How many subwoofers are you using in your main system or home theater?

[sxl213]

Pretty straight forward. One SVS SB2000 pro. NO calibration other than SVS recommendation from their app - 15db. The dogs aren't particular about lots of boom when they snooze.

 

[Usher99]

I have 3 subs: A Paradigm ultacube 10, kef kc62, and a passive sub with 8inch driver powered by an old NAD amp bridged for mono. I have them time aligned and EQ’d on a mini dsp and presented as one virtual sub to Anthem 1140. I used the ARC on the 1140 to align the virtual sub to mains. All this would not have been remotely possible w/o REW and help on this forum. Some seats are not great and suspect MSO would be helpful but it is a pain w/o Asio drivers. Perhaps I should try again on win 11. Spatial Audio music sounds awesome and HT at MLP is good.

 

[kellyp]

Tell as much or as little as you'd like.

How many subs do you use in your main listening room or home theater?

Parts-Express.com has very reasonable parts, but of course this requires modifications.
Titanic 15" x 12
To increase efficiency, aligned in a Transmission Line 12 ft x 3 sonotubes designed for bridge construction
No equalization.
Flat to 4 Hz.
dB exceeds 130 on meter, so not sure
Richter is 5.2
Also, the dB next door is 5.2

 

[DavidPlatt]

Three systems, three different sets of approaches and answers.

1. Living room (primary system) uses a pair of three-way speakers I built a couple of decades ago - a Scan-Speak MTM on the front, and a side-mounted NHT 1259. The MTM and NHT are powered through separate amp channels (a custom 90-watt-per-channel-into-4-ohms 4-channel system I built a couple of years ago) with an active crossover. I originally used a Marchand analog crossover, but switched over to a miniDSP 2x4 last year - this, plus use of REW has enabled me to get a much better integration of the sub and mains. The MTM is currently running pretty much full-range (down to about 70 Hz) with a millisecond or so of delay added, with the NHT sub taking over below that point.
2. Bedroom (secondary system) - a pair of upgraded Mission 77 bookshelf speakers, and a single Definitive Technologies powered subwoofer (got it in bad condition at a local flea market, replaced the failing plate amplifier with a Dayton plate). The Missions are running full-range from a fully-recapped-and-updated Proton amplifier. The sub's low-pass crossover and gain have been tuned using REW to "take over" where the Missions roll off naturally.
3. Work-shack (tertiary system) - a pair of heavily-modified Minimus 7 speakers (PZ2.1 crossover) serving as near-field computer monitors, with an Onkyo powered subwoofer. The whole setup is driven by an Onkyo A/V receiver. The receiver is currently set to cross over between the Minimus drivers and the "to subwoofer" output at 100 Hz, and I used the Audyssey setup process to adjust the subwoofer level and equalization.

All of these systems are optimized for music playback - HT is a secondary concern.

 

[zora]

Dedicated 11.4 HT
Klipsch Heritage & In-wall & In-ceiling (Atmos).
Denon x3800 + Lexicon DD-8 amp (XT32 & OCA Evo 1)
(2) PSA TV2112 & (2) PSA TV2410
(6) Crowson actuators (Behringer & Buttkicker amps)
Minidsp 2x4HD & EZBEQ

I might add more subwoofer, as this hobby is addictive

 

[rmcadam]

Two JLAudio F112's refurbished by JL Florida last year. Still great subs. Connected via minidsp Flex. Crossed over at 120hz and trimmed with REW from 200hz down in the Flex. No plans to change.

Minidsp Flex has been a major upgrade with REW. REW is a learning curve and requires several go's at measuring and implementing filters.

Robert

 

[Hari Iyer]

I have built an DIY 2 H-frame OB sub using 2 x 12 inch woofer each H-frame (total of 4 -12" woofers). The drivers used were an reconed cleavland 12" Alnico woofer and a reconed JBL 12" car subwoofer each channel. I wanted the MMS to be less and also was looking for a low compliance woofer and hence reconed my woofer with my choice of paper cone, spider and surround.

As this was a passive sub, I am using my 31+31 band dbx graphic equalizer for both EQ and LPF. This gives me better control for roll-off and gain setting than using a dedicated LPF. I have powered these woofer with my unused Denon AVR-1604 in the external input mode for better dynamics and levelling. Using the dbx GE I am able to EQ for the sub bass frequencies and also reduce the dipole peak that was measured at 200hz. To reduce the dipole peak further, I added a 3.7mH inductor in series with the woofer. Both the woofers are 4 ohms and are connected in parallel to give a net impedance of 2 ohms. I have been using this combination for 6+ months now and my fully satisfied with the outcome.
Thanks for looking.

 

[MusicManLen]

Gee Sonnie did you really think there would be any replies to a subwoofer question? (smile)

My theater room is 18'x24' with a 12' barrel ceiling dropping to 10' and seats 7 but the side walls have openings to other rooms which is not ideal. I used to have (2) SVS SB16 subs which provided good bass considering the room limitations. Recently I added (2) more SVS SB16 subs and they are being fed by a Marantz AV10 that provides (4) independent sub outputs and now my bass is smooth and powerful without any room rattles. I let Audyssey MultEQ XT32 dial in the (4) SVS SB16 subs and then raised the output by 3DB on all the subs. In addition to the (4) subs I run a LFE output from the Marantz AV10 to my Front L/R Goldenear Triton One.R's and I am golden. My next upgrade will be to a JVC RS3200 Laser Projector.

 

[morespeeder]

Hi all, I have two sb13ultra calibrated by a marantz av7705 in 37m2, enought to rumble the room easily! No deep or top in rew analyses.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Gee Sonnie did you really think there would be any replies to a subwoofer question? (smile)

My theater room is 18'x24' with a 12' barrel ceiling dropping to 10' and seats 7 but the side walls have openings to other rooms which is not ideal. I used to have (2) SVS SB16 subs which provided good bass considering the room limitations. Recently I added (2) more SVS SB16 subs and they are being fed by a Marantz AV10 that provides (4) independent sub outputs and now my bass is smooth and powerful without any room rattles. I let Audyssey MultEQ XT32 dial in the (4) SVS SB16 subs and then raised the output by 3DB on all the subs. In addition to the (4) subs I run a LFE output from the Marantz AV10 to my Front L/R Goldenear Triton One.R's and I am golden. My next upgrade will be to a JVC RS3200 Laser Projector.

Well... I truly wasn't sure what to expect, but apparently, it's a popular topic.

 

[Amano]

after mesuring a 150 Hz drop in the sweet spot, adding a ceiling absorber, I realized that one sub is not enough. I installed a seond one, and the arrangment is non symmetrical, under the u-shaped desk at both sides of the listening spot /working place.
Both subs are cheap Mivoc, and with both, the bass amplitude and frequency plot is sufficient.
The Monitoring system is DiY, Manger MSW with ScanSpeak 26W - all analog Amplifier rated 2x200W peak. There is no other equalizing or tone control.

Tuning the bass section is made by adjusting the filter / volume controls of the Mivocs, fed by a low pass filter in the amplifier; and measuring again and again (MiniDSP and REW...)
of course precise and calibrated measurement microfones were required.
Using a MiniDSP for several years, while the monitors were under development, it showed up, that the MiniDSP had nothing more to "tune"; so it rests now (in peace) in the book shelf.

 

[cjstatia]

How many subs do you use in your main listening room or home theater?
What are the brands?
How are you equalizing your subs?
Do you have plans to add more?

Currently, two SVS sb-17 in opposite corners of a 16' x 18' x 8' media room. I do want to add a third sb-17. I plan to equalize them with rew via onboard dsp.

 

[austinblackboxspace]

Tell as much or as little as you'd like.

How many subs do you use in your main listening room or home theater?
What are the brands?
How are you equalizing your subs?
Do you have plans to add more?

I'm currently satisfied with my setup of two JTR 4000ULF-TL Captivators + six 2400 Captivators. I'm using the two 4000 units with dual 18s as my main subwoofers, and the other six are support subs using Dirac Live ART.

22,400 watts powering ten 18-inch subs in a 19.5ft x 23.5ft x 8.5ft fully sealed room.

we have 4 svs pc13-ultras but two are in storage as we don’t have the space while remodeling our home. our ht is temporarily set up in a backroom during our remodel. a trinnov altitude 16 is utilized for the current space. we will not use these 4 subs in the new ht once completed. cheers, |||||K

 

[AudioAmy]

I currently use two HSU Research VTF-3 MK5 15" subs setup for dual mono in a 20ft x 16ft room. They seem adequate and I have no plans to add more.

 

[Alkaloid]

I am using a single VTF-3 MK4. Cheap low distortion and does 16hz very well. There is standing waves with just one sub, and nulls and bumps when I walk around the room. 2 would be beatter, room treatment would be better, and Tube Traps in the corners would be better too. More than enough to pressurize my 24' long by 11.5' wide by 8' tall living room/ hometheater. I'm using an Anthem P5 Statement to drive 5 ADS 1290/2s that use 2 8" woofers per speaker to complement the sub. My pre-pro AVM 60 using ARC crossed the sub over at 120hz. I can only crank the volume so far before the room gain overloads. With treatment I could fine tune the decay rate along with the gain but considering how good it sounds now without the Tube Traps and other treatments I am happy watching movies.

 

[rwisejr1]

Hi everyone. I’m running 2 SVS SB2000’s here in my living room setup. These do the job very well. They are controlled by my Emotiva MC1 processor.

 

[rgraf136]

Tell as much or as little as you'd like.

How many subs do you use in your main listening room or home theater?
What are the brands?
How are you equalizing your subs?
Do you have plans to add more?

I'm currently satisfied with my setup of two JTR 4000ULF-TL Captivators + six 2400 Captivators. I'm using the two 4000 units with dual 18s as my main subwoofers, and the other six are support subs using Dirac Live ART.

22,400 watts powering ten 18-inch subs in a 19.5ft x 23.5ft x 8.5ft fully sealed room.

I have 2 subwoofers, a Velodyne SPL-1200R and an SVS SB-3000, which are equalized by using the Magic Beans Audio developed by Techno Dad & Joe N Tell. So far, it's good enough for me and some times even too good!

 

[Sonnie Parker]

I have 2 subwoofers, a Velodyne SPL-1200R and an SVS SB-3000, which are equalized by using the Magic Beans Audio developed by Techno Dad & Joe N Tell. So far, it's good enough for me and some times even too good!

I've never heard of Magic Beans Audio... looks very interesting. It's definitely a different approach.

 

[Pascal Brun]

I have 3 x 15" Ascendo Black Swan subwoofer & 2 Ascendo The 28 Sub pro square...2 x 10kW for each 28"

 

[Pascal Brun]

and the Trinnov Altitude32

 

[paulkebab]

Tell as much or as little as you'd like.

How many subs do you use in your main listening room or home theater?
What are the brands?
How are you equalizing your subs?
Do you have plans to add more?

HT has a Kickers 8" sub in a custom cab to fit the HT unit, powered by a BK BSBP275 amp and sounds surprisingly good hanging off a Yamaha RXV 483.

Music .. now I had a problem for years with the room / listening point being wider than longer but no options for positioning, floorstanding mains are 8' apart firing into a 6'6" listening point. The only way to get decent bass was to get so much that it did a double reflex across the room. This needed large transmission lines to achieve and sounded pretty good but obviously not refined. After many years of trying to persuade the other half into some smaller mains with a sub or two and running into a definite NO every time I bought a pair of custom Wilmslow Audio floorstanders, ran them in for a few months then bought a pair of SVS 1000 Pro subs without her knowledge! These sound best firing across the full length of the room at 90° to the mains, I only use the SVS app on my phone which covers just about everything in real time. I have a Vincent SV237 with tone controls for the mains, subs are independent on a Behringer DEQ2496. No plans to change or add anything, its my end game and very happy.

 

[phillihp23]

2 SVS PC12 NSD and 2 SVS PB 12 NSD

 

[knarducy]

I have 4 subwoofers in my home theater (21ft long x 16ft wide x 9ft high):

• 2 REL HT/1508 subwoofers (front),
• 1 KEF Q400b subwoofer (side)
• 1 KEF PSW2500 subwoofer (back).

The subs are equalized by a 2x4 MiniDSP fed with signals from a DENON X-8500H AVR (13.2 channels for my 7.4.6 Atmos setup)

The other speakers on the floor (7) are:

• 2 KEF Reference 3.2 floorstander (front L&R)
• 1 KEF 200C (center)
• 2 KEF iQ1 bookshelf (side)
• 2 KEF iQ3 bookshelf (back).

The six Atmos ceiling speakers are:

• 4 Sonance in-ceiling speakers (front and middle)
• 2 KEF iQ1s bookshelf (back / mounted near the corners at top of back wall).

No plans for more subs, but a plan to replace the KEF subs with REL subs.

 

[3dbinCanada]

My modest sub setups (compared to most who posted here) are as follows:

Master Bedroom
1 15" sealed PSB Subsonic 7 eq by a Yamaha RX-A1060 . I used REW to find the best location for the single seat area.

Pattern 1 is for Home Theater



Pattern 2 is for 2 channel listeing.



Main Floor
3 PSB 12" ported PSB Subsonic 6 subs eq via REW/MiniDSP 2x4HD



Basement
2 Rythmik subs..LV12-R and LV12-F eq via REW/MiniDSP 2x4HD

I have to rerun measurements as the room layout has changed dramatically but the sub locations remain in place.

 

[JarrodS]

I'm building out a new space at the moment and am in between systems. I've purchased two new SVS SB2000 Pro subs for the new room (14' x 13'). Those have built-in EQ, phase, etc. via an app, which is the main reason I went with them. I'll be using REW to measure their output and optimize that against placement, room modes, etc. I expect the smaller space to be a challenge, sonically, which is the reason I put adjustability/flexibility high on my list of requirements when choosing subs. We'll see how it goes but I expect the SVS Pro series to give me a leg up.

Previously I was running a single Outlaw LFM-1 EX and a much smaller but still solid 8" Velodyne sub. I had integrated those "manually" interating between REW and parametric EQ in my B&K Ref 50, and then later with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 when I upgraded to a Marantz AV7702. Running dual subs (even very different ones from each other) considerably smoothed out the response in the lower octaves, both measurable and audible.