Maybe you've read about dual subwoofers on the A/V forums and wondered what all the fuss is about. At HEIMKINOWELTEN:DE we are big fans of using multiple subwoofers whenever possible and they can be a great upgrade to any home theater or music system. Below are some of the benefits of using two subwoofers in your system.

Even with careful placement, a single subwoofer will not have optimal frequency response at all listening positions in the room. At any given location in the room, a subwoofer will have a unique “modal pattern” (standing waves with peaks/zero points) and an associated frequency response at the listening position. Listeners will often find that bass quality degrades significantly moving even a few feet from the sweet spot. In some places the bass will boom excessively, in other places it will be "sucked out", ie the bass is much weaker. This is especially problematic if you have a large seating area.

With correctly placed double subwoofers, the respective modal patterns overlap, which significantly increases the sound wave density in the room. The result is a more even frequency response at multiple listening positions in the room, with less potential for obvious peaks/troughs in the frequency response. Everyone gets the same room-filling, immersive listening experience, no matter where they are. This also facilitates the automatic adjustment of programs such as Audyssey MultEQ for equalization of the subwoofer channel.

Effortless bass with more headroom

Two subwoofers significantly increase the system's available headroom, offering greater dynamic range, lower output compression, less distortion and less potential for clipping artifacts. In short, with two subwoofers you get cleaner, more accurate bass at extreme volumes. If you like listening at reference levels and want a lot of power and punch in action and sci-fi movies or bass-heavy music, dual subwoofers are a great option, allowing for effortless low-frequency response on demanding passages.

Stereo bass for dedicated 2-channel systems

Demanding audiophiles and 2-channel purists know how important a directional bass is for the imaging and stability of the sound image. Using two subwoofers in a dedicated 2-channel system preserves the stereo bass and prevents the soundstage from collapsing, especially when using small bookshelf monitors with limited bass response. The result is a more realistic and compelling sound experience, where you can precisely locate the sounds in space and have the feeling of standing with the artist on stage or in the studio.

harder to locate

Even with a relatively low crossover frequency between speaker and subwoofer and the associated masking effects of the surround speakers, it is often possible to locate a single subwoofer in the room, especially when it is not on the front stage. When placed correctly, a subwoofer should sound like it's coming from each individual speaker rather than from a specific location. By comparison, two subwoofers are almost impossible to locate. Once you've experienced the impressive bass response that seems to come from anywhere in the room, you'll never want to go back to a single subwoofer configuration.

Two small subwoofers can be used where a large subwoofer cannot

Many enthusiasts have placed their music and home theater systems in mixed-use living spaces where subwoofer performance must be balanced with decor and aesthetics. In such situations, a single larger subwoofer, particularly in vented enclosures, may visually detract too much from the room or may not even fit in the intended space. Conversely, two smaller subwoofers can provide similar performance with less visual impact and fit in more areas of the room. When space is an issue, closed-box subwoofers are usually the better choice when it comes to discretion.

Recommended locations for two subwoofers

Summary: Benefits of using two or more subwoofers in a home audio system

• Smoother frequency response across multiple listening positions
• Higher overall dynamic range/height reserve
• Improved stereo bass reproduction in 2-channel systems
• More difficult to locate and accurately position the subwoofer due to placement
• Two smaller subwoofers often fit better in a room than one large subwoofer