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Why dual subwoofers?
You may have read about dual subwoofers on the forums and wonder what all the fuss is about. We are big fans of using multiple subwoofers whenever possible, and they can be a great upgrade for any home theater or music system. Here are some of the benefits of having dual subwoofers in your system.
Optimal sound quality at more listening positions
Even with careful placement, a single subwoofer will not have optimal frequency response at all listening positions in the room. At each location in the room, a subwoofer has a unique “modal pattern” (standing waves with peaks/zeros) and corresponding frequency response at the listening position. Listeners will often find that moving even a few feet from the “sweet spot” results in significantly worse bass sound quality. In some places the sound will be overly thumping, in others there will be a “suck-out” where the bass has noticeably less impact. This is especially a problem when you have a large seating area.
With properly placed dual subwoofers, the respective modal patterns will overlap, greatly increasing the density of sound waves in the room. The result is a smoother frequency response at more listening positions in the room, with less chance of distinct peaks/zeros in the frequency response. Everyone gets the same stimulating, heart-pounding listening experience wherever they sit. This also makes it easier for auto-set-up programs such as Audyssey MultEQ to equalize the subwoofer channel.
Effortless bass with greater headroom: headroom.
A popular expression from the SVS Sound Experts team is “headroom has a quality all its own.” Dual subwoofers significantly increase the system’s available headroom, with greater dynamic range, less compression, less distortion and less chance of overdrive artifacts. In short, with dual subwoofers you get cleaner, more accurate bass at extreme sound levels. If you enjoy listening at reference levels and crave lots of noise, impact and pressure from action and sci-fi movies or music with lots of bass, then dual subwoofers are an excellent option, and will effortlessly produce bass on demanding passages.
Stereobass for dedicated 2-channel systems
The discerning audiophile and 2-channel purist knows that directional bass is important for stereo imaging and maintaining a solid soundstage. The use of dual subwoofers in a dedicated 2-channel system preserves stereo bass cues and prevents the soundstage from collapsing, especially when small bookshelf monitors with limited bass extension are used. This provides a more realistic and compelling audio experience where you can locate sounds in space and feel like you are on stage or in the studio with an artist.
More difficult to locate
Even with a fairly deep speaker/subwoofer crossover frequency and the associated masking effects of surround speakers, it is often possible to locate a single subwoofer in the room, especially if it is not at the front. When a subwoofer is set up properly, the bass sound should sound as if it is coming from each individual speaker and not from a specific location. By comparison, dual subwoofers are almost impossible to locate. Once listeners experience this immersive bass that seems to come from anywhere in the room, they never want to go back to a single subwoofer setup.
Two small subwoofers fit where 1 large subwoofer does not
Many enthusiasts have their music and home theater systems in mixed living spaces, where the subwoofer’s performance must be balanced with decor and aesthetics. In this type of situation, a single larger subwoofer, especially those with ported cabinets, may have too great a visual impact in the room or may not even fit into the allotted spaces. Conversely, two smaller subwoofers can provide similar performance, have less visual impact and also fit in more places in the room. If space is a concern, enclosed subwoofers are generally a better option for discretion.
Recommended placement options for dual subwoofers
Based on our own extensive testing and research by the professional audio community, we recommend the following placement options for dual subwoofers:
Opposite diagonal angles front/rear
In the middle of the side walls
Front corners
Front with the center channel to the inside of the main speakers
Although the first two options have proven their worth and usually produce excellent results, they are often difficult to implement in a living/family room. All rooms are different, so we recommend staying flexible and trying all possible placement options for best results. – Ed Mullen
Placement options for multiple subwoofers
SVS makes a range of active subwoofers for every room, every audio system and every budget. In addition to the performance benefits, you also get a discount on the SVS 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 16-Ultra and 17-Ultra R|Evolution Series subwoofers, giving you the best possible performance at the best possible price.
Summary: Benefits of using dual or multiple subwoofers in a home audio system
– Smoother frequency response at more listening positions
– Greater overall dynamic output/headroom
– Improves bass stereo imaging in 2-channel systems
– More difficult to locate and pinpoint specific location of subwoofer based on placement
– Two smaller subwoofers often fit better in a room than one large one
Click here for all dual subwoofer sets.
