Subwoofer slam vs boom


Generally speaking what causes a subwoofer to be boomy, verses crisp and "slammy"?

Does placement and room acoustics greatly affect this, or is this just a common problem with lower end subs?

Currently I am using 2 HSU VTF-3's with opposite front corner placement, with all speakers set to large. The processor supports stereo subs, kinda a moot point with all large speakers thou. The subs should be doing the least amount of work possible, i.e. I am not rolling over 7 channels into one sub.

Thanks all
Marty
marty9876

Showing 1 response by redwoodgarden

BOOM can be caused by room acousic problems. I have Khorns with isolated reinforced corner walls made from two inch thick very dense fiberboard. When you hit it with your closed hand, it creates a solid sounding THUD, not a BOOM.
As a result of the solid corners, the bass from these Khorns is the most realistic, undistorted bass that I have ever heard. The walls are made with two layers of drywall using insulation, sound channels, ASC isowall damp pads. The bass in the room creates a compression that crushes your chest, but once again with no BOOM. On the other hand, I resently auditioned REL subwoofers in a Tweeter soundroom. It was the worst sounding subwoofer demonstration imaginable. Not only was the subwoofer BOOMY, but everything in the room vibrated. The salesman then asked me if these are not the most musically sounding subwoofers that I ever heard. I smiled and walked out the door. Maybe REL are the most musically sounding subwoofers, but I guess I will never know. Tweeter obviously needs professional help with room acoustics.