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electricsmooth
03-31-2012, 01:32 PM
I know this topic has been covered repeatedly but I just have a few fine tuning questions.

I used to separate my subs until I read that coupling them made for better bass. So I started doing that. I was just reading some of Fitzmaurice's stuff here http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=398, and leart that wall placement further improves the sound and corner placement makes it optimal. This all sounds well and good but the diagrams seem a bit confusing on the website link. Let me get this right here, for wall loading, I place my subs about a foot away from the wall, speaker end facing the wall, with both speakers angling away from each other rather than completely side by side, right? Also, this may sound dumb but If I wall load about 15 feet away from the dance floor, will this cancel out any benefits of wall loading (in other words, is closer to the floor preferred)?

For corner loading, the diagrams are really confusing me. It looks like the subs are placed at 90 degrees angles to one another with the speaker ends facing the corner with a piece of wood or something shoved in there.

To make it easier, can't I just put the speakers side by side and point them at the corner or the wall?

Bill Fitzmaurice
03-31-2012, 03:37 PM
It looks like the subs are placed at 90 degrees angles to one another with the speaker ends facing the corner with a piece of wood or something shoved in there. That's because they're horns.


To make it easier, can't I just put the speakers side by side and point them at the corner or the wall?Yes, because direct radiators get no benefit from V coupling.

electricsmooth
03-31-2012, 07:20 PM
Thanks. Wow, from the man himself. What an honor.

What about having the subs about 15 feet away from the dance floor? Would this be ok?

Bill Fitzmaurice
03-31-2012, 09:32 PM
What about having the subs about 15 feet away from the dance floor? Would this be ok?The distance to the dance floor doesn't matter, it's the distances from both the subs and walls and the dance floor and walls that matters. You want the subs as close as possible to walls, the dance floor as far as possible from them.

Phil Lewandowski
04-01-2012, 08:01 AM
The distance to the dance floor doesn't matter

I just wanted to clarify, for electricsmooth, that the distance to the dance floor can make a difference, especially when it comes to the inverse square law. (Obviously depends also on the size of the room, as reflections and such on a room can mitigate the effect.)

So if you want as much low end on the dance floor as possible, most probably a good idea to at least start with the subs as close to the dance floor as possible. Now if there is a wall directly behind the subs that are ~3-8ft then you will get a varying degree of cancellation when you are standing the direct line of wall, sub, and you.

So ultimately, its not that simple. Best thing is to try different placement, and in smaller rooms many of the "rules" can go out the window and you can get better coverage and such by doing things that you might not do when outside in an open space because of all the reflections and such.


~Phil

Phil Lewandowski
04-01-2012, 08:25 AM
Hey electricsmooth,

My strategy for subwoofer placement in one-off type gigs where it's a run and gun type setup is: Cluster subs, this can either be done by left or right main top box, or even in the center, or across the front of the stage or the like. This can help to even out the low end coverage, now there are some rooms that can benefit from split subs based on reflections and such, but in a run and gun situation you don't have the time to experiment.

Now many times I do like to try and get the sub stack as close as I can to at least one of the speakers stacks, i.e. stacking tops on top of subs, as this helps the crossover region, where placing the subs further away from the top box introduces a physical time delay that can cause weird stuff to happen in the crossover region. But again it will never be perfect, as you still have the other top box with a physical time difference. (This technique is especially helpful if you have time aligned, or had someone else time align your system for you out in the open and want to reproduce it as close to possible in gig situation, so this may apply more or less to some people.)


~Phil

electricsmooth
04-01-2012, 06:52 PM
Got it. I guess the best thing to do is try to arrive at the venue early and if possible, experiment with sub placement.

Thanks!