I agree with HT. Just discussing 2 chan music here. And for the record, I don't have summits (as everyone in the other thread knows
). I'm listening to clarities with a dynamo now.
If you disagree that a sub could be detrimental, how would you place the sub properly? In my example, 2 subs would mitigate the problem since you'd be getting the proper base from the right, but you'd still be getting bass from the left that wasn't intended! The only solution it seems to me would be to do something like Pcar928fan suggested and use 2 subs on the speaker inputs. Is that possible on the descents?
OK, let me try to clarify things a little bit. First off, we both agree that a sub would be useful for the LFE output for home theater, so let's just ignore that for now. Let's talk about using a sub for 2.1 channel listening with the Summits. I know you don't have the Summits now -- you are using the Dynamo with the Clarities. This information is given based on the assumptions from the last thread that you are considering buying Summits and a Stage and using the Clarities for rear speakers, so that you have home theater and awesome two channel sound.
So the question becomes, do you try to use the dynamo or some other subwoofer, like the depth or descent, with the summits for Home Theater and Stereo listening. I still stand by my earlier remarks that it is unnecessary to do so. The Summits put out enough deep bass that another sub isn't necessary, in my opinion. You and karma indicated that you felt it would actually be detrimental to do so. The point I am trying to make is that, although it is not necessary, it would also not necessarily be detrimental to stereo sound.
The keys to doing this correctly is proper placement of the subs and setting the controls properly. First, you would probably want to set the high pass crossover on the sub at its lowest crossover setting (40 hz. for the descent), so it only handles the deepest registers. Sound in this frequency range tends to be much less directional -- it is almost felt as much as heard and it is harder to tell what direction it is coming from. Since the Summits would be putting out plenty of bass too, the directionality of a kick drum, for instance, wouldn't be put off -- even if the Sub was located in the rear of the room. What it should do is smooth out the frequency response throughout the room, without affecting sound stage.
The kicker here is the question you asked in your post: "How do I place the sub properly?" Well, that discussion would take up a lot more space than this thread would allow. There are many great articles written about sub placement available if you search the internet. If you like, I can try to scrounge up a few links for you.
The easy answer is: by trial and error. You just keep moving it around the room until the bass response sounds the smoothest. There are many different techniques for finding the right placement. Ultimately, proper placement will be dependant on the acoustics of your particular room. Once you have the placement right, you must get all the controls set properly. There is no question that it can be very difficult and time consuming. And it may be more than you want to mess with right now.
Again, please understand that I am not necessarily recommending this for your setup. I just didn't want other people who may be reading this thread to think that you couldn't have a sub or two with the Summits without destroying your two channel listening experience. I think you can and it can be beneficial, but setting it up properly would be key.
I plan to use my Descent with my Summits definitely for home theater and probably for stereo listening too. It is also possible that I will buy another (now that the Descent i is out, I should be able to get a good deal on a used Descent) and use two Descents with my Summits.
To answer your earlier question, the Descent does not have speaker level inputs, so you would need to drive it from a line level (rca) input. For me, this would not be a problem, since my tube preamp has two sets of line level outputs. I can hook one set up to my amp, and use the other pair to hook up two subs (and have stereo subwoofers), which would help reduce the directionality issue that you referred to earlier. This way, the right speaker bass would go to the right Summit and right sub, and the left speaker bass would go to the left Summit and left sub.
Man, what a long post. I hope I have clarified things more than I have muddied them.
