|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
71.190.218.126
In Reply to: RE: Any differences or preferences regarding Rel vs rythmik sealed subwoofers posted by M-dB on November 17, 2016 at 11:30:21
I do listen to organ works continuously; would a fixed crossover with no or little equalization ability be a distinct hindrance?
thanks
Follow Ups:
If a recording is out of phase/bad not only is your sub out of phase/bad but so are your speakers. OK, great, you can change your subs phase with a switch or even a remote. What about your speakers? Are you going to get up and reverse your speaker leads.
A sub should be set up to it's maximum performance with the entire system, room, stereo, speakers, etc... ONCE and let the music rip!
This is just my humble opinion but keep the darn thing simple. No third party software, no wireless connections, no acronyms that I really don't know what they mean. Tweak the setting to your room and LEAVE IT. Endless tweaking will only end up in frustration. I've been there.
Phase? Maybe I'm not using the correct terminology.
If I'm listening to a recording with a trap drum set and changing the phase via the subwoofers remote the kick drum simply sounds better as in more in time I'm assuming that track is out of phase. If I choose I can switch the subs back and manually switch the full systems phase at the preamplifier which in many cases sounds better than simply adjusting the subs. On many recordings the next track would beg to be switched back.
Set up once. Yes, now that I've settled on the subwoofers optimum locations I've set my subs up via their onboard equalization software which is my baseline EQ to preset 1. I use this setting predominately and I may adjust the subs gain to taste.
As described in my earlier post I have five other slightly altered equalization presets that can enhance to my taste, not necessarily for maximum performance, a range of recordings.
I think you're mixing up phase and polarity. Lots of audiophiles use the terms interchangeably but they're not. Polarity is binary thing, the signal is either inverted or not inverted. Phase is a continuous quantity that is proportional to time delay at any given frequency. Inverting the signal flips it over, +/- to -/+. Changing the phase from 0 deg. to 180 deg. delays the signal in time by half a period, but does not alter the polarity of the signal. In the special case of a single, continuous sine wave, shifting the phase by 180 deg. produces the same result as inverting the polarity. That's why people get these terms mixed up. But outside of that special case, they are not equivalent.
Here's an example. Suppose a kick drum is recorded with positive polarity. If the rest of the recording & playback chain preserves polarity, the initial impact on the drum will be reproduced with an outward stroke of the subwoofer driver, which produces a pressure wave with a positive leading edge. If instead, the drum is recorded with negative polarity, or if it's recorded with positive polarity but something in the recording or playback chain inverts polarity, then the initial impact on the drum will be reproduced with an inward stroke of the subwoofer driver, which produces a pressure wave with a negative leading edge. If you then add a 180 deg. phase shift, the leading edge is still negative, but delayed in time. A phase shift can't correct a polarity inversion.
The purpose of the phase control on a subwoofer is to match the phase of the subwoofer output with the phase of the main speaker output at the crossover point. If the phase is matched, the two signals will add together. If the phase is not matched, they will cancel each other. In most cases, the subwoofer phase control should be set to where it maximizes output around the crossover frequency as measured at the listening position. If that produces a bass peak at the crossover point, the crossover should be set lower. Once set up properly, it shouldn't be changed from recording to recording because all that would accomplish is to introduce a dip in the bass response due to cancellation.
I don't doubt your experience that some recordings sound better with one subwoofer phase setting and other recordings sound better with a different phase setting. Just keep in mind that you're not correcting the polarity of the recording, just changing your system's output around the crossover frequency.
*
Since the crossover point directly relates to the main speaker system it's the one variable I don't alter once set.
Hindrance? It's my experience that without knowing the potential of having a subwoofer or detailed room equalization one shouldn't be hindered by not having it. Take the subs and the detailed EQ away would most definitely hinder my world. Opinions do vary.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: