Gedlee

I think that people are missing a critical point. Being able to localize a sub when there are no other sources is entirely different than localizing it with other HF source present. A solo sub is not a realistic test and the results of doing are pretty much irrelavent. Use multiple subs with mains on and you will not locaize the subs.

The phase difference from the two ears below 100 Hz for any angle of incidence are negligable as are the level differences. There simply is nothing on which the ear can determine the direction. I have not tried your test, but I would say this; 1) its not altogether that relavent because there is no masking from the higher frequencies nor are the HF cues present, hence it's an unreal situation. With the mains on the HF cues will dominate. 2) when multiple subs are used then they are not localizable if they are setup right and I suspect that even in the test that you propose they would not be localizable. In a room there simply is nothing that the ear can use to determine direction at LF.

"even though low frequency wavelengths cannot be located-the leading edge transient can be located-well" - the leading edges are high frequencies and do not reach the sub so this is not correct. The leading edges are handled by the mains and that is where you localize the sound, the sub just reinforces the subjective sense of having a good "bottom" end. But the subs do not provide any sound localization ques (unless they are distorting, in which case these are HFs from the sub and you will locailize on those).

The best is to use a DCX2496 driven from the mono sub out from a reciever, or just sum the left and right channels. With this unit you can drive each sub independently with its own EQ, gain, delay, phase, everything. Otherwise I just use the sub out into the line level for each sub. I always set the sub parameters from measurements. Using multiple subs can be elaborate or simple, either way more than one is better than one and more control is better than less. Mesaurements are almost a necessity, but these days thats pretty standard. With free software like HolmImpulse its trivial.

Several comments: Many things have been said here about me, many are incorrect and I'd like to clear them up. I didn't start out selling subs, I didn't want to, still don't actually. Because my subs aren't any better than anyone else's subs (well maybe some) - subs are subs, it's how they are setup that makes the difference. I started selling subs because people wanted them to match the mains that I do sell and do claim to be exceptional. But buy your subs anywhere that you want, it doesn't matter. I do not have a patent on the sub that I sell, and I never applied for patents on drivers, nor for any sub patent that was not issued. I do have a patent on the use of an Acoustic Lever, but I do not sell subs using this technology. I do say that multiple subs are the only way to achieve truely excpetional bass in a small room. My expertise is LFs in small rooms. In studying them I found that it was the statistical nature of the modes at LFs that was the problem. No two rooms are the same so you really have to look at the general problem statistically. It turns out that one sub yields a large spatial and frequency variation to the sound field in any room. Two subs cuts that in have (in general) and three to a third, etc. etc. There is no "magic" number, but beyond three the benefits are diminishing fast. There are no "magic" locations either, although some are marginally better than others. So stated quite simply, use two subs and put them anywhere - except near the mains and each other. This will be a big improvement. Set them up with measurements will improve it still more. Add a third and yet another improvement. Put one up off the floor and one in a corner - another improvement. Add a forth, sometimes one tuned very low and others higher. All will be improvements and all will be room specific. There is no one sub type and one location or anything else that works in every case.