A lot of you probably have already read this article (by Rod Elliott), but I just found it and thought it might be of interest to some. This article is well written IMO and had some good meat (so to speak).
I found this while searching for a Phase control circuit I could build for my newly installed IB. I truly love the sound and visceral impact of an IB (4-AV18’s) and would highly recommend one, but as in all things there is tradeoffs, nothing is perfect. The imperfection in my case is my room, which is nearly square. In the past, I have used 2 or more subs to tame the modes, and it has works pretty well, but again not without compromise. Pure wave prorogation vs. Pressure mode and the interaction or crossover between these two are becoming apparent to me now that I have spent a lot of time studying my personal bass problems. After reading this article the picture is far more clear on one end but more confused on the other. I am beginning to think that there is no solution for perfect or even very good bass response in a typical room. I really hoped that a Phase Control of some sort might help my massive 52Hz 16db dip at my listening position, but after reading this article I must wonder why any commercial subwoofer designer would ever put a phase control on a sub since it has a far greater chance of doing more damage then good. Obviously, placement is the first step of getting the bass right, but that is only the beginning, and if you room is bad and you have no room for treatment (like me) then you will have to accept a serious compromise.
My conclusion to my bass problem is to go as low as possible on the crossover point and as steep as possible on the slope. However, this is difficult with a typical processor’s bass management system (wish I could afford the Tact). First I will try reversing the polarity and re-testing my room and see if the 52Hz dip becomes a peak which may be easier to deal with and surly cause other problems. I’ll give the latter a try this weekend as it is the easiest to do, but I don’t expect a miracle.
So if anyone else is stuck trying to get the bass right in their room you might want to go over these articles to get a good scope on the bass picture from a slightly zoomed out POV.
The Subwoofer Conundrum
http://sound.westhost.com/subcon.htm
Phase Correction
http://sound.westhost.com/pcmm.htm
My projects
http://kingdaddy.linaeum.com/
I found this while searching for a Phase control circuit I could build for my newly installed IB. I truly love the sound and visceral impact of an IB (4-AV18’s) and would highly recommend one, but as in all things there is tradeoffs, nothing is perfect. The imperfection in my case is my room, which is nearly square. In the past, I have used 2 or more subs to tame the modes, and it has works pretty well, but again not without compromise. Pure wave prorogation vs. Pressure mode and the interaction or crossover between these two are becoming apparent to me now that I have spent a lot of time studying my personal bass problems. After reading this article the picture is far more clear on one end but more confused on the other. I am beginning to think that there is no solution for perfect or even very good bass response in a typical room. I really hoped that a Phase Control of some sort might help my massive 52Hz 16db dip at my listening position, but after reading this article I must wonder why any commercial subwoofer designer would ever put a phase control on a sub since it has a far greater chance of doing more damage then good. Obviously, placement is the first step of getting the bass right, but that is only the beginning, and if you room is bad and you have no room for treatment (like me) then you will have to accept a serious compromise.
My conclusion to my bass problem is to go as low as possible on the crossover point and as steep as possible on the slope. However, this is difficult with a typical processor’s bass management system (wish I could afford the Tact). First I will try reversing the polarity and re-testing my room and see if the 52Hz dip becomes a peak which may be easier to deal with and surly cause other problems. I’ll give the latter a try this weekend as it is the easiest to do, but I don’t expect a miracle.
So if anyone else is stuck trying to get the bass right in their room you might want to go over these articles to get a good scope on the bass picture from a slightly zoomed out POV.
The Subwoofer Conundrum
http://sound.westhost.com/subcon.htm
Phase Correction
http://sound.westhost.com/pcmm.htm
My projects
http://kingdaddy.linaeum.com/