4
PLaCing The suBwooFer
ConneCTing The suBwooFer
The performance of a subwoofer is directly related to its placement in the listening room
and its physical position relative to the other speakers in the system.
While it is true that in general our ears do not hear directional sounds at the low
frequencies where subwoofers operate, when installing a subwoofer within the limited
confines of a room, the reflections, standing waves and absorptions generated within
the room will strongly influence the performance of any subwoofer system. As a result,
the specific location of the subwoofer in the room does become important to the
amount and quality of bass that is produced.
For example, placing the subwoofer next to a wall generally will increase the amount of
bass in the room; placing it in a corner (
1
) generally will maximize amount of bass in the
room. However, corner placement can also increase the destructive effect of standing
waves on bass performance. This effect can vary depending on the listening position
– some listening positions may yield very good results while others may have far too
much (or too little) bass at certain frequencies.
In many rooms, placing the subwoofer along the same plane as the left and right speak-
ers (
2
) can produce the best integration between the sound of the subwoofer and that
of the left and right speakers. In some rooms, the best performance could even result
from placing the subwoofer behind the listening position (
3
).
We strongly recommend that you experiment with placement before choosing a final
location for your subwoofer. One way you can determine the best location for the sub-
woofer is by temporarily placing it in the listening position and playing music with strong
bass content. Move around to various locations in the room while the system is playing
(putting your ears where the subwoofer would be placed), and listen until you find the
location where the bass performance is best. Place the subwoofer in that location.
Front Left
Speaker
TV
Center
Speaker
Front Right
Speaker
Surround Left
Speaker
Surround Right
Speaker
1.
2.
3.
TO A RECEIVER OR PREAMP/PROCESSOR WITH A LINE-LEVEL SUbWOOFER OUTPUT
SP150
Subwoofer
RCA Audio Cable
(not supplied)
Receiver or
Amplifier
