Emotiva Airmotiv RS13 User Manual Download Page 18

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AIRMOTIV RS13 R

efeRence

ubwOOfeR

Subwoofer Placement and Configuration

The best location for your subwoofer will depend on a lot of things - including the acoustics of

your room, the characteristics of your main speakers, and practical considerations like where

you have room for it. Whole books have been written about the subject - and even experts often

disagree. The RS13 Reference Subwoofer has a single port on the front, and no extensive vents or

heat sinks on its rear panel, so it may be placed in a corner or close to a wall.
Some frequently chosen locations include: in the front between your main front speakers,

in a front or rear corner, or in the center of a side wall or rear wall. Each has advantages and

disadvantages, and each may or may not work well in your particular system.
One way of choosing a good location is sometimes humorously referred to as the “subwoofer

crawl”. To use this method, you connect your subwoofer temporarily to your audio system, place

the sub in your normal listening position, where you would normally sit, and play music through

it with plenty of bass. You then crawl around on the floor, stopping and listening at each location

where you’re considering putting your sub. Once you find the spot where the bass sounds the

best and cleanest, you switch places with the subwoofer, placing it in the location where the bass

sounded the best. This often turns out to be a good location for your sub.

Note: Your Reference Subwoofer contains a powerful yet efficient Class D amplifier. While the

back plate of the RS13 will get slightly warm in normal use, no special ventilation or clearance

is required.

The Airmotiv RS13 may be used with a wide variety of different systems and how you configure it

will depend on the type of system you have. A properly configured subwoofer should add depth

and a solid foundation to your listening experience, but should not be audible as a separate

sound source, and you should not be able to detect its physical location in the room by listening

to it. The visceral low bass delivered by a subwoofer should simply fill the listening area. Please

feel free to call us at Emotiva Technical Support if you have any questions about how to connect

or configure your Airmotiv RS13 Reference Subwoofer.

Note: The way your main speakers and subwoofer blend together will sound slightly different

at different locations in the room. These adjustments should be made by listening at your

normal listening location. If your equipment is located across the room, walk back to your

favorite chair and listen to the results from there each time you make an adjustment.
Note: After you’ve configured everything on your pre/pro, or used your automatic room

correction to do so, you should AVOID changing location of the RS13, and the Crossover and

Phase Control settings, as this will change the way it sounds. However, you may use the Volume

Control to increase or reduce the overall amount of bass to suit your tastes.