Indeed the thread is going on for a while,but one of the main aims of this site is to share and benefit the knowledge of other members in order to save money and mistakes to others and that is what I'm doing .Also for a final conclusion
to be drawn,there is a need for a conclusive reply as to which subwoofer gains a better performance down to 20Hz-100-200Hz with pure clean sound and tight bass without distortion through all it's frequency range in a relatively "smallish" sealed enclsure -2 units of 12' driver per side or 1 unit of 18' driver per side !
to be drawn,there is a need for a conclusive reply as to which subwoofer gains a better performance down to 20Hz-100-200Hz with pure clean sound and tight bass without distortion through all it's frequency range in a relatively "smallish" sealed enclsure -2 units of 12' driver per side or 1 unit of 18' driver per side !
I have not participated in this thread, but have benefited greatly from reading. Do please carry on!
tapestryofsound
The key point, though, is that for "pure, clean sound and tight bass" down to 20Hz in most rooms, you do NOT want the woofer to be "flat to 20Hz" in anechoic conditions.
Instead, you want it to have a -3dB frequency of around 40Hz, and from there a shallow -12dB/oct roll-off down to 20Hz and below, to complement the natural "room gain" effect given by the progressive pressurization of the room.
An anechoic response that is flat down to 20Hz will, on the contrary, result in a relatively boomy and overbearing first octave (on the relatively few music tracks that actually have any information down that low). But, you may still prefer it that way. To each their own.
I wouldn't rely on this in the design stage. Room gain is quite unpredictable, depending on the room construction, size, speaker placement etc. And there isn't any formula to it, too. It's trial and error; mostly error. For example, my room is 16 sq. meters (around 177 sq. ft), all-concrete - I should get great room gain, right? Wrong, at my speaker placement along the long wall there is no room gain to speak of.
It certainly is not 12db/oct, that's the theoretical maximum for a hermetically sealed chamber. You'll more likely to get 6 to 8 db/oct if you're lucky, or maybe 3 to 6 db shelf.
Design your subs for pure 2pi environment and add EQ for real world use.
On a side note, I don't have any complaints using multiple small woofers to go down low.
My room is 14*10*6m and the room gain peaks around 13Hz.
I build it for watching movies but to be honest, it is overkill for all other applications. Also, if I'd ever want the tactile feedback below 20Hz, I'd choose a buttkicker over any subwoofer.
My room is 14*10*6m and the room gain peaks around 13Hz.
I build it for watching movies but to be honest, it is overkill for all other applications. Also, if I'd ever want the tactile feedback below 20Hz, I'd choose a buttkicker over any subwoofer.