Wayne Parham Messages: 18835 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
The problem in small rooms isn't sound pressure level, because that's easy enough to fix simply by turning the volume down.
The problem is room modes; Regions that have no bass at some frequencies adjacent to regions with too much bass at some frequencies.
A number of subwoofers placed around the room will provide more uniform sound than a single subwoofer. Each sub is driven at very low power levels - an amount appropriate for balanced sound.
Three or four subs run this way will create much smoother bass throughout the room than a single sub will, even if the one sub generates as much acoustic power. The single sub will sound boomy in some locations and thin in others.