User feedback on subs

I will look for the Copeland you speak of. Reference Recordings always excellent. Might I suggest 2L also… the Nordic Sound.

yes model of your actual room is something that might strain a Cray… the advantage of a split analog system running your mains and a preamp line out to a DSP with microphone at listening position is reality governs vs a model.

there is an all analog option but I think it is outside your budget at about $10K with 2x Vandersteen Sub3 and a required high pass filter - which will improve your midrange. 

Checking with your preamp manufacturer is prudent, using both an SE and XLR out as same time… may or may not present a problem.

I agree with 2 subs whichever brand you decide on.  I’ve had an excellent experience with SVS.  They have great customer service where you can call and talk to a real person and describe what you’re looking for. You can then buy and try for 45 days and return for free in the US if you want to try something else or are not satisfied. 

2 subs! Also think DSP should be a priority. With that suggested placement, you might want to also get subs with remote inputs. 

No one has ever said REL subs are bad, but they do not have DSP

Honestly, with the budget you are suggesting would not go down the SVS route, as the other options are a bit better for music.

Don't have any experience with the other subs. My system just got upgraded with 2 ML Abyss 10 subs, they are magnificent!!! Have easy to use/setup DSP, come out of the box with remote input, have a easy to use app. They provide a ton of good detailed bass. Think you going up the latter will be even better. 

If you focus on the parallel wall-wall (widthwise, lengthwise, heightwise) distance at your specific listening spot, the harman tool still applies.

I had some stuff scripted up on Ansys years ago for irregular room shapes (but, such a thing requires a ansys license and a fairly steep learning curve to get into the software, change it for your specific room geometry, etc... NOT trivial). Some of the more intensive modeling tools could be useful for higher end hometheater guys who are trying to optimize for multiple spots in irregular rooms...not required for stereo or multichannel listening focused on a single listening spot.

There is this pro integrator guy 'hometheater guru' who gives you some scoop on the general procedure (no technical details, but, it should get you in the ballpark). He's talking about a multichannel setup and multiple seats, but, repurpose the information in your thought process for just a single seat. It would save you from a lot of misinformation propagated on forums.

Watch the video a couple of times, slow it down, etc, if you need to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQERnifPLaI

(Otherwise, It's hard to describe these things on threads, typing on a phone.)

Also, bear in mind, he has a prepro and dsp for phase adjustments of his subwoofers. In a purist setup such as yours, you need that variable phase knob in the back of your subwoofer, a 0/180 phase flip switch won't cut it usually).

If you want to get into the technical nitty gritty, harman has some papers on how these active room-treatment devices (subwoofers) couple into a room based on where you place them, nullify modes, etc. Yamaha has stuff on it too somewhere...

@mgrif104  wrote

Thanks @deep_333 

I suspect the model might not reflect the actual behavior of the room given the 12/12 pitch of the ceiling which descends to a 30” knee wall, and which on one side has a 16’ shed dormer with a 4/12 pitch adding further volume.

I had looked into some modeling software to try to better understand the room but quickly gave up when I noted that the ones I looked at did not seem to be able to account for non-rectangular room geometry. Same with the room treatment companies.

I’m also limited in how far out I can pull my speakers because I’m limited in how far back I can put my listening chair - which is currently up against a railing that fences off the stairwell. That said, with subs, I should be able to try other configurations which might permit better integration. The speakers are currently positioned for the best balance of coherence and frequency response I’ve found without subs. I’ll get to do it all over again when I have the subs though I suspect my current configuration might still be least bad.