Subwoofers aid rather than harm good sound reproduction

Evidence

The notion of “fast” subwoofers is misguided, in that the time-domain performance of minimum-phase systems is predictable from the amplitude response. With an 80 Hz bass management crossover frequency, all subwoofers are equally “fast.” So, what we confront in the real world is essentially “fast” subwoofers communicating through “slow” rooms. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1017 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Subwoofers exploit poor low-frequency directional hearing to shrink speakers; All subwoofers sound equally fast because rooms, not drivers, dominate bass time response — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1017

Related

• All subwoofers sound equally fast because rooms, not drivers, dominate bass time response (similarity 0.91)
• Subwoofer time-domain speed is set by amplitude response, not driver design (similarity 0.87)
• All subwoofers are equally fast at 80 Hz and rooms slow them down (similarity 0.87)
• Multiple independently-processed subwoofers tame room resonances for wider listening areas. (similarity 0.85)
• Multiple subwoofers allow cheaper units at positions needing reduced drive (similarity 0.83)
• Bass management lets small loudspeakers deliver full-range sound (similarity 0.81)
• Subwoofer placement severely impacts the electrical power needed for equal low-bass output. (similarity 0.81)
• Woofer excursion limits constrain dynamic range more than tweeter capabilities do (similarity 0.80)
• Additional distributed subwoofers with optimization outperform EQ while using less power. (similarity 0.80)
• Subwoofers must be equalized together, not individually, to sound right (similarity 0.80)
• Adding extra subwoofers rarely improves bass without controlled placement (similarity 0.80)
• Optimized multi-sub systems can use much smaller subs at some locations (similarity 0.79)
• Multiple subwoofers can replace bass traps and even improve efficiency (similarity 0.79)
• Multiple identical subwoofers reduce seat-to-seat bass variation (similarity 0.79)
• The original Schroeder constant fits small rooms better than the revised one (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Subwoofers exploit poor low-frequency directional hearing to shrink speakers #expands (0.78)
• All subwoofers sound equally fast because rooms, not drivers, dominate bass time response #complicates (0.72) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1017