Marc Lavallée wrote:
Hi Stefan.
With two subs, I would place them at front-left and front-right,
and I would decode to frontal stereo.
For horizontal-only, Ambisonics requires at least 3 speakers.
In both cases, there could be some directional cues, but only for
frequencies a bit higher than the Schroeder frequency, so it depends on
the room and its interactions with the subs.
If so, 1 sub will suffice in a small room...
BUT:
http://www.soundandvision.com/content/schroeder-frequency-show-and-tell-part-1
In a typical residential listening environment, the Schroeder
frequency falls between 100 and 200 Hz. You can calculate it by
dividing your room’s reverberation time in seconds by the volume of
your room in cubic meters, then multiplying the square root of that
sum by 2000.
If you read part 1, and you're thinking ahead, you've probably figured
out that the existence of the Schroeder frequency has a huge
implication for home sound systems. Because bass frequencies react in
a room in a completely different way than midrange and treble
frequencies do, the place where a speaker delivers the best midrange
and treble response in a room is probably not the place where it
delivers the smoothest bass response.
The human ear can localize sounds (i.e., hear where they're coming
from) at frequencies above about 80 Hz. Thus, if you route everything
below 200 Hz to the subwoofer, you'll have localization problems with
your sub. For example, as Ted Nugent works his way from the high notes
on his guitar down to the low notes, approaching the guitar's 82 Hz
low E, the sound will seem to move from the midrange/treble speaker to
the subwoofer.
You won't have any of these problems with 3-4 subs, then.
Secondly, your main speakers should go down to at least 80 Hz, in a home
system. (Supposed limit for directional hearing .)
Now:
It's also worth noting that using two or preferably four subwoofers,
placed along the walls or in the corners and properly EQed, has been
shown to deliver more consistent performance across a wide range of
listening positions than a set of full-range speakers can.
http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=13680
However, through the use of multiple subwoofers the seat-to-seat
variation in the frequency response can be reduced significantly,
allowing subsequent equalization to be more effective.
Hmmm... The same argument (consistent performance across a wide range of
listening positions) can be applied to a large area PA (Ambisonics)
system, I guess.
Best,
Stefan
What I wrote is based on some reading, some personal experience, and
lots of guessing. Domestic bass reproduction is a difficult topic, and I
prefer simple solutions (even if not optimal). What's important is to
enjoy the result.
--
Marc
On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 23:24:10 +0100, Stefan Schreiber wrote:
Exactly. Because we seem to be able to hear some LF directivity
(otherwise one sub would be enough), you probably will need some
fullrange speakers for a good home Ambisonics setup. Or would it be
preferable and/or cheaper to use two subs, one in front and one in
the back? Could work, but won't be supported by any Ambisonics
decoder/sound processor...
Feedback welcome...
Stefan
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