6
Sub-woofer Set-up and Placement Guidelines
Sub-woofer integration is of paramount importance in order to attain convincing music and movie
performance Motion picture soundtracks are mixed with the same care and attention as the finest
‘audiophile’ recordings on Compact Disc, SACD or DVD-Audio.
There are no hard and fast rules that will guarantee optimum performance, when it comes to sub-woofer
installation, experimentation really
is
the key. It is a common misconception that sub-woofers can be
positioned anywhere in a room; bass below 100Hz is omni-direction but response will differ according to
location. There follows a list of general guidelines one can follow in order to attain the best performance from
your system.
1.
Set the controls of the TLE1 sub-woofer to neutral, i.e. volume control to its mid-point and roll-off ‘OFF’
(indicator LED green). In this state the sub-woofer’s integral low-pass filter is defeated.
2.
Configure your receiver, processor or surround amplifier so that it’s sub-woofer output is enabled (for
all material) and defeat its own low-pass filter. If this is not possible, select the highest sub-woofer
crossover value available – commonplace options are 80, 100 and 120Hz. Refer to the user guide
supplied with your hardware for detailed instructions.
The purpose of steps 1 and 2 is to ensure the TLE1 receives the widest range of frequencies possible during set-
up. This is only a temporary measure; the configuration of system crossovers will be covered later in this user
guide. Nor are we concerned about the sub-woofer’s output level at this stage.
3.
Disable all the system’s loudspeakers. In some cases this may not be possible, electronically, so we
advise temporarily disconnecting all applicable loudspeaker cables. Before doing so make certain
that all power amplifiers are ‘OFF’ and that no accidental shorting occurs.
4.
Find a programme source with, solo acoustic double bass or bass guitar and set the system volume
to a comfortable listening level. Material with a tuneful bass-line is recommended.
From the primary listening position, concentrate on the lower registers, remembering that the TLE1 is not
designed to reproduce high frequencies and that they will be absent during this test. The aim is to position
the sub-woofer in a location where the bass and mid-bass are neither woolly, compressed, over-bearing nor
boomy, and where the response is at its smoothest and most consistent.
As a general rule of thumb, low frequencies are often reinforced when a sub-woofer is positioned adjacent to
a boundary wall, but it’s important to remember that all rooms are different and that acoustics and their
interaction with your loudspeakers are the most influential factor on the performance of any system.
The TLE1 drivers can be orientated in any direction, but PMC recommends that the minimum distance
between the rear vent and a boundary, such as a wall, is 25mm (1 inch). Both the rear mounted vent and
amplifier heat sink require a free, circulating air.
Once in the optimum position the use of the supplied spikes is recommended to ensure the TLE1 remains as
stable as possible. Pennies or spike ‘cups’ can be placed under the spikes to protect wooden flooring. The
supplied grille cloth is acoustically transparent and can be left in place at all times.
Note: The performance of your TLE1 will improve over the first few hours of use, as the close tolerance drivers
‘bed in’. Low frequency dynamics and bass extension are two areas that will benefit as the drive units reach
their optimum working condition.
