Adding a Second Sub

I know I didn't like having only one sub. I know in theory that sound below a certain frequency is omnidirectional, but then it's never hard to tell what direction thunder comes from, so I'd say for stereo, two subs makes good sense. Myself, I decided to go back to no sub with my Tannoy System 12 DMTs. Yeah, the bass is a bit "lighter", but overall the music is clearer, more dynamic and with better separation between instruments. Regards, Joel.

I use two subs in my systems, but strictly for home theater. When doing any serious listening to music, I run only my Vandersteen 3A Signatures. (The sole exception is when I'm listening to full-range recordings of the organ, and then I like the extra depth provided by the subs.)

My HT room setup only allows me to place the subs outside the main front speakers. When I had only one sub on the right side of the room, the bass and LFE sounds was clearly directional. Adding a second sub made a big difference in balancing the bass -- now it is non-directional and fuller.

You have a great sub, so two Stentors will be even better. Should make the stereo image even better. There are no drawbacks I know of other than cost and whether the space can accomodate two subs.

For those others reading, one good sub is better than two cheap ones; so if you want two subs, but cannot afford two good subs for now, do like Perfectimage and get one for now and save up for the second. With one sub for classical listeners, I recommend you put it in the right corner, becaues the bass section in most orchestras is on the right side of the stereo image.

I find my REL sub does the opposite of Dr_Joe, more dynamic and better separation with the sub. All instruments have a sonic signature larger than the main sound. The better separation happens with the sub because the sub fills in the lower part of the frequency signature of each instrument that the speakers don't reproduce well. The sub must be integrated properly for this to work. A properly integrated sub will be invisible. You won't be able to tell where the speakers stop and the sub takes over. Integrating a sub takes time and lots of listening, but its worth the effort IMHO.

Haven't experimented with multiple subs myself, but an interesting article you may want to copy for insight was written by Tom Nousaine and appeared in the June 96 issue of Audio magazine. Don't scoff at the date. The article is an excellent discussion of room nodes behavior and is well grounded in not trying to beat the laws of physics. He titled it "Two subs in a corner beat five in the round".

Re: directionality of subs:

I have a REL Strata III in the right corner of my listening room. On the 4th track of James Taylor's Hourglass CD, beginning at around 3:50, there is a drum roll which goes from right to left on the soundstage, with a big whack when it reaches all the way to the left side. You'd never know the sub was on the right side. Absolutely amazing. Try it yourself.

Sugarbrie, I listen to a lot of classical music and am glad to hear that placement of my sub in the right corner is correct!

Deffinately two subs. I added 2 B&W 800 Matrix subs to my
801 III and will not go back. It was a match problem for
the 801's and the only seemless blend was another Matrix
12" sub. I have them reasonably low, but can really hear
and feel the difference. If it plays well together, go for
the lows.

If you are crossing over low enough, then you don't need two subs for stereo as Faberryman and others have pointed out. But two subs often gives a better result - the main reason being that you can get smoother response. Some subs use two drivers, one on each side, and their separation by a foot or so helps to get a smoother response. It is just that each driver will create room nodes and anti-nodes in different spots and (hopefully) cancel each other out. The downside is that set-up requires even more patience and time than with one sub. From experience you will very likely get a significant improvement with two subs, but two Stentors is a big investment in the bottom octave.

I started my first system with Aerial 7's...added one Vandersteen 2W...wow, what a change! BUT, the most noticeable change was not in the bass range, but how the 7's opened up and became more dynamic. Subsequently, I added another 2W, and BAM, once again a step up in the performance of the 7's...Take out one sub and its like a v-8 running on 6 cylinders...I vote for two subs.

two subs will improve *all* aspects of a two-channel stereo system - better room-integration, better soundstage, less distortion for the same wolume level. go for it! :>)

doug s.

I agree with Sedond and others. You want stereo, not mono.

to whomever gave me negative wotes on my prewious opinion, why not act like a mature adult & tell me where i'm wrong. perhaps others, as well as myself, may be able to learn someting about this topic. as it is now, ewe contribut *nothing*, but a waste of bandwidth. i *will* keep posting, & ewentually ewe *will* be banned from even woting on this site.

doug s.