Arny Krueger wrote:

"Greg Williams" wrote in message


I have a Velodyne F1000 subwoofer that I have had for around 9 years.
It is a 10" 80 watt servo model.

I was setting it up in a new, larger room today. I spent the better
half of an afternoon configuring the sub with a Radio Shack SPL meter
and test tones. I was able to find the spot where it was flat as it
was going to get (within +- 2 db) from 30 Hz to 100 Hz . The spot
was directly behind my listening postion. When the sub was in the
corner, there was a nasty 12 db room mode at 40-50 Hz that was
activated.

This room is about 3600 cubic feet large. The common knowledge is
that larger rooms require a larger driver and more amperage. Would
upgrading to a sub with more power and a 12" or 15" driver offer any
advantage?

Under ideal conditions, large subwoofers can be flat down to well below 5
Hz, and generate sound on the order of 120 dB with relatively low
distortion.

I know that I would be able to get more SPL out of it.

You can also get a lot deeper bass, which can lend a sense of ease and
spaciousness to the music you are playing. While not all musical works have
significant content below 30 Hz, some does. Furthermore, there are
incidental sounds that are parts of many recordings that give audible clues
to the size of the room the recording was made in. I've had an 18" subwoofer
since the middle 1970s, that was essentially flat down to below 20 Hz and
capable of well over 110 dB SPL.

Would there be any other audible difference with a larger driver if
the subs are putting out the same SPL at the same frequency?

There can be IME an audible difference between a subwoofer that is stressed
when it puts out 30 Hz, and one that can easily put out substatial volumes
of bass at far lower frequencies.

I do most of my listening at 80 Hz, and my current little sub can produce
that easily done to 30 Hz. Is there any point upgrading?

I don't know how you avoid listening at frequencies below 80 Hz with a
normal selection of recordings. Are you sure that you are saying what you
mean?

I have reviewed a lot of recordings for The Sensible Sound,
and have reviewed a number of good and not-so-good
subwoofers for the magazine, too.

A handful of recordings (very few containing musical values
worth considering, with more than a few being basically
sound effects or obnoxious noise recordings) will benefit
from the kind of performance excellence (if we can call it
that) we get from super subwoofers that are strong and
relatively flat to below 10 to 15 Hz. Indeed, the vast bulk
of musical (and home-theater) source material simply will
not be enhanced by employing super subwoofers that extend
flat to well below 20 Hz, even though having a sub reproduce
the sense of space in a large hall has the potential to
enhance the musical experience. It also has the potential to
be musically distracting, particularly if we are talking
about the noise of AC compressors and big heating systems in
big halls.

Response to 20 Hz "flat" ought to be more than good enough
for this kind of effect, however. Indeed, most music is
happily reproduced by subs that are clean to "only" 30 Hz.
Anyone who doubts this need only do some AB testing when
switching back and forth between full-range systems that are
flat to 30 Hz and subwoofer-augmented systems that are flat
to, say, 18 Hz. How a sub that is flat to 15 or 10 (or 5) Hz
would have any kind of advantage with 99.5% of the music out
there is beyond me. And, hey, I like subwoofers a lot and
employ them in all three of my systems. However, I am also a
realist when it comes to practical requirements in musical
(and home theater) reproduction systems.

I simply cannot see any benefit in buying or building a
subwoofer that can go flat and loud to 15 or 10 Hz - or 5
Hz, because the only way to "enjoy" such a device would be
to listen to the same handful of musically insipid or
mentally grating recordings over and over. Trust me:
Tchaikovsky rolls over in his grave every time the 1812
Overture is played or performed, and I am sure Beethoven
does the same thing regarding Wellington's Victory. As for
stuff like Jurassic Lunch and assorted sound effects
recordings, well, they are entertaining to listen to - but
only for one pass. That's not good enough to warrant
building a subwoofer that fills a basement or attic area.

At least it's not good enough for me.

Howard Ferstler