Home CINEMA set up/help advice required.

[joysleep1]

Hi Peeps

So i currently own a yamaha YSP 2500 soundbar which i have been using for around 2 years. Its been impressive and the sound is good.
I wanted to upgrade to a surround sound system esp with rear speakers behind my sofa.
So i went along the route of getting a yamaha music bar 40 with the musicast 50s and rear speakers but it was too hit and miss and i could not get the surround sound to work. It was only working in stereo mode.

Now i forgot that a couple of months ago, when changing the laminates, i got speaker wires installed under the floors the back left and right of the room.
So now i made the decision to get a proper 5.1 surround system which i believe would be way better than soundbad+ rears.

So i purchased a 2nd hand
1 x Monitor Audio R One HD Speaker Bar

1 x Monitor Audio R360 HD Sub Woofer

2 x Monitor Audio R45 HD Rear Speaker

I liked the sound when i went to go pick it up. Now i am after a capable receiver so i am waiting for this to come back in stock (DH790)

Sony STR-DH790 (Black)

Shop for Sony STRDH790 Dolby Atmos AV Receiver with Richer Sounds for expert advice and lowest prices guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

My only concern was the subwoofer that i have acquired. Is it good enough for my room size. The SUBWOOFER will be sitting just on the right bottom of the TV
So my current room is 15Feet (4.5M) by 15feet (4.5M) box.
TV (85XH9505) on the wall in the middle and sofas on the other side . It also crossed my mind that the AV receiver has an option for 2 Subwoofers. Is it a crazy idea to have another subwoofer on the LEFT bottom of the TV?

Is it better to have one SUPER powerful sub or 2 reasonably powered subwoofer.

I hope the information i have given makes sense. Would love your thoughts on my set up. I will try attach some photos of the room layout when i get a chance to give more depth

Thanks

 

[AmericanAudio]

It really depends on what you want from you room - performance wise and aesthetic.

One big sub with certainly energise the room, but the tend to become more 'localised' as in you can tell when the sub sounds are coming from.

A pair will always sound better, far less localisation and (jn theory) the ability to position the subs so that they minimise any dead spots in the room. You will also have to consider the set up / balancing of two subs. With cheaper AVR's they won't get individual eq set ups, they will share one. So given the room is square, you will have to consider some external EQ, using something like MiniDSP or AntiMode.

Chris, AAC

 

[joysleep1]

It really depends on what you want from you room - performance wise and aesthetic.

One big sub with certainly energise the room, but the tend to become more 'localised' as in you can tell when the sub sounds are coming from.

A pair will always sound better, far less localisation and (jn theory) the ability to position the subs so that they minimise any dead spots in the room. You will also have to consider the set up / balancing of two subs. With cheaper AVR's they won't get individual eq set ups, they will share one. So given the room is square, you will have to consider some external EQ, using something like MiniDSP or AntiMode.

Chris, AAC

Interesting, thanks for your input. Aesthetically, one or two will sit nicely. I mean the obvious locations of the subwoofers will be LEFT and RIGHT of the TV.

I dont know if the AVR i plan to purchase will be able to customize set ups individually but if i were to go with the pair, i take it it has to the same so all the settings can remain the same?

one thing i wanted to ask, when looking at subwoofers, whats more important the WAtts or the drive inches?
With my dimensions, would a ten inch be required?

Sorry i am not familiar with mini DSP or Antimode.

 

[AmericanAudio]

So the answer is actually NO, technically the position of each of the subs in the room will require them to have their own EQ. The challenge with setting up a pair is so that they don't destroy each others output.

A subs frequency and sound wave is so long you will find points in your room when the bass sound / feel will be almost non-existent. With two subs in near identical positions either side of a TV could provide a great reinforcement in some seat positions and absolutely nothing in others. So you need to play with positions, levels, eq's and phase to try to create a nice even responce (performance) throughout the room.

HTH.

 

[AmericanAudio]

It would be a combination of power and size.

As in the car world, Power is nothing without control!

You could have a big amp in a sub, but a small driver won't be able to get to the deep bass levels possibly required.

A smaller Amp, but big driver would be able to dig deep, but may not provide chest thump that is required.

Unfortunately its horses for courses, but given the size of your screen, I would say you need to spend a little more on the AVR and the bigger sized sub to get a matching performance. Pushing cheaper hardware / electronics towards their limits can make them sound harsh and destroys any enjoyment of viewing.

 

[joysleep1]

So the answer is actually NO, technically the position of each of the subs in the room will require them to have their own EQ. The challenge with setting up a pair is so that they don't destroy each others output.

A subs frequency and sound wave is so long you will find points in your room when the bass sound / feel will be almost non-existent. With two subs in near identical positions either side of a TV could provide a great reinforcement in some seat positions and absolutely nothing in others. So you need to play with positions, levels, eq's and phase to try to create a nice even responce (performance) throughout the room.

HTH.

Hmm i think

It would be a combination of power and size.

As in the car world, Power is nothing without control!

You could have a big amp in a sub, but a small driver won't be able to get to the deep bass levels possibly required.

A smaller Amp, but big driver would be able to dig deep, but may not provide chest thump that is required.

Unfortunately its horses for courses, but given the size of your screen, I would say you need to spend a little more on the AVR and the bigger sized sub to get a matching performance. Pushing cheaper hardware / electronics towards their limits can make them sound harsh and destroys any enjoyment of viewing.

Hmm i think getting a 10inch SUB will be superior but i dont see any reason why the receiver i want to purchase would not be capable in powering a 10 inch. The receiver has enough power

 

[Conrad]

Chris means the power in the sub amp.

You asked if watts or driver size is more important, but the answer is both.
A 4000w amp with an 8" driver isn't going to produce reference level bass in a room of your size, not at any subwoofer frequency anyway. An 18" driver with a 200w amp won't be great either, as the amp won't be powerful enough for such a large driver. It's why subs tend to get more powerful amps as the driver size increases.

With a ported sub you can probably get away with slightly less power than the same sized sealed sub.

And the single or dual isn't completely clear cut either. If you're looking at a £300 budget then a single sub will be better than two £150 subs. That starts to change as your budget increases. I would probably, usually, opt for two £1000 subs than one £2000 sub. Where that tipping point occurs will be down to room size, how loud you listen, and what you want from a sub.

Have a look at this thread: How much subwoofer output capability do you need in your system?
Once you get over a level where you can hit the levels you listen at in your size of room, I'd be looking at duals.

 

[joysleep1]

Chris means the power in the sub amp.

You asked if watts or driver size is more important, but the answer is both.
A 4000w amp with an 8" driver isn't going to produce reference level bass in a room of your size, not at any subwoofer frequency anyway. An 18" driver with a 200w amp won't be great either, as the amp won't be powerful enough for such a large driver. It's why subs tend to get more powerful amps as the driver size increases.

With a ported sub you can probably get away with slightly less power than the same sized sealed sub.

And the single or dual isn't completely clear cut either. If you're looking at a £300 budget then a single sub will be better than two £150 subs. That starts to change as your budget increases. I would probably, usually, opt for two £1000 subs than one £2000 sub. Where that tipping point occurs will be down to room size, how loud you listen, and what you want from a sub.

Have a look at this thread: How much subwoofer output capability do you need in your system?
Once you get over a level where you can hit the levels you listen at in your size of room, I'd be looking at duals.

Hi

OK thanks will have a look.