Smoother bass by running woofer out of phase?

One other comment relative to in-room bass smoothness: Note that fullrange dipoles have smoother in-room bass than monopoles (James M. Kates, "Dipole Loudspeaker Response in Listening Rooms", JAES May 2002). A single dipole may be thought of as two monopoles out of phase with each other. I think there's some merit to the idea of playing around with driver phase in the deep bass region.

The practical issue that I am face with is the fact that when the woofers are out of phase the bass response in my room is very smooth, no bloat. There seems to be greater detail in the upper frequencies. The center fill is very stable and the sound stage seems more open. All in all I like what it does, the question is, if I invest in a Prac, will I end up at the same place i.e. smooth base. Maybe I can demo one to know for sure.

So you've achieved a pleasing speaker coloration. There's a real chance that "correct" bass will not sound as pleasing. If this were the midrange or the highs, I would say that you might become more aware of the coloration as you play more material and you would ultimately become tired of it. This might not be the psychoacoustic conclusion for bass, however. It's an intellectual choice, pleasing coloration or accuracy.

Before you get into equalization, try some thick, dense bass panels or those round bass traps in the front corners, behind the speakers. Not directly behind. Even the makers of those eq's suggest something like that first.

What you're describing sounds like a megaphone effect out of those corners.

Look, my humor aside...think about it..a 13 by 30 room?? The speakers themselves need at leats 10 t0 12 feet between them. Use the long wall and sit against the opposite side wall..your problems will go away!! Call Terry at Mapleshade for advice or check out the free tweaks section on the web site. Almost all reputable speaker manufacturers will tell you the same thing as I have...long wall, head against opposite wall, treat front and back walls, sit low and spread speakers apart with minimal toe in. You just might find yourself immersed in a complex musical soundscape...of course you may want to listen to someone with less experience. By the way, put the sub on proper spoked or coned feet, face it left or right (not in a corner or down firing) and put it in the plane of the midrange drivers. Use the best cable or IC connection you can and put a good power cord on it of possible. Enjoy!!