.

So for our ears to hear 20Hz as loud as 3.5KHz, the amps, including the power subs all add together, have to produce SPL 1,000,000 - 10,000,000 times loudness than 3.5KHz!!. If this physically possible, let alone hearing ability going down with age?

Take yr link of HiFi Zine as example, it recommends +/- 3dB at 44Hz,
44Hz needs the amps to generate over 50dB or over 100,000 times SPL LOUDER than 3.5KHz.

My question is: can our ears hear +/- 3dB SPL of  44Hz???

c-J

PS: I only use my 10" 100W sub for bass enhancement.

[JohnR]

0 dB is very quiet, I think it's safe to assume that most people don't listen at that level.

3dB difference at 44 Hz is fairly easy to hear - although I 'm not sure what that means exactly, but a 3db shelf with a nominal frequency of 80 Hz is certainly easy to hear.

[jsm71]

Go for it.  I "stole" my HT Velodyne Servo F-1500 from the family room to use in my listening room with a pair of Maggie 1.7s.   It works well cut over at about 45Hz.  It did take some placement experimenting.  I use it to add overall foundation and the occasional true low tone.  It was so helpful the sub may not go back to HT service.  I'm really not that much of the movie freak anyway.  My HT fronts have sufficient bass.  The thunderous bass explosions were an interesting effect when the HT was first put together but that fades.   Music rules.

[*Scotty*]

Does anybody see a problem with this statement?

So for our ears to hear 20Hz as loud as 3.5KHz, the amps, including the power subs all add together, have to produce SPL 1,000,000 - 10,000,000 times loudness than 3.5KHz!!.

If the above statement is true, than there is no way for us to reproduce audible low bass frequencies in our homes. Our speakers cannot handle the power levels required and the power amp doesn't exist that has enough power for the job.
 Yet somehow bass frequencies are reproduced in many listening rooms with readily available subwoofers and power amps.
Isn't it amazing.
Scotty

[PMAT]

Let us not forget how fun it is to hook up a sub in 2.1 and play around with it. I doubt that the sub will sound "slow". It will probably sound freaking great! Don't cross it too high and have a friend move the sub around and adjust it while you listen. Happy listening! The sheer joy of it is THE goal.

[medium jim]

Does anybody see a problem with this statement?If the above statement is true, than there is no way for us to reproduce audible low bass frequencies in our homes. Our speakers cannot handle the power levels required and the power amp doesn't exist that has enough power for the job.
 Yet somehow bass frequencies are reproduced in many listening rooms with readily available subwoofers and power amps.
Isn't it amazing.
Scotty

Scotty, some things are best taken with a large grain of salt!

Jim

[*Scotty*]

The low salt diet I'm on doesn't help
Scotty

[JohnR]

*Scotty*, he's looking at the Fletcher Munson Curves for 0 dB. The threshold of hearing. At any normal level, the curves are much flatter.

And anyway, it's a complete red herring, as if you hear a certain thing in real life, then if reproduced accurately and at the same level, you will need the same (acoustic) level to hear the same thing.

[Photon46]

I use one Fathom F112 with my Tidal Piano Ceras crossed over @ 40hz. and it integrates seamlessly and performs phenomenally. No problems whatsoever. I've measured the room response curve with the Fathom in and out of the system and it is smoother with the Fathom in the system. Tight bass down to 19 hz., it's great!