Home » Sponsored » Pi Speakers » Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn?
Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn? [message #78556] Fri, 06 December 2013 08:36 Go to next message
justphil is currently offline  justphil
Messages: 114
Registered: December 2010
Viscount
I currently use a BFM table tuba sub. I love this sub but hate the form factor. It's huge. I was thinking of maybe going to two 3pi subs to replace it and just wondered how they would stack up against a single horn sub. Also how much power would I need to get them to work well? I love my 2pi and 1pi speakers but my bass is very localized as the sub sits right next to the seating area. I dont have room to flank the 2pis though and would have to have them on either side of the seating area. Also what would be a good amp to pair with the pair of 3pi subs? Can I get plans to =)
Re: Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn? [message #78558 is a reply to message #78556] Fri, 06 December 2013 10:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently online  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18787
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

You've got mail!

Hornsubs are about 10dB louder than most direct radiating subs, sometimes even more. So it takes more power to get the same SPL, and even then, you really need more of them to prevent overtaxing them.

On the other hand, hornsubs have to be huge to be anything close to smooth, and generally, they don't have the extension of a direct radiating sub. It's all about size. So for home hifi, I actually prefer direct radiating subs. They're smoother and smaller, making multisub arrangements more practical.

Especially since flanking subs and distributed multisubs are so important for quality, I'd prefer four direct radiating subs to a single hornsub. The quality of multisubs is vastly better than a single hornsub - The hornsub is not the smoothest to begin with, then add to that it is a single sound source so room modes are worst case. Compare that to a multisub arrangement of direct radiating subs, which are smoother all by themselves, and then you get modal smoothing by virtue of the setup.

Honestly, there's no comparison. The multiple direct radiating sub is hand down better than a single hornsub for home hifi and home theater.

Re: Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn? [message #78571 is a reply to message #78558] Sat, 07 December 2013 01:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
justphil is currently offline  justphil
Messages: 114
Registered: December 2010
Viscount
Didn't see anything in my email =( Anyways about how many watts would be needed for 2 subs and is there a good single source that is easy on the wallet to power them.
Re: Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn? [message #78574 is a reply to message #78571] Sat, 07 December 2013 08:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently online  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18787
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Send me an email then. Your address in this system may be old. I'd power with amps capable of 250 to 400 watts into a 4Ω load.

Re: Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn? [message #78695 is a reply to message #78571] Wed, 18 December 2013 13:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
NWCgrad is currently offline  NWCgrad
Messages: 143
Registered: March 2010
Location: Frederick, United States ...
Master
For cheap plentiful power you may want to look at a Crown XLS amp. They have a built in HPF at 20 Hz which is about perfect for these subs. The built-in crossover would also be handy. Cost is less than $300. Just a thought.

VIRIBUS MARI VICTORIA
Re: Two 3 pi subs to replace my horn? [message #78700 is a reply to message #78695] Thu, 19 December 2013 07:20 Go to previous message
justphil is currently offline  justphil
Messages: 114
Registered: December 2010
Viscount
Thank you Wayne =)
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