This is why acoustic panels only work for mid-range frequencies and higher. Alternatively, you can also use bass traps with a membrane tuned to a specific frequency, which can attenuate said frequency without taking up ridiculous amounts of space.
This is why acoustic panels only work for mid-range frequencies and higher. Alternatively, you can also use bass traps with a membrane tuned to a specific frequency, which can attenuate said frequency without taking up ridiculous amounts of space.
It is better to have less deep bass (you can add more of it if you want) than have deep bass that is very distorted.
Also, as I have added later after you posted, you can play with objects around your speakers to have the reflection broken and arrive at different time, effectively reducing its impact on the main wave. But as you pointed out that will only work for waves up to some length depending how large objects we are talking about.
Easier to place one subwoofer than to tune five speakers.
The are other reasons:
- producing low end requires large speaker, and large == costly
- large speaker == lots of space required on desk, restricting your placement. Having small speakers on desk is a functional compromise. People working professionally with sound will buy studio monitors which take way more space but they can take it because sound quality is important because it is their job.
- multiple speakers producing low end == timing and interference issues. When you have multiple speakers producing low end, you will hear interference as you move your head around as different lengths of waves cancel or reinforce at difference places.
Since you don't need stereo for low end (your brain can't discern direction of very low end sound anyway) it is better to avoid that issue by having single speaker.
Now, single speaker avoids those issues and allows you to be basically anywhere in the room and have acceptable sound, but adds discontinuity between your low and mid range. Audio professionals will prefer studio monitors because they care for for the sound to come undisturbed so much, they can place their speakers symetrically and keep their head at exactly right spot when listening.
I see a lot of people putting up ugly "sound absorbing panels." What they don't realize is that it takes a LOT of material to absorb sound. 100Hz is over three METERS long.
There are ways to reduce the impact of reflections, but sound absorbing panels are probably one of the least practical ways to do it.