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Subwoofer between speakers?

After reading through a thread relating to the equipment rack between speakers, I assume that the sub between the speakers is also a no-no?

My speaker stands are 24.5" high, and my sub is 24" high, so I was thinking that the sub cabinet being below the mid-range driver might mitigate the detrimental effects to imaging. But I read a reply in the thread that I alluded to which talked about an amp between the speakers having a negative effect on imaging . . . therefore it stands to reason that a big bulky sub cabinet would be about 20 times worse.

I know that ideally I should experiment with placement . . . this is an extreme near-field listening room, and options are limited. I could get it to the outside of my right channel speaker . . . in theory, would that be better than in between?

immatthewj

Showing 1 response by ryder

ryder
1,744 posts
 

From my understanding, one sub works well between speakers. 2 subs work well in the corners.

I tried placing a sub in the corner of the room and the result was terrible. The bass sounded uneven and smeared. Much better results when it was placed in between the speakers.

The key to the integration between the sub and main speakers is to have a seamless and even bass response. In my system, the impact of the sub is not earth shattering and rather subtle, but the improvement is an important one. There’s a slight lift and punch in the low bass and midbass which add to the musical enjoyment.

The speakers that are used will also play a part. With some speakers, the sub doesn’t blend well in the system. I only managed to achieve a good integration with select speakers.

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