Show Us Your Speakers!

[montesquieu]

The real angle is I get fed up with people who say you only need one sub because bass is omnidirectional. Not quite the case here, as you pointed out.

Totally agree. In a brief period using full range horns I found that only adding a pair of subs (two fairly giant Ruarks) really worked in quite a large (5m x 7m) room - a single sounded lopsided. Then of course I added supertweeters to satisfy a lack at the top end ... ultimately I realised that I was creating a 3-way speaker without any proper design effort (or indeed any maths, which usually turns out to be necessary when creating speaker setup) and gave up. Interesting exercise though.

[Marco]

Yes I visit a friend in Hull who has a high-end 5-channel system that he watches opera and ballet on ... it's certainly impressive. I'm more of a chamber music guy (and when it comes to televised music performance, cameras pinging around zooming in on individual musicians makes me seasick) but I can see the value for films or theatrical productions.

I weaned myself off watching football years ago though I still check the Celtic result, then the Rangers ... not that it mattered for a while hee hee.

Yeah I get that. I also enjoy some of the classical music performances on Sky Arts (we've got Sky Q installed), as the sound quality can be excellent. I like most forms of classical music, even a bit of opera!

So who was/is your team, then? I'm not buying this 'I still check the Celtic result, then Rangers' malarkey... Coming from Scotland, you either support/have leanings towards one or the other

Marco.

[montesquieu]

Yeah I get that. I also enjoy some of the classical music performances on Sky Arts (we've got Sky Q installed), as the sound quality can be excellent. I like most forms of classical music, even a bit of opera!

So who was/is your team, then? I'm not buying this 'I still check the Celtic result, then Rangers' malarkey... Coming from Scotland, you either support/have leanings towards one or the other

Marco.

I lived in New Zealand for three years back in the 90s, and my 'local' (as in every night, being single at the time) was an Irish pub in central Wellington, in fact I ended up gigging there at one point in a band doing traditional Scottish and Irish tunes.

Anyway I remember a couple of years in, a Scottish guy showing up. Turned out he was from Motherwell which is where I originally hail from. I was well out of practice but we ended up doing the usual West of Scotland 'what school did you go to' / really asking 'what foot do you kick with' dance. When he found out I was on the green side rather than the orange, that was the end of the conversation. In fact he didn't speak to me again for the whole fortnight he was in the country. Bizarre and reminded me of one of the reasons why I left Scotland in the first place. (When I came back I moved south).

I thought you would have worked it out Marco when I indicated a wee giggle about the so, so desperately sad plight of Rangers for several years. (Or at least that was my intention).

[Edward]

<snip>
The real angle is I get fed up with people who say you only need one sub because bass is omnidirectional. <snip>.

Oh, very interesting. I'm currently having an email exchange with a member of this parish about me possibly buying one of his subs. Will I be unsatisfied with just one sub even if optimally placed? Hope not as the cost will be doubled.

[User211]

Totally agree. In a brief period using full range horns I found that only adding a pair of subs (two fairly giant Ruarks) really worked in quite a large (5m x 7m) room - a single sounded lopsided. Then of course I added supertweeters to satisfy a lack at the top end ... ultimately I realised that I was creating a 3-way speaker without any proper design effort (or indeed any maths, which usually turns out to be necessary when creating speaker setup) and gave up. Interesting exercise though.

Yup ditched mine - trying to make it work with a full range planar system was a no go. Lop sided balance, and long throw subs seriously upset my wife with wall penetrating bass. Plus anything below 20Hz isn't really worth hearing unless your into organs etc. There's quite a bit of rubbish below 20Hz on a lot of recordings you just don't want to be hearing.

That said I could have got a better blend if I had set it up in a better manner. The Descent's controls were designed to cut in at too high a frequency for my speakers.

[montesquieu]

Oh, very interesting. I'm currently having an email exchange with a member of this parish about me possibly buying one of his subs. Will I be unsatisfied with just one sub even if optimally placed? Hope not as the cost will be doubled.

Depends what you are trying to do ... a sub in the middle of a couple of small standmounts in a smallish room might well work if expectations aren't too high. Expecting to stick it in a corner of a larger room ('because low bass is omnidirectional') will likely disappoint (it isn't, as Justin said). With a pair you can turn both lower which reduces the risk of distortion, which makes it a better bet I think.

[Edward]

Depends what you are trying to do ... a sub in the middle of a couple of small standmounts in a smallish room might well work if expectations aren't too high. Expecting to stick it in a corner of a larger room ('because low bass is omnidirectional') will likely disappoint (it isn't, as Justin said). With a pair you can turn both lower which reduces the risk of distortion, which makes it a better bet I think.

Thanks Tom. Much appreciated and useful.

Did you see my earlier post to you in this thread?

[montesquieu]

Thanks Tom. Much appreciated and useful.

Did you see my earlier post to you in this thread?

Yes I did. I was in touch with Will today picking the colour of the STA100's finish. Getting very excited now

[User211]

Oh, very interesting. I'm currently having an email exchange with a member of this parish about me possibly buying one of his subs. Will I be unsatisfied with just one sub even if optimally placed? Hope not as the cost will be doubled.

Buy it, try it and see if you can make it work by moving it around. Much will depend on the design of the sub (how it radiates bass directionally - the Descent was almost omni like - so placing it mid room created seriously noticeable standing waves) and if the frequency it cuts in at can be tailored to match your speakers.

[Edward]

Yes I did. I was in touch with Will today picking the colour of the STA100's finish. Getting very excited now

Yes I bet. My dream would be 100w monoblocks made by Will.

Hey I can dream ....