Interesting problem posted elsewhere and it comes up here constantly in a slightly different form. Someone is moving from a Klipsch RP setup to KEF R Meta, so R7 Meta towers, an R6 Meta centre, R8 Meta surrounds, CI200RR-THX in the ceiling, two KC92 subs, a Marantz AV20 processor with an AMP30 driving the R Meta gear and a 7055 handling the four heights. A 5.2.4 built properly. The one thing he cannot solve is the subs, because the only gap in the room is between the rack and the wall, and he is asking whether the 9 inch units should face the seats or sideways.
Here is the bit worth knowing. If I am reading the KC92 right, those two 9 inch units are opposed drivers in a sealed force cancelling arrangement, not ports. That matters for the question, because at the frequencies a sub actually plays the output is omnidirectional and the orientation makes essentially no difference to what you hear. It matters for mechanical reasons instead. Opposed drivers cancel cabinet shake, which is exactly why you can get away with a tight installation, but you still need real clearance so a moving cone is not loading against a wall a few centimetres away.
What will decide the result is boundary loading and where the room modes put a null, and neither depends on which way the badge points. With two subs and a processor of that level, put them in the two candidate spots, run a sweep, then swap and sweep again. Ten minutes of measuring beats a month of guessing.
The thing I would push back on: both subs going into the same corner of the room throws away most of the reason to own two.
Anyone here running a pair of force cancelling subs stacked in one location on purpose, and did it measure better than splitting them?
Here is the bit worth knowing. If I am reading the KC92 right, those two 9 inch units are opposed drivers in a sealed force cancelling arrangement, not ports. That matters for the question, because at the frequencies a sub actually plays the output is omnidirectional and the orientation makes essentially no difference to what you hear. It matters for mechanical reasons instead. Opposed drivers cancel cabinet shake, which is exactly why you can get away with a tight installation, but you still need real clearance so a moving cone is not loading against a wall a few centimetres away.
What will decide the result is boundary loading and where the room modes put a null, and neither depends on which way the badge points. With two subs and a processor of that level, put them in the two candidate spots, run a sweep, then swap and sweep again. Ten minutes of measuring beats a month of guessing.
The thing I would push back on: both subs going into the same corner of the room throws away most of the reason to own two.
Anyone here running a pair of force cancelling subs stacked in one location on purpose, and did it measure better than splitting them?
