Installing Subwoofer Feet
After unboxing your subwoofer, the next step is
installing the feet. Due to the weight of our subwoofers,
we recommend this step be completed by two people.
Take your subwoofer out of the box, but leave the velvet
and plastic bags on the subwoofer. You’ll also notice a
bag of metal spikes and rubber feet included in your
packaging. If your subwoofer will be placed on carpet,
use the metal carpet spikes as your footers. For surfaces
other than carpet, such as wood, tile, certain tight weave
rugs or vinyl, use the included metal disks under each of
the spikes, or the rubber feet to prevent damage to the
floor or floor covering.
To install the subwoofer spikes follow these steps:
1.
With the velvet bag still covering the sub, gently roll
it onto its top - exposing the 4 metal, round inserts on
the bottom. Please be careful not to touch or otherwise
damage the driver when your subwoofer is upside-down.
2.
Gently screw each of the feet/carpet spikes into the
threaded holes on the underside of the subwoofer. DO
NOT force or cross-thread the spike. (See Figure A
below.)
Note:
If the sub is going to be placed on a surface that
may be damaged by the carpet spikes, place one of
the included metal disks under each spike, or use the
included rubber feet.
3.
After all four spikes have been installed, gently roll
the subwoofer upright. If your sub is not sitting evenly
on the floor, use the jam nuts on the spikes to level the
subwoofer. (See Figure B below.)
Placement
The location of your subwoofer will greatly affect how
evenly the bass is distributed throughout the listening
area. A subwoofer that’s placed correctly will give you
even, accurate sound throughout its frequency range.
Here are a few guidelines for getting the most out of
your subwoofer:
1.
The best way to place your subwoofer is to use the
rule of 3
rds
or 5
ths
. To execute this, measure the width
of the front or side wall of your theater. Then split that
length into either 3 or 5 equal parts. Your sub can be
placed centered between any two parts (see below).
2.
If your room doesn’t allow for 3
rds
or 5
ths
placement,
place your subwoofer near a corner to help eliminate
uneven bass in the room. If you do place it in a corner,
be sure it has at least 3 inches of clearance on all sides.
3.
If a corner is impractical, the next best place is
anywhere the room will allow. Your new sub has a wide
range of adjustments you can make to fine tune its per-
formance.
4.
If you use more than one subwoofer, put them in
asymmetric places relative to walls and open areas.
Asymmetric placement is good for bass in that it can
help create a grid of sound in your room. Again, 3
rds
or
5
ths
placement is best, then corners, then wherever it fits.
B.
A.
Bravus II Subwoofers
Aperion Audio
4
7
Installing Subwoofer Feet, Placement
Receiver Setup
Most modern receivers allow you to fine-tune every
aspect of your subwoofer to your own personal tastes -
from the crossover frequency to the loudness level, you
can set it once and forget it or tweak it to your heart’s
content.
Setting up your subwoofer through your receiver only
requires a few simple steps. You may have a receiver
that has an auto-calibration microphone, and while these
are convenient, they are not always accurate. For best
results, we recommend accessing the setup menu of
your receiver and manually setting up the speakers. Most
modern receivers use an On Screen Display setup menu
(OSD) that make setup a breeze.
1.
In your receiver’s setup menu, go to “Speaker Setup”
or “Speaker Configuration”. Set the subwoofer value to
“Yes” if your front speakers are “Small”. If your front
speakers are “Large” set the subwoofer value to “LFE +
Main” (sometimes called Plus or Double Bass).
Note:
Some receivers automatically turn off the
subwoofer output when the front speakers are set to
“Large” in the speaker setup menu. So be sure that you
overide this by completing setup step number 1 above.
2.
In the crossover menu, confirm that the crossover
point of your front speakers matches the crossover point
of your sub (e.g. - if your front speakers are crossed-over
at 100 Hz, your sub should be crossed-over at 100 Hz).
The manufacturer should list a recommended crossover
point for of your speakers.
Important:
Frequencies above 80 Hz start becoming
directional - meaning your ear can locate where they are
coming from. So if your subwoofer is crossed-over above
80 Hz, try to position it as close to your television as
possible.
Note:
Aperion Audio Bravus Subwoofers have an internal
crossover. If you would like to use the subwoofer’s
internal crossover instead of your receiver’s, you can
defeat your receiver’s crossover by turning it up to its
maximum and use the L or R input on the subwoofer.
If you’re using the LFE input, the internal crossover is
bypassed.
3.
Next, navigate to the speaker distance menu. Here,
simply measure the distance between your listening
position and your sub and enter the value into the menu.
4.
Finally, the subwoofer’s volume level must be
adjusted in the channel level menu. Of course, your
subwoofer’s volume will most frequently be changed
using the level knob on the rear of the subwoofer.
Calibrating your subwoofer’s volume in the receiver setup
menu simply alters the strength of the signal sent to your
subwoofer from your receiver. Thus, it is not necessary to
dial your subwoofer volume perfectly in the channel level
menu.
To make a long story short, set the subwoofer level at
zero in the channel level menu. All other adjustments to
the subwoofer volume should be made with the controls
on the rear of the subwoofer.
Note:
Often times a receiver’s auto setup tool will set the
subwoofer volume to +12 or -12. In fact, if your
subwoofer level is set to -12 in your receiver, it might be
too low for the “auto on” function of your sub to detect.
We think zero is a sensible place to start.
Receiver Setup