Low bass - small room

[Wayde]

This may seem like a stupid question but here goes…

I am wondering about frequency and room size and if there is any correlation when it comes to low bass.
Let’s say you’ve got a small room, is there a chance that small room’s ability to facilitate very low frequencies will be compromised?

For instance, low frequencies have very long wavelengths. Is there any truth to the idea that a wavelength might be too long to fully cycle inside a small room? If that’s the case, what happens?

In a small room you have a 20Hz signal being played back at an audible SPL. Do you just not hear it? Do you hear it as a higher frequency because the room is incapable of 20Hz? Does it distort somehow? Or… do you hear all the low bass just fine and I’m just barking up the wrong tree asking a silly question.

Thanks for any help.
Wayde

[tonyvdb]

Even in a small room with wavelengths as long as they are the walls will reflect and vibrate causing you to still hear or feel the sound. Vibration of objects is all part of how sound is heard particularly the low frequencies. Some explination is shown here

[drdoan]

Even tho a low frequency wave has a long wavelength, 1/4, 1/2 and similar divisions of the wavelength will allow the wave to propogate. I have a SVS PB12-Plus/2 (2 12" subwoofers) in a 11 X 15 room. I don't have any loss of bass because of the smaller room size. The problem is too big a room size, then more is needed to move large amounts of air. Hope this helps, Dennis

[drdoan]

The biggest problem, I find, is the resonant frequency of the room itself. At that freq, the room will greatly amplify the bass. It is sometimes hard to tame that freq and at the same time balance the other, usually lower, frequencies to the proper lever. Dennis

[Wayde]

Thanks for the responses guys. I am reading this article on the diffraction of sound.

What I'm getting is that the room won't actually limit the wavelength in any way. If you have a good sub capable of 20Hz at decent SPL it doesn't matter how small the room is, you'll still hear it unless other factors apply, such as the soundwaves resonance with other objects in the room, but not the room size itself.

[eugovector]

Any rooms will give you peaks and nulls. Maybe you room/sub position/seating position is causing a null in the range of bass frequencies that you're looking for.

[MikeDuke]

My room is very small. Just about 1000cf. I have a Seaton Sound SubMersive1. We measured output down to 8hz in my room. I get all of the good low bass stuff from the movie favorites that are out there. Now, I will tell you that having such a small room is not optimal, but what can you do. I have no problem registering the low stuff from WOTW.