Subwoofer doubts: crossover setting for 60hz speakers


Hello there. I’m about to add a subwoofer through “high level” inputs to my stereo system, and I have some doubts. Nominally my speakers (Cabasse Riva) go down to 60hz. According to the stricter books, this means I should set the sub’s crossover to 120hz. Which would be a problem, since -from what I read- sound becomes “localizable” over 80hz, and my only spot to place the sub is a corner of the room. I guess that would severely affect soundstage, which is a deal-breaker for me. 

So my questions: 

1) Would it be ok if I set the sub’s crossover to 80hz? or would I be risking to create some kind of “gap” between sub and speakers? Do rememeber that I’ll hook the sub through “high level” inputs, so there'll be an increasing overlapping of frequencies above 60hz. 

2) Or would I be better off adding 2 subs instead of just one and setting them at, say, 100hz? Many audiophiles on the web advocate for double subs... 

Keep in mind here that my current options are: 1 excellent Velodyne spl1200r (that reaches 20hz), or 2 fairly good Focal sw700w (that reach only 40hz). If the answer to question 1 is "yes" -ie. if I may set the sub's crossover to 80hz without noticeable gap and preserving soundstage- I'll definitely go with the Velodyne.  

Thanks for ANY help -I need to move fast!


fedocable

Showing 4 responses by fedocable

Thanks for the reply. The problem here is that I cannot test the subs in my system before buying. And worse than that: I have absolutely no experience with subs. So, before taking the blind leap, I'm hoping to figure something out from the forum's audioholics. 
One other thing I should add is that I'm using a low power single ended tube amp -Unison Research's Simply Italy. Beautiful sound but, of course, not very strong on the bass.
Thanks a lot, Tim. Extremely informative, just the kind of feedback I was hoping to get. I'll go with the Velodyne, no more doubts.
Thanks a lot, xti16. I'm already free from the annoying idea of setting the crossover as high as 120hz. I'm convinced 80hz or even less will work fine. That means I'm going with the single subwoofer option.
As for it, I just found a third challenger, at a very nice price: a Phase Technology "Power FL-10"; comes with a 10' woofer plus a passive radiator. It goes down to 26hz, decent enough. The seller claims it's new. There are a couple reviews on the web, and they are all very flattering. And, best of all, the price is cheaper than retail in USA! -that is quite extraordinary here in Argentina.
So, new question: has anyone heard of it, or at least of Phase Technology? Thanks in advance!