where is the best placement for subwoofer?

Question

i have a dolby 5.1 theater system , where is the best placement of the subwoofer. can the sub be placed behind listening area ?

Answer 1

Hi.Actually the correct placement is right in the middle of the room,although most people would find it too obtrusive.The low frequency notes of a sub are omni -directional meaning the sound waves spread out in all directions because they are much larger than the speaker enclosure itself which means they all arrive at the room boundaries together or if your room is rectangular their arrival will almost be the same maybe a couple of mini seconds later

.If you put a sub against a wall the sound will be reinforced from behind with the front sound emphasizing the bass because the sound waves can't develop from behind upsetting the balance. The worst place to put one is in a corner because the reinforced sound overwhelms the natural balance of sub and normal speaker particularly if your sub is allowed to reproduce upper bass frequencies to say 80 HZ..I know others will say i'm wrong and that is their privilege My answer is based on 40 plus years of listening to speakers.If you had a full range speaker that went down to 30 HZ (and some of the best ones do)You would not put it in a corner the bass would be overemphasized and the overall sound would be oppressive.

Answer 2

Ideally your sub should be placed within the front stages of your surround sound system. Many subs will be noticeably louder at certain frequencies when loaded into a corner. This is one way to help a poorly designed sub sound better than it is. Placing a sub behind you is generally not a good idea as a lot of people run there sub at higher volumes and higher cross over points making it extremely easy to localize it within the sound field, some thing that is really not desirable in a sub. having said that, if a lack of options dictates that you place your sub there try to keep it mixed in with the rest of your speakers and the crossover point as low as possible.

Answer 3

Techncially, a subwoofer is non-directional like speakers. To get the best effect, it is ideal to put your subwoofer in front or rear of the room in a corner. If you put it in a corner, the sound will project better.

Answer 4

I have mine placed behind the listening area and it sounds great. You could also try near the front of the listening area. These are pretty versatile.

Answer 5

I have always heard that to put it in a corner. Listen to it without it in a corner, and then listen to it in a corner, and see which one sounds better.

Answer 6

A sub can be anywhere, the sound will fill the room. My buddy has one in a closet.