Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

[ckmoore]

Well, as much as I love this subs performance, and thought its size would be acceptable... after 2 years sub bliss, I have found out my wife really hates it (visually). She has been more than accommodating, so I now need to downsize.

RSS390 sealed.


It is powered by the HPSA 500 amp.

So, now the decisions begin. Can I realistically expect 2 10's to get anywhere close, or will I need 2 12's?

And can the HPSA power 2 10's or 12's?

then comes the question of what to do with the old sub. Part it out, although I'm not sure what I could do with that big sub/box if its going to be shunned whereever I put it. Maybe someone here would be interested....questions questions...

RSS390 build thread here...

[Mark65]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

I'm betting that two sealed tens, one in each corner, will not only keep up, but possibly surpass that big fella, especially given the non optimum location that it is in ATM. Certainly the imaging will be better for two channel, and corner loading will help get that extension back.


Mark

[Sydney]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

I have found out my wife really hates it (visually). She has been more than accommodating, so I now need to downsize...

Subs don't have to be seen to be heard - Hide it, disguise it, decorate it or relocate it.
If you have to do it w multiples make the total Vd remain the same.

[johnnyrichards]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

A pair of the 8 ohm 12" Reference subs would be pretty nice

[eyekode]

A pair of 10" subs don't have as much SD as one 15". So you would need more excursion to meet the same SPL.

But you would gain flexibility in positioning. And the flexibility may aide in smoothing your frequency response.

I have one 12" ported sub and it plays plenty loud and plenty low for my HT needs. It all depends on how much SPL you want. What is your target?
Salem

[XtremeRevolution]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

A pair of 10" subs don't have as much SD as one 15". So you would need more excursion to meet the same SPL.

But you would gain flexibility in positioning. And the flexibility may aide in smoothing your frequency response.

I have one 12" ported sub and it plays plenty loud and plenty low for my HT needs. It all depends on how much SPL you want. What is your target?
Salem

Depends on which sub, of course. The RS390 has 830 square CM of cone area and 14mm xmax. Two 10" subs like these would have 800 square CM of cone area, and 18mm xmax, also with a low moving mass (~140g).

http://www.woofersetc.com/p-5807-idq...subwoofer.aspx

It is designed for car audio, but I've been having excellent results using two IDQ10s from the V2 line in my home theater.

With 18mm xmax and 32.7mm of mechanical excursion, these might be tough to beat despite the reduced cone area:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=293-656

Mark said exactly what I would have; the corner loading of two drivers will provide higher output, and the imaging will be better as well. Two subs will also help eliminate dead zones much more effectively.

[eyekode]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

I agree the TC sounds are nice! No argument there. But from my math they have ~330cm^2 each vs ~830cm^2. So the RSS has ~170cm^2 more area (20%) so the extra Xmax would be needed.

The TC 10" also has significantly higher Fs. I haven't modeled them but I would expect a correspondingly higher f3 in box.

I think it really comes down to what the goals for the system are. Would 2 TC 10" drivers with plenty of amp be sufficient for most? Yes!!! They would be for me. The design goal for my sub was 100db @20Hz in room and silent (as I should not be able to hear 20hz and I didn't want to hear port noise). I reached this SPL pretty easily with my 12" ported driver. It is plenty for me. In fact when testing the sub I actually felt a little nauseous. And at this level the blinds and nearby doors rattle so it really doesn't matter what 20hz "sounds like" in my room .
Salem

[jinjuku]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

What size are you trying to stick to? A couple of dual opposed 10" in 16.5 X 16.5 X 16.5 box work? So four drivers in two boxes.

[lucasa.miller]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

Is it still unfinished?

[ckmoore]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

Is it still unfinished?

Yes it is. Exactly is it appears in the photo.

As for size of its replacement(s), I think a box with 2 10's is not a size improvement.
Plus, I know the TCSounds drivers are very capable, but just a bit out of price range.

[Pete Schumacher]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

It's obvious to me your only problem is one of asymmetry. You need a second identical sub, on the other side, to balance the look.

You know she wants it. You know she does. :p


Putting a nice finish on it wouldn't hurt any either.

[Pete Basel]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

I designed something very similar to this a few years ago, and suggest one, then add another if it is not enough:
http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...58#post1846158

I'd go gloss black or do you prefer something lighter?

[JRT]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

It's obvious to me your only problem is one of asymmetry. You need a second identical sub, on the other side, to balance the look.

You know she wants it. You know she does. :p


Putting a nice finish on it wouldn't hurt any either.

Yes, he should add a second RSS390. Except I'd suggest building something that looks on the outside like a conventional piece of furniture (blanket chest, credenza, etc.) with double the enclosed volume of the current subwoofer, and mount one RSS390 on each side, well hidden from view behind a grill or grill cloth that integrates well with the faux furniture look, certainly with no large exposed circular cutouts. Place the center channel loudspeaker on top of the new cabinet. Get rid of the A/V equipment rack. Place the equipment in a tall narrow cabinet that looks like conventional furniture, not A/V furniture, and place that off to the side, or maybe in a corner, locating everything so you can stand like a human and don't need to crawl on the floor to access it, and interconnect to the wall mounted TV with one HDMI cable from the receiver. And make sure that everything sharing low voltage interconnection shares the same ground potential. Start with the new cabinet for the A/V equipment, then build the new larger subwoofer cabinet.

(I typed this mess on a cellphone, and probably fat fingered some of the text.)


.

[cradeldorf]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

Personally I'd replace the wife. : D

[[email protected]]

Re: Chose one big sub vs two smaller.... I chose.... poorly.

Yes, he should add a second RSS390. Except I'd suggest building something that looks on the outside like a conventional piece of furniture (blanket chest, credenza, etc.) with double the enclosed volume of the current subwoofer, and mount one RSS390 on each side, well hidden from view behind a grill or grill cloth that integrates well with the faux furniture look, certainly with no large exposed circular cutouts. Place the center channel loudspeaker on top of the new cabinet. Get rid of the A/V equipment rack. Place the equipment in a tall narrow cabinet that looks like conventional furniture, not A/V furniture, and place that off to the side, or maybe in a corner, locating everything so you can stand like a human and don't need to crawl on the floor to access it, and interconnect to the wall mounted TV with one HDMI cable from the receiver. And make sure that everything sharing low voltage interconnection shares the same ground potential. Start with the new cabinet for the A/V equipment, then build the new larger subwoofer cabinet.

(I typed this mess on a cellphone, and probably fat fingered some of the text.)


.

thats a great idea.