Adding a subwoofer to any audio system can enhance your music and movie listening experience. But, finding the right location for your subwoofer is key, especially in a home theater system.
Here are three tips to help locate the ideal placement of your subwoofer:
1. Consider the cords
If your subwoofer requires a direct wire hookup to the receiver, you’ll want to make sure you’ll be able to hide the wires wherever you place the subwoofer. Wires lying across a floor are easy to step on and over time can damage the wire’s connection between your subwoofer and receiver. Plus, wires in the open can be a tripping hazard or a chew toy for your pet. (Remember National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? )
2. Corners and walls
A subwoofer placed in the corner of a room may increase the subwoofer’s output – causing the sub to sound louder. Try placing your subwoofer in a corner and see how it sounds. However, depending on your floor space, a corner might not be a viable option for your subwoofer if it’s too far from your listening area.
Additionally, a sub’s close proximity to a flat wall can cause a harsh, rumbling, unpleasant sound. And if your subwoofer is a ported design (a subwoofer with an opening to allow airflow), you’ll want to keep it twice the diameter of the port (typically 6-12 inches) away from a wall to allow airflow out of the port.
Placing a subwoofer in the corner of a room can increase its output, making it sound louder.
The great thing about a subwoofer (especially a wireless subwoofer) is it can be situated almost anywhere on your floor space. There is no formula for locating the best spot. And, it’s truly your personal preference.
To find your satisfactory subwoofer sound, start by hooking up the subwoofer and turning on music or a movie that has a lot of bass. Then, sit down in a spot you think you’ll be listening to your music and movies the most. Move the subwoofer around until the subwoofer sounds ideal. If you have a family, roommates, or entertain others often, be sure you see how the subwoofer sounds in the other locations your listeners will be sitting.
If you have a large space you’re trying to cover with smooth, encompassing bass and can’t seem to find a good location that lends the ideal sound – you can always add a second subwoofer to even out the sound. (And more bass is always a "thumbs up" in our book!)
Many home theater enthusiasts place subwoofers in one of the room's front corners. This is a great option because it allows the walls to create boundaries that amplify the bass and keep the low-pitched sounds heading in the right direction.
Additionally, a sub's close proximity to a flat wall can cause a harsh, rumbling, unpleasant sound. And if your subwoofer is a ported design (a subwoofer with an opening to allow airflow), you'll want to keep it twice the diameter of the port (typically 6-12 inches) away from a wall to allow airflow out of the port.
Subwoofer placement in the front of the room is the most common and usually results in the best blending with the main speakers and center channel and minimizes localization effects. Bass is omni-directional.
According to “The Home Theater DIY,” “down-firing subwoofers are intended to be close to the listening area, not part of your TV console.” One hard and fast rule: never put a down-firing sub on its side and never put a front-firing subwoofer face down.
Does it affect the sound quality? Every object in the room effects sound quality of a speaker. Carpet is good because it doesn't reflect sound, which you don't want with a subwoofer.
For a single subwoofer, we recommend you put it on the front wall and if possible put the subwoofer towards one of the front corners. Having the subwoofer in a corner will couple the subwoofer better to the room, giving you more bass impact.
A sub box at the front of the trunk with speakers aiming backward resulted in better bass response. Results were slightly better with the trunk open. A sub box at the back of the trunk with speakers aiming forward resulted in better in-car bass, and there was no difference with the trunk open.
Conventional wisdom states that low frequencies, on the order usually reproduced by a subwoofer, are non-directional in nature. By extension that means that you can place a subwoofer anywhere in a room and expect to get good results because you really don't perceive where the sound is coming from anyway.
Low frequencies require more space to travel and propagate than high frequencies. So by placing the subwoofer on the floor, you're giving it more space to generate the desired low-frequency effects.
The best way to pick a spot to place your subwoofer is to measure all possible locations and pick the one that has the flattest frequency response to begin with. Usually, this ends up being an area in between your left and right monitors in front of your listening position.
Try to keep the sub within 4 or 5 feet of the left or right front speakers. Which leads to my next bit of advice, don't put the subwoofer in a corner. Granted, there are significant advantages to corner placement, mainly that in a corner the sub will produce more bass, with lower distortion.
Maybe you've thought, “Does it matter which direction a subwoofer faces?” The answer is yes. The challenge with facing the subwoofers forward in the trunk of your car is that the subs do not have enough air space around them, as they are getting “choked off” by the seats.
How far can the wireless subwoofer be placed from the sound bar? The wireless subwoofer is ideally placed within 10 feet of the sound bar on the same wall as the sound bar. However, it can connect up to 30ft away in the same room. Note: The subwoofer should not be placed in a cabinet or on a shelf.
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