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How many subwoofers [message #83622] Sat, 01 October 2016 08:04 Go to next message
Lizah is currently offline  Lizah
Messages: 141
Registered: December 2015
Master
How many subwoofers are too many in a room? I have a friend that has different subwoofers in a room and it sounds too much like they are producing a one note tone and it's difficult to hear. He said that GIK recommended that he starts with four. Is that what the problem is?
Re: How many subwoofers [message #83623 is a reply to message #83622] Sat, 01 October 2016 09:46 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 19046
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

More is better. Place them around the room to smooth room modes.

Going from one to two makes a huge difference. If you have two, I suggest making them flanking subs. Two to three makes a big difference in smoothness too, especially in the deepest bass, because two can be run as flanking subs and one other can be run as a distant distributed multisub. If you can use four, then place two flanking the left and right mains, and run two more distant. When using four subs, placement of the distant subs is less important than if there's just one distributed sub. Where there are just three subs, the third one really benefits from measurements to place it whereas four subs, placement almost doesn't matter. More subs than four make the sound field smoother, but you're getting to the point of diminishing returns past four.

Re: How many subwoofers [message #99491 is a reply to message #83622] Mon, 08 June 2026 03:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bercle is currently offline  Bercle
Messages: 34
Registered: December 2025
Baron
I don't think having 4 subwoofers is a lot to cause that issue where the sound is not clear. I think the issue might come from using different brands of subwoofers instead of picking one and getting everything from there. This is why I always go with JL Audio subwoofers, and they have always delivered tight, musical bass without making one feel uncomfortable.

Another thing that might be the issue is the way the setup is done. You can ask your friend to reposition the subs or better still get identical subs, which I would say is the best move.
Re: How many subwoofers [message #99492 is a reply to message #83622] Mon, 08 June 2026 18:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
jtwrace is currently offline  jtwrace
Messages: 70
Registered: October 2009
Location: FL
Viscount
Four properly placed and setup subs with mains is hard to even describe.  It's truly THAT good!
Re: How many subwoofers [message #99493 is a reply to message #99492] Mon, 08 June 2026 21:10 Go to previous message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 19046
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

I couldn't agree more, Jason.  You're absolutely right.
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