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Best place to put a single subwoofer?

I know there are many opinions regarding subwoofer placement. I have had multiple subs (4) all in the same listening space. Way too much! I have had matched pairs hooked up in stereo. Right now I own only 1. It is part of my dedicated 2 channel music room and not a theater system. I have a pair of MBL 101e Mk2's which are excellent speakers IMHO, and they produce POWERFUL bass in their own right. However I am a bass freak (as noted above), so the harder it hits the better. Plus I tend to listen to a fair amount of rock music which I like to play loud, (hence MBL 101e's). Right now I have my sub positioned dead center between the two Radialstrahlers and it does ok. But I feel as though I'm missing something and that I ought to do something to increase performance, although I'm not exactally sure where to go with it. Not too many places I can move it to, but input and suggestions would be much appreciated. I have tried moving it closer, and then farther away from the wall but have not noticed any dramatic improvements. What about bass "suck out"? Could I be having some cancellation issues? What things would you Audiogoners do to improve on (already good) bass performance?
martinmobile

Showing 6 responses by mrdecibel

mrdecibel
3,078 posts
 
For high end 2 channel systems, my experiences have always lead me to a pair of matching subs, as opposed to one, set up equally from the listening position as are the mains. Of course, serious time and tweaking are expected for good to excellent results.
mrdecibel
3,078 posts
 
Martinmobile, what is the rest of your system ?, amp/equipment, etc. My experience with MBLs have always been with Krell monos, and, a Crown Macro Reference. They love lots of power and lots of current, especially at a louder volume. I am not sure what spls you are trying to get, but you should use you Radio Shack meter and find out. Maybe you are taxing the MBL's to beyond their limit of staying clean and controlled. What are the panels you had built made of. They might be sucking out some of the bass punch and slam. Do you have dedicated outlets for your amps/equipment ? This all makes a huge impact (no pun intended) on what you are looking to achieve. I also want to add that sub woofer matching and set up is one of the hardest things I have encountered in all my years in this hobby. No offense meant in anything I have stated. MrD
mrdecibel
3,078 posts
 
Martinmobile, imo/ime, all seems in order, except for two things. Because of the omni pattern of the MBLs, much is being absorbed by your panels, although I do tend to like a "dead" wall behind the speakers. As an experiment, try removing some to see if the slam comes back, even though the brightness will return. Second, the level of your equipment deserves a second sub. Room coupling is always better balanced with a pair, ime. However, as I stated, getting the "right" subs to match the mains (coherence, speed, tone, etc.)is a bitch, and much harder as the system gets more "refined". This is why many people (Audiogon type) do not like subs. Much of the "slam" you are looking for is above the subs crossover point, so it might not be the sub issue. Are you running the MBLs full range, or rolling them off at the last octave ?(again, very tricky if you are). I am not one to think the BAT gear to be the most "ballsy", ime, but your amps are great none the less. Are your tubes (pre amp) experiencing microphonics ? I would love to listen to your system, as I am huge MBL fan (although I own horns, which is another thread altogether). Keep us posted. MrD
mrdecibel
3,078 posts
 
Martinmobile, microphonics are the result of unwanted vibrations via acoustic (airborn) or mechanical feedback, usually re-amplified through the system. These can enter (or exist in) the preamp chassis and screw things up. IME tubes are more prone to this, although, it is everywhere and in everything. I believe heavily in "tube dampers", as I feel the sound is cleaner and tighter. BAT might have included them with the pre amp. They look like garden hose washers (as an example) and come in different shapes, sizes and colors. There are so many tweaks available to "tighten" up the sound. You are free to email me and I can discuss some of these with you. Taking panels off the speaker wall would be an experiment to see if " slam" is increased (brightness too, unfortunately). Let me know. MrD.
mrdecibel
3,078 posts
 
Martinmobile, anything new to report ?
mrdecibel
3,078 posts
 
Sthomas12321. FYI . This sub question was for a dedicated 2 channel music system, as indicated in the op. Thank you
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