Very basic subwoofer question

Bass is/can be directional. Someone here mentioned, it’s the fundamental AND the overtones that give bass directionality

Clearing up confusion- low bass is not directional. Lab tests prove that when the frequency is low enough the sound cannot even be heard at all, at less than half a wavelength.

Sorry, but a little physics is necessary to prove just how airtight a fact this is.

Sound travels roughly 1 ft per millisecond. Not exactly but more than close enough for this. The wavelength of a low bass note like 20 Hz is over 56 feet. Half of this is 28 feet. What this means is the wave has traveled 28 feet before you even know its there. So how in the world are you gonna know where it came from?

Low bass therefore is not directional. Its a physical and psychoacoustic impossibility.

The same physics holds true in the recording venue. This could be why all low bass is mono. I don’t know. Not saying this is the reason. Just saying it could be. Even the most perfect audiophile recording with minimal microphones the only way the bass is going to be significantly stereo is if they are placed very far apart. Even then, even if placed say 56 feet apart, that is at most one wave. The human ear is going to discern this? I don’t think so. The ear responds to volume at low frequencies.

Anyway, back to bass seeming to be directional. Because in my system for sure, and according to Tim and Duke and everyone else with a DBA this is true for them as well, the bass we are getting absolutely definitely does seem to be highly localized and directional at times. Not always. Depends entirely on the material.

So what we have is a situation where the subs can go anywhere without regard to imaging, and yet we will get great imaging. Low bass can be mono, and yet will sound stereo. All because of the peculiar way physics and psychoacoustics combine at low bass frequencies.

The bass you get with multiple subs in a DBA is beautiful at revealing all the many differences between recordings. The concept itself is odd mostly because such an approach would never work with higher frequencies. Putting more speakers around the room would only muddle midrange and treble. There would be more volume, but less precision. With bass however there is more volume AND more precision! The character or quality of bass you can get with a DBA is simply impossible to achieve with any one sub. Find one, if you can, or build your own. You will see.

Four subs, of virtually any size, brand, model and power, will give you just the sort of seamless foundation you desire. Its really as easy as buying four, putting them different locations around the room, and adjusting the levels. Do it right and you will never even know they are there, until you notice all kinds of bass that was only hinted at before is suddenly clean and clear and full of character. You will also notice your midrange and treble are clearer, and the sound stage is more enveloping. You feel it is no longer just in front, you are in it.

Its called a Distributed Bass Array. It can be any combination of subs. Do a search. Study the system https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 Read the reviews. Its totally the way to go.