[zero the hero]

up to 80hz, disregarding the assumption that dual subs give a "smoother" reponse (my sub location gives almost perfectly flat response at listening position).
Opinions, and reasoning behind them? Thanks!

 

[Kevin Haskins]

up to 80hz, disregarding the assumption that dual subs give a "smoother" reponse (my sub location gives almost perfectly flat response at listening position).
Opinions, and reasoning behind them? Thanks!

I'd go with the single 18" but the question is loaded. How a system sounds depends on the entire system, not just the drivers. You need to look at driver + box + room to get a good answer about how it sounds. In terms of the drivers, the single 18" will have more capability than dual 12"s, giving you more headroom and less distortion. The musicality is going to depend on the in-room response, so it will depend upon the box you build, the frequency response of the drivers in that box, and how it interacts with your room.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

 

[zero the hero]

sorry for not being clearer - sealed boxes with similar Q and response at listening position. Just wondering if there's something inherit in the size or mass of the driver that might make it better or worse...


edit - just realized this was kind of answered in the other thread. Thinking of going right in the middle with 2 sealed Tempests... mmmm

 

[evilskillit]

Having 2 subs will allow you to place them at different locations in the room and smooth out the frequency response. 2 12s has almost as much cone area as a single 18, its pretty close, and the travel is about the same. Having 2 subs gives you more options. Different placement options. You can have 2 smaller enclosures, which might have higher WAF than one big one, etc.

 

[Kevin Haskins]

Having 2 subs will allow you to place them at different locations in the room and smooth out the frequency response. 2 12s has almost as much cone area as a single 18, its pretty close, and the travel is about the same. Having 2 subs gives you more options. Different placement options. You can have 2 smaller enclosures, which might have higher WAF than one big one, etc.

The Maelstrom has an advantage in output and by more than just a little. The argument for multiple locations is valid, but you lose much of the output to cancellation between the two devices in-room. So... you would need maybe a pair of Tempest-X2, in different locations to match the output of a single Maelstrom-18" in-room.

This is a very big generalization..... you would have to actually measure the in-room situation to say anything definitively.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

 

[Mika75]

How loud do u play ?

Dual subs also give u the opportunity to run them in Stereo config.

 

[evilskillit]

Yeah I thought about mentioning that Kevin, and for HT one big sub would probably be preferable every time for more output but for music a single shiva is probably loud enough for most sane people in normal sized living spaces, a second one still adds output even after canceling room nodes but makes it easier to get the smoother response I think. Both have merit, 2 subs is just my 2 cents.