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2 subs in a small room?

I recently added a REL T/5i sub to my system and have been very happy with the results.  Integration was a breeze and I am now more engaged in my music than ever.  So of course being a typical audiophile, I got to thinking if 1 sub sounds this good will 2 sound even better?  The challenge is my room.  Its very small at 9' w x 10' l x 9' h.  The back wall is about 3' high, above which it opens up to the rest of my house.  I have bass traps in this room.  Right now, using just 1 sub, my freq response from 20-1000hz is +- 2db with a -4db dip at 200hz and a +4db hump at 40hz.  Not perfect but my system still sounds amazing.

I know the general consensus is a second sub will sound better but I am concerned with the size of my room.  Will adding a second sub in such a small space over power it or will it actually help to smooth out nodes?


128x128tboooe
lancelock
1,085 posts
 
I have a 13.5 X 13.5' listening room and decided to bring up my JL  Audio e110 sub from the basement HT system to hear what it sounded like. It helped greatly, so I bought a second sub and have no regrets. I do have DIY bass traps in all 4 corners now and the crossovers on the subs turned down, just filling in the bottom octave. The biggest impact in my system so far.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe OP
1,009 posts
 
lancelock, may i ask where you placed the second sub relative to the first?  I understand the second one should not be placed in the same mirrored location.  
perfectpathtech
236 posts
 
I recently went from a single to stereo pair of subs, wanted to move more air, what I was not prepared for was the startling effect on midrange to high frequencies! More detail, wider stage, no joke it was jaw dropping. The explanation I found was there is a phase shift from summing 2 channels into one sub, or mono, masking information, had I known this years ago would have done a pair right from the start I second meerzistar's advice!   

tboooe's avatar
tboooe OP
1,009 posts
 
perfectpathtech, may I ask where you placed the second sub relative to the first? I  know each room is different but I am just trying to get a feel for sub placement.
lancelock
1,085 posts
 
My subs are basically mirrored, to the outside of each speaker and behind almost touching the bass traps. The side walls slant upward to 10.5' high and lots of diffusion and absorption on all 4 sides. The sound is very good. I might experiment a little though after reading this thread.
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