are really low frequencies TRULY non-directional??

C

Cratinus

Member
i've heard this pitch before (when i bought some BOSE speakers a few years back).
it has gotten me thinking about a monitoring system consisting of SMALLER nearfields with a subwoofer tucked beneath my mixing desk. the space i have for recording has gone from small to smaller (due to unforeseen circumstances). i do not want to sacrifice low frequency response if at all possible. i've been looking at smaller nearfields and also at subwoofers (to compliment). if i went this route would i sacrifice "stereo imaging"?? if low frequencies are truly "non-directional",..at which approximate frequency does this occur (is there IS a "cut-off" point?). perhaps this is all a bunch of imaginary crap that i've subjected myself to by ingesting some creative marketing BS.
any thoughts would be appreciated. cheers.:confused: :)
 
*I* can hear when a sub is placed off-center in a room, and I hate the way it sounds unless it is centered....

So while low-frequencies are less-directional, the harmonic overtones that occur along with those frequencies are not............!
 
It depends a lot on the X-over frequency. If it is about 80 Hz with a steep roll-off i.e. 18 db/oct then the Sub can be more or less anywhere, as the freq. gets higher then it becomes more and more noticable.
 
So while low-frequencies are less-directional, the harmonic overtones that occur along with those frequencies are not............!
Click to expand...
Indeed!
The low-frequency-sound itself is truly non-directional, but speakers are not. If you play, say, a clean 50 Hz sine-signal on a speaker that is designed just to play a 50 Hz signal, then there's no way telling where it's comming from (if you are relatively close).
 
Yes, sub frequencies are non-directional - unless your ears are 10 feet apart.:D

Bruce,
Your sub should only be producing sub frequencies. But I have no doubt that you do indeed hear directional overtones. These overtones, however, are not being feed to the sub. They are being produced by the sub.:(

Low frequency speakers produce a lot of distortion. No matter what any sales or marketing person tells you, you just CANNOT get deep low distortion bass out of a single 10” or 12” sub. You need surface area – no getting around it – laws of physics- bla, bla, bla.

So, directionality isn’t usually the issue. Distortion is the issue. The best argument for stereo subs is that you have more surface area and hopefully less distortion.

barefoot
 
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