Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

@thespeakerdude , If a subwoofer driver is right against a wall (in a corner) as part of a line array on the floor there is no first reflection until you get to the ceiling. The wave is beginning at the wall (no delay). A line array does not radiate past it's ends. If the array is horizontal against a wall those ends are in the corner. This is unique to my situation as my main speakers are line sources. Most people have point source systems and such a subwoofer array would overpower their system. People with point source systems are better off with two subwoofers. Corner placement minimizes the effect of reflections because the driver is up against three surfaces instead of two or none if the speakers are away from the front wall. With subs in the corner the first reflections that are delayed are off the ceiling, opposite wall and back wall. By the time they get back to the listener they are late reflections and not as serious. At high frequencies things get more complicated, one of the main reasons dipoles sound better. The biggest problem with putting subs in the corner at a different distance from the listener as the mains is phase an timing. To make this work you have to use digital signal processing to delay speakers so everything arrives at the listening position in phase at the exact same time. Most people without signal processing are better off with the two woofers any where in the room at the same radial distance as the main speakers from the listener, classically this was between the main speakers but does not have to be.

@juanmanuelfangioii , I think you should change your moniker which is an insult to the greatest racing driver of all time and a great person. 

@mijostyn , your bass "line array" goes from left wall to right wall, well in theory, and includes the walls as reflectors to extend the virtual length of the array (again in theory and needed for low frequencies). The floor is still a first reflection point, though it barely matters since your subs appear to be working purely below the Schroeder frequency (again, thank you Google!). Thinking of it as a line array is giving you an inaccurate perception of how the bass is behaving in your room or any potential gain advantage beyond room gain.

Talking about late reflections (or early reflections) in bass has little practical relevance. That is not how we hear bass. You cannot decouple how we hear from the acoustics. Also when talking phase, it is important to clarify phase during cross-over so you don't introduce an additional peak or null during transition at the listening position. However, back to Shroeder frequency and real rooms, we are never dealing with single waves with bass, we are dealing with mode dominated spaces. The coordinated arrival of first waves from the various drivers is less critical than how the modal field develops, in the typical room that is not able to damp bass much at these frequencies. That is why bringing the subs out along the walls into the room often works better. The reductions of peaks and valleys from modal excitation is less critical than first arrival phasing which you cannot hear.

@mijostyn because I disagree with you?

Take it so personal and I did not call you out.

You should change your moniker to....I will keep it clean. 

You a member of the MSM?

@juanmanuelfangioii , I think you should change your moniker which is an insult to the greatest racing driver of all time and a great person.

I realize most subs are active speakers but this topic belongs in a new thread, (Bassaholics Anonymous?) Can we get back to the thread topic of active speakers and the confusion surrounding them?

I second the opinion that horn loaded subs in the corners are hard to beat.  I use Bill Fitzmaurice designed HT Tuba corner horn loaded subs.  They are 18 cubic feet each.  In my fully horn loaded DIY DEQX DSP equalized system the output at 25 Hz is identical to the output of the 1 kHz reference tone with a roll off of about 18 dB/octave below 25 Hz.  I use 96 dB/octave roll offs for all crossovers.

Resonances at room modes were a problem so I sacrificed seven or eight dB of sensitivity with the subs to EQ by pulling down peaks.  The horn loaded subs are so sensitive that after that seven or eight dB reduction they still have a sensitivity of 96 or 97 dB.  The  final result is very tuneful, powerful, articulate bass that goes way down deep.