where is the best place to put a subwoofer?

Question

its for a home theater and the speaker is not very big, its probably about a 8 inch sub and i need to know where the right place is to put it so i can get the best sounding overall bass out of it. I noticed that you hear more bass if i am standing beside it or right behind it. But when i stand in front of it the bass seems to sound less powerful.

Answer 1

SIZE DOES NOT MATTER! Some of the best subwoofers on the market are 8/10" cones. Low frequency sound is very UNdirectional, compared to high frequency sound generated by tweeters, which is highly directional. This means you can put your sub anywhere you please. Some suggestions: place is firing into the room, not into the wall (this will lead to a loss of clarity). Place it near a load-bearing support (these are firmer than drywall and will lead to less rattling and greater sound radiation).

Answer 2

The placement of a subwoofer can be critical. In general, a corner is the best place to get the greatest volume (efficiency), but if volume is what you need, you can always turn up the bass level. More important are the development of "standing waves" at certain frequencies which will make the volume vary greatly with the position of the listener. it is almost impossible to eliminate these, but the best way is to experiment with different speaker locations and measuring volume aroud the room with a sound level meter (you can get one at Radio Shack; the analog model is cheaper and easier to use than the digital). You can use the test tones generated by your receiver to provide the source signal for your woofer. If you don't want to bother with this, find an off-center location for your sub: not in the center of the room or at the mid-point of a wall. A corner might work ok, but a slight displacement from the center of the corner could be better with respect to standing waves.

Play the test tones; walk around the room and listen for volume changes.

Answer 3

Low pitched frequencies (bass) are non-directional. This means that you can place the sub anywhere in the room and the sound will travel in all directions at the same rate. However, there are a few tricks to accousticaly amplify those frequencies. Try placing the sub in the corner. Putting a speaker near a hard surface will force the sound to travel in one direction, meaning more energy in a smaller area. Also placing it near soft surfaces such as a sofa will tend to absorb the sound, wasting energy.

Answer 4

The human ear cannot distinguish the direction of bass notes, so there is no harm in putting the sub woofer to the left or right of a room. However to maintain the Db level it is preferred to place the sub woofer in a corner especially if it is front firing. Also remember to face the port towards you. If it is floor firing then place it in the corner with controls (if any) to the back.

Answer 5

We have a home theater in our basement. The sub is behind the couch in the center. If it matters, when you are sitting on the couch you have 3 speakers in front of you facing you, 2 speakers in the ceiling on either side of you, and the sub in back of you. I guess just experiment and see what sounds best cause I am sure everyone is different.

Answer 6

You didn't say what type of enclosure it is in (sealed, ported) but typically what you want to do is "corner load" it. Put it in a corner of the room firing either down (if it has legs) or back towards the corner. If you don't have a corner available, aim it towards a wall.

The ideal distance is typically 3" from the corner or wall. Just play with different positions until it sounds the best!

Answer 7

depending on the sub you have if its downfiring you can place anywhere but better in a corner if it's front firing you should place it diagonally in your listening area (front facing the back but slanted to diagonally divide the room). if it's a passive sub then you can't adjust it but if it's active then there are some settings to improve base try reverse/normal switch sometimes the sub goes on standby if it's not use for a certain time or the volume/range/freq adjustments. you'll have to customize the setting according to your room space.

Answer 8

The Subwoofer intended to produce Low Frequency Effects can be placed anywhere.Preferably near the visual source i.e.,T.V.

Answer 9

i see the same answer - and from personal experience with smaller subs - better to have it close (like behind the couch as noted in one answer) to make up for lack of power - will make up for the small sub size and the amplifier power.

Answer 10

If the subwoofer is rear-ported, put it in a corner facing the listening area. If not, put it on either side of the TV