I love it when someone spends time and energy to figure out something instead of just talking about it. Such is the case with Brent Butterworth, constructing the thee different configuration subs in the title to see which performed best: http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/listening-tests/2011/03/subwoofers-4-2-or-1
"Everybody knows that four subwoofers are better than one. But are four little subs better than a single big one or two midsizers? Only a blind test could tell.
I can tell you in one paragraph how to set up a pair of small speakers, but I could write a book about setting up subwoofers. It’s the most challenging aspect of home audio because the resonances in a room tend to stress certain bass frequencies and strangle others. The effects of those resonances change from place to place in a room, so the sound may be perfect in one seat and a mess the next chair over.
A few years ago, researchers at Harman International found that using four subwoofers in a room — in the corners or at the midpoint of each wall — delivered smoother response across multiple seats than a single subwoofer could. But discovering that four subs are better than one creates a new conundrum for the audio enthusiast. Sure, a few of us have the luxury of asking, “Should I buy one kick-ass subwoofer or four kick-ass subwoofers?” But the question most of us must ask goes more like, “Should I spend my $1,200 subwoofer budget on one kick-ass subwoofer, two pretty good midsize subwoofers, or four little bargain subs?” In other words, would you get more benefit from the deep extension and powerful dynamics of, say, a big 15-inch sub, or from the smoother response of four 8-inch subs in the corners?
Unfortunately, finding a simple answer to this question may be impossible. Say you compared Brand X’s 15-inch sub to four of its 8-inch subs. Well, what if the driver in the 15-incher kind of sucks? Or what if the engineers tuned the 15-incher for tight bass while they tuned the 8-inchers for maximum output? Performance differences like these would make the results of a comparison meaningless.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that while I couldn’t find the definitive answer to this question, I might be able to discover some useful clues. To do so, I had to create as level a playing field as possible. Which meant ensuring that the subs had as similar a design as possible. Which meant I’d have to build them myself...."
Don't want to quote the whole article. Please read it. It is very worthwhile.
"Everybody knows that four subwoofers are better than one. But are four little subs better than a single big one or two midsizers? Only a blind test could tell.
I can tell you in one paragraph how to set up a pair of small speakers, but I could write a book about setting up subwoofers. It’s the most challenging aspect of home audio because the resonances in a room tend to stress certain bass frequencies and strangle others. The effects of those resonances change from place to place in a room, so the sound may be perfect in one seat and a mess the next chair over.
A few years ago, researchers at Harman International found that using four subwoofers in a room — in the corners or at the midpoint of each wall — delivered smoother response across multiple seats than a single subwoofer could. But discovering that four subs are better than one creates a new conundrum for the audio enthusiast. Sure, a few of us have the luxury of asking, “Should I buy one kick-ass subwoofer or four kick-ass subwoofers?” But the question most of us must ask goes more like, “Should I spend my $1,200 subwoofer budget on one kick-ass subwoofer, two pretty good midsize subwoofers, or four little bargain subs?” In other words, would you get more benefit from the deep extension and powerful dynamics of, say, a big 15-inch sub, or from the smoother response of four 8-inch subs in the corners?
Unfortunately, finding a simple answer to this question may be impossible. Say you compared Brand X’s 15-inch sub to four of its 8-inch subs. Well, what if the driver in the 15-incher kind of sucks? Or what if the engineers tuned the 15-incher for tight bass while they tuned the 8-inchers for maximum output? Performance differences like these would make the results of a comparison meaningless.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that while I couldn’t find the definitive answer to this question, I might be able to discover some useful clues. To do so, I had to create as level a playing field as possible. Which meant ensuring that the subs had as similar a design as possible. Which meant I’d have to build them myself...."
Don't want to quote the whole article. Please read it. It is very worthwhile.