Outlaw Audio
14
Subwoofer
Placement
P
lacement of your Ultra-X12 subwoofer is a
critical component in maximizing its performance.
The subwoofer’s specific location in a room
influences its “perceived” frequency response,
sound pressure level (SPL), and overall accuracy.
Since each listening room differs in virtually every
aspect, the ideal location will also vary.
This section will describe how to find
the best location for your subwoofer and how
increasing the number of subwoofers can
overcome a bad listening space.
An easy way to determine the best location for your new
subwoofer is use the “Subwoofer Switch Trick.” This process
puts the subwoofer where you normally sit and lets you
play the role of the subwoofer.
First, place the subwoofer as close to your favorite listening
position as possible. This should be directly in front of your
couch or easy chair, right in the room’s “sweet spot.” You
may even place the subwoofer on the chair or couch, but
remember that the Ultra subwoofer is heavy, and the Out-
laws are not responsible for any damage to your furniture.
Second, activate your receiver or processor’s test tones
(see “Setting the Volume Level” on the previous page), or
use a test disc to play pink noise through the subwoofer.
While the test tone is playing, move around your room and
find the spots where you hear the best bass response. This
might be the center of the room, a corner, or along a wall.
Finally, turn off the test tone and move the subwoofer to
the location where you heard the best bass response. If
that location is unacceptable or impractical, repeat the pro-
cedure until you find the spot that is the best compromise
between bass performance and aesthetic considerations.
Bass energy sets up “standing waves” in most every room.
These standing waves can cause areas with too much
bass, areas with too little bass, and areas in between. Try
to avoid creating a listening position that falls directly
between the front and back walls. The interference due
to the collision between bass waves bouncing off the rear
wall and new waves emanating from the Ultra can create
an unnatural “build up” in the low frequencies where the
bass sounds “bloated.”
In other situations you might encounter a “null,” caused by
two low frequency waves canceling each other out. When
this happens you will find that your favorite listening posi-
tion is bass shy. In this type of placement situation, bass
response will suffer greatly regardless of how powerful
the subwoofer is. The best way to solve this problem is
to change the location of the seating position so that the
distance to the front of the room is different than that to
the back of the room.
Overview
Before you Begin
The placement, crossover frequency and volume level
of your subwoofer are all interdependent. Changing one
parameter will affect the others. If you move your Ultra-
X12 to a different location after following some of the
suggestions in this section, you may find that you will need
to readjust the subwoofer’s volume control.
Finding the best location
for your subwoofer
Finding the best location
for your subwoofer
The Subwoofer Switch Trick
Notes On Subwoofer Placement
Subwoofer Switch Trick
Place the Ultra in the listening position,
play your receiver or processor’s test
tone through the subwoofer, and find
the location in the room that has the
best bass response.
Peaks and Nulls
Audio waves from the subwoofer can
bounce off the walls of your room,
interfering with the new waves coming
from the Ultra creating areas where the
bass can be multiplied or canceled out.
Avoid having the
listening position be in
the center of the room