Duke,
I recently added two small subs (Velodyne SPLR 8") and extensive experimentation with room placement allowed me to reduce 15db peaks to 11db - 12db peaks (AFTER utilizing the onboard auto eq function on the SPLR subs). An outboard PEQ (Velodyne SMS-1) allowed fine tuning and I managed app +/- 3db from 25hz to 200hz. Inserting the SMS-1 between my Verity Parsifal monitors and actively crossing to and biamping the Encore woofers took me to +/- 3 or 4db between 38ish hz and 200hz from a very bad starting place. The crossover point and slopes I'm using are limited by the high pass in the SMS-1 and I suspect that a more flexible outboard cross would allow further improvements. (The trade off here was giving up about a half octave of pretty raggedy response in the deepest bass before EQ.)
I know that the approach is conceptually unappealling to many purists (I was somewhere on the upper portion of that list until recently), but the results are hard to argue with. This is audible improvement unlike any change to my system that I can recall over the last decade. I would never have tried but for a crappy new room. Now, I doubt I'll go back to unequalized bass.
BTW, the SMS is fairly cheap (app $600 at Audioadvisor.com) and -if you haven't already -you might want to play with one to see how it affects your opinion of EQ'd bass. Given your extensive experience designing speakers, I'd love to hear your reaction.
Just my experience.
Marty
I recently added two small subs (Velodyne SPLR 8") and extensive experimentation with room placement allowed me to reduce 15db peaks to 11db - 12db peaks (AFTER utilizing the onboard auto eq function on the SPLR subs). An outboard PEQ (Velodyne SMS-1) allowed fine tuning and I managed app +/- 3db from 25hz to 200hz. Inserting the SMS-1 between my Verity Parsifal monitors and actively crossing to and biamping the Encore woofers took me to +/- 3 or 4db between 38ish hz and 200hz from a very bad starting place. The crossover point and slopes I'm using are limited by the high pass in the SMS-1 and I suspect that a more flexible outboard cross would allow further improvements. (The trade off here was giving up about a half octave of pretty raggedy response in the deepest bass before EQ.)
I know that the approach is conceptually unappealling to many purists (I was somewhere on the upper portion of that list until recently), but the results are hard to argue with. This is audible improvement unlike any change to my system that I can recall over the last decade. I would never have tried but for a crappy new room. Now, I doubt I'll go back to unequalized bass.
BTW, the SMS is fairly cheap (app $600 at Audioadvisor.com) and -if you haven't already -you might want to play with one to see how it affects your opinion of EQ'd bass. Given your extensive experience designing speakers, I'd love to hear your reaction.
Just my experience.
Marty