Nearfield listening - once more

the Swarm system is able to do the vanishing act that I ask for. Or most of it. Have never heard it, though.

@o_holter I have a pair in my system. My main speakers are flat to 20Hz so I added the Swarm subs to break up the standing wave only. One is to the left of the listening position and the other to the rear and slightly to the right.

The effect they have is dramatic. Without them there is bass along the sides of the room but none at the listening position. When I turn them on the bass is fine everywhere. Due to how the ear senses tonality, when they are on the mids and highs are more relaxed. They were very easy to set up.

@o_holter My experience is similar in that I have to cross the speakers over at a frequency much lower than 80Hz. If you think about it, 40Hz is only an octave down so unless your crossover has a really complex and steep filter, there will be a substantial amount of energy above 80Hz with a 12 or even 18dB slope.

I have my sub's drivers facing the wall but my subs are Audiokinesis Swarm subs and so are designed to operate inside the room boundary effect. Most subs are not, so have to be placed well away from the wall otherwise they will be tricky as the room boundary boosts bass by about 3dB per octave as you go down. Duke's subs take advantage of this and so are designed to roll off at 3dB/octave starting at 100Hz. In this way they are flat at 20Hz, yet are compact and can be right against the wall, which is really important for space in my room.

The idea that you cannot hear where the sub sound comes from below 120 or something herz is PLAIN WRONG to my ears

The 'magic' frequency is more like 80Hz. To that end, the subs must not make anything above that or they will attract attention to themselves. If you set the crossover to 60Hz the sub will still make some energy above 80Hz. So you have to be careful.

The classic nearfield speaker was the BBC Rogers LS35a. There are a number of manufacturers that have reproduced this speaker and done enhancements- get the 16 Ohm version if you can.