dannad:
" There are two types of people, those who don't think low frequency bass is directional and accept that bass arrays must work, and those that think bass is directional and who put subs near their speakers invariably creating combing effects when there is bass leakage to higher frequencies either directly or through distortion that invariable is worse than any issues with directionality from a bass array."
I just wanted to discuss dannard's comment above in a little more detail.
I'm definitely in the camp that believes fundamental deep bass tones, under about 80 Hz, are not able to be localized without help from the naturally produced bass harmonics or overtones of these fundamental deep bass tones, that often extend well above 80 Hz and are able to be localized, that are reproduced in stereo through the main speakers.
The key ingredient is our brain's amazingly sophisticated sound processing capabilities, developed and refined through the eons of evolution and natural selection to be currently finely honed in the vast majority of extant humans. One of the brain's extraordinary capabilities is the ability to associate the naturally produced bass harmonics or overtones of fundamental deep bass tones, that are above 80 Hz, reproduced in stereo through the main speakers and therefore localizable, with the fundamental deep bass tone itself, that are below 80 Hz, reproduced in mono through the sub(s) and therefore unlocalizable, and creates the perception of localizing the deep fundamental bass tone in space.
This whole cerebral associative process, I believe, explains why , as dannard states:
"
There are two types of people, those who don't think low frequency bass is directional and accept that bass arrays must work, and those that think bass is directional and who put subs near their speakers invariably creating combing effects when there is bass leakage to higher frequencies either directly or through distortion that invariable is worse than any issues with directionality from a bass array."
I think there are two types of people as dannard states but I would describe them a bit differently:
1. Those that realize we all perceive deep bass tones below 80 Hz as not directional and therefore utilize bass arrays to obtain excellent bass performance.
2. Those that believe deep bass tones below 80 Hz are directional, place a sub next to each main speaker to reproduce it and believe this configuration is responsible for their perceiving the deep bass below 80 Hz as stereo. However, they're not realizing that their brain's ability to associate the mono fundamental deep bass tones, below 80 Hz that are actually being reproduced by their L+R subs, with the stereo harmonics or overtones, above 80 Hz that are being reproduced by their main speakers, are the real reason they are perceiving the deep bass below 80 Hz as directional and in stereo.
In my opinion, an understandable misunderstanding by group#2 above. I don't think it's really a big deal, either, since both groups are ultimately perceiving the mono and nondirectional deep bass below 80 Hz as stereo.
Tim
