It depends on the crossover frequency you set the subwoofer. If you can hear from where sound is coming from when playing the sub only, it means the low frequencies are directional and you should use two subs near each loudspeakers.
IMO, the D2R small stand mounts would benefit from having two subwoofers with the crossovers set around 40-50Hz at 24 dB/oct.
I’ve one in a slightly larger room and find it ample for music and movies.
Thanks to all for the interesting and varied takes on this question.
The addition of one KC62 has been revelatory for me with my current system and room, so it’s natural to wonder what two might bring.
I will proceed with a second one at some point in the near future, I think.
Hi Charles64
I have Graham Audio LS5/9 2 way standmounts along with the Graham Audio Sub3 passive subs.
I too found that adding the subs opened out the sound dynamics, gave everything a lift and improved soundstaging.
There is more bass but is discreet and not in my face.
I used to have Dali Helicon 8MK2 floorstanders and I prefer the more controlled bass I have now.
So my vote goes to having two subs.
All thoughts and opinions expressed above are based on my ears with my system in my room.
One is good two are awesome helps even out low end and loads room better…
I can’t believe you said that. But of course, each to his own ears, and YMMV.
And to be accurate, I only use mine for low, to sometimes mid level listening. And mostly for classical music.
If you listen to classical music then two works a treat. Low frequencies are directional as a good seat in a hall will clearly demonstrate. If you are not in to classical then I’m not sure it would be necessary to have two, as studio and live recordings are well sorted at the mixing desk. Having said that I find I don’t need one at all in my room …
From a very old internet source regarding multiple subwoofers:
It’s not the directionality of the soundwave (which will vary with dimensions of walls, baffles, distances to boundaries, etc. ad nauseum!), but the issues re proper bass-loading in your room. Best results are usually obtained with multiple woofer locations, so that you have some chance of balancing and averaging out room nodes.
The human ear, however, has trouble discerning direction below 100-150Hz, right? OTOH there may be enough harmonic overtones and/or distortion artifacts, or even noise contributants that are indeed very discernable due to their higher frequencies. It’s not that low bass is or isn’t directional, it’s that you can’t perceive it as such without
higher frequency cues.
I will start this with…in my personal opinion…
If you need a sub for two channel hifi, you do not have the correct speaker choice in the first place and existing speaker placement / room treatments have not been explored adequately.
There, said it. My opinion and not one many of you will share but that is what forums are for…n’est ce pas?
I use a pair of REL 328 subs with my Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers, which have great bass on their own. Having subs in a music system isn’t about more bass so much as it’s about having better bass. I mostly listen to acoustic jazz and classical and love having all the additional music cues and ambience the subs bring to the table.
I must admit I felt the same as you Neil until I tried one. With the installation I had the nSub really made things very good indeed, and it made the whole musical presentation better. The system and speaker placement was suboptimal but realistically that was insoluble, or would have required a huge investment in components to fix. The nSub gave a compromise that worked in a large, high ceilinged ‘H’ shaped open plan room with a pair of nSats.
Bruce
I used to think this too. Then I heard a system with twin subs. Now I have a single one, as my listening room is smaller, and it improves the whole scale and presentation.
When using a sub to increase dynamics and extension, you are usually adding a powerful amplifier to the system. In a few situations it could be a better idea to just upgrade the current amplifier.
I’ve read many posts that say 2 subs is better due to balancing the bass per speaker. But a lot of others do seem to do well with just one sub. Possibly it may depend on the type or quality of the sub(s).
I have a single sub at the moment, but I’d like to try 2 sometime.
I find the same thing Mike, and we especially like what the sub does at low to mid volumes. My speakers are known for their bass, but they still need a boost for background listening, and for most orchestral music.
Cheers.
Or it may be good work/luck with positioning of the one. Two seem to make it easier to even out room modes. FWIW, Robert Harley’s “The Complete Guide to High-End Audio” also recommends two for this reason
Yes, I guess positioning can make quite a difference. I’ll have a look online for info from the guide you mentioned.
It’s a book published by Acapella Publishing. 5th edition is from 2015 and very much up to date. Harley is the editor-in-chief for The Absolute Sound. Of course much more can be written about the topic than what fits into a book, even if weighty, but it is a good and knowledgeable overview of the state of the art and practical tips.
Well, I am a week on with my sub (KEF KC62), and I am extremely impressed by what it’s done to my system.
Everything is much improved: sound depth/height and width. It’s really opened up the whole picture.
However, I am still in the trial and error stage of positioning it. Various locations around the room, front or side on orientation, and adjustment to the crossover and volume inputs on the sub.
I know this is heavily room and rest of system dependent, and it’s proving an enjoyable if seemingly never ending task of feeling it is “just right”.
My volume on the sub stays at around 10 o’clock, and the crossover frequency is set at between 40hz and 45hz, but it’s not quite right yet for all the types of music I play.
Positioning has mostly been on the same plane as the main speakers, to the left or right of either one or in the middle. Currently, it’s equidistant between the right speaker and the corner wall. Which is where I’ve had the best results. The DSP setting on the sub seems to work best for me when set to “room”.
I am keen to buy a second one, notwithstanding the possibility that setting two up could be even tricker than the one I currently have, though a comment above here infers two might be the answer!
I went without my 2 subs for 6 weeks (upgrade), when they were gone, you really hear and feel the difference (for the worse in my case).