Subwoofer Placement
Room acoustics and furniture have an enormous impact on the sound of speakers. A well placed subwoofer’s bass integrates with the sound of the main speakers and produces a natural reproduction of music. A few guidelines for subwoofer placement are listed below.
Corner placement: This is the advice that is given most often. Although corner placement will yield loud bass, it may make the music sound boomy. You should place your subwoofer in a corner only if it is not capable of producing deep bass. It is also important to note that corner placement will not always make the subwoofer boom. In most cases, it depends highly on the geometry of the room. According to some experts, you should always place a sub in a corner, and use equalization to deal with audible peaks of the subwoofer's frequency response at that position.
You should not sit against the wall: Your movies and music will sound heavy and tiring when you are sitting against a wall. If you must sit against the wall because of the room’s layout, turn down the volume of the subwoofer to compensate.
Do not place the subwoofer in a symmetrical position in the room: Avoid putting a subwoofer in a location that is the same distance from the walls. Subwoofers sound better if they are placed in a location where their distances to the front, side, and rear walls are different.
Put the subwoofer close to the main speakers: Even though bass sounds are not directional, you will get a better blending between the main speakers and the subwoofer if they are on the same side of the room.
Two or more subwoofers are better than one: According to some experts, the way multiple subwoofers interact with the room is the single biggest factor in being able to get great bass in every seat of your home theater. Depending on your budget, you should use either two or four subwoofers. There is not much benefit from using more than four. Multiple subwoofers can reinforce each other’s bass response and will yield a smoother and more dynamic sound. If using multiple subwoofers, you must use identical subwoofers. Different models, even from the same manufacturer, may cause uneven response.
When using two subs, they can be placed in the front corners of the room close to the main speakers or one can be placed in the front and the other one in the rear. For even better bass and smoother frequency response throughout your home theater, use four subwoofers. As a starting point, put the four subs at the midpoints of each wall.
