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Separate subs for bass management & LFE in a surround set up

I'm building a listening room & going as wild as I can. 12' high x 20' w x 28' deep and I want to do 4 subs in the 1/4 from the corners config. I am thinking about having the two front subs play the bass-managed signal from the LRC & surrounds and the back two subs play the LFE. I can also direct the left side signals (L, LS, LRS) to the left front sub and the right side signals to the right front sub and send the center to both. I have a Trinnov Altitude 16 so I can send whatever signal i want in any config to any speaker. Both rears would get the same LFE obviously. 

The thought is for music recorded purposely for surround to keep the low end info on the same side it came from. Especially for live acoustic stuff where they recreate the room. I realize you can't directly localize a sub with your ears, but it seems since I can send the signals that way I might as well and there will be some advantage. Or am I just overthinking this?
jimhansondc
erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
I think you are over thinking it.


Much more important will be the room tuning, and bass traps.


After that, precise integration with your other speakers.


Do that well and you will not be able to tell whether you are using subs or not, nor where they are.


Best,

E
m-db's avatar
m-db
313 posts
 
Everything Eric said.


jimhansondc OP
2 posts
 
I guess I should elaborate

The room is a custom design (golden ratio)
Floated floor, bass traps
Tons of absorption & diffusion on the walls & ceiling

All Martin Logan speakers & subs so well integrated
And the Trinnov preamp/processor to tune all the channels to match room response for amplitude, phase & delay

But since I've gone that far, I'm just trying to take any last possibilities into play. Companies that record for surround like 2L & Sono Luminus and definitely Steven Wilson purposely put a full range of sound into each speaker on the left side & right side of the array.

My question is more, will I lose some of the utility of the 1/4 placement for wave cancellation if both left and right front subs aren't playing the exact same signal i.e. left sub has left side low pass info and right sub has right side. If they both have the summed to mono total of all speakers then they will be playing the exact same signal, hence the bonus of cancelling axial modes. If they don't then I may lose that help in taming the room for a potential bonus of a moderately perceptible (if at all) ability to recreate the effect of using all full range speakers and the same imaging as the recording engineer's mix or better, the ambience of the room where a live recording was made.


erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
My question is more, will I lose some of the utility of the 1/4 placement for wave cancellation if both left and right front subs aren’t playing the exact same signal

Yes.

Is it worth $5? Probably not.

What I mean is from an absolute testing / measurement perspective would you be able to measure a difference? Yes.
Would you hear it with real music? No.

E
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