As an audiophile, Steve Guttenberg, also known as the Audiophiliac, knows a thing or two about sound systems. In this post, he shares a subwoofer setup tip that can significantly improve your listening experience.
Contrary to popular belief, not all bass is omnidirectional. According to Guttenberg, the positioning of your subwoofer can greatly affect the quality of the bass you hear. To prove this, he suggests playing a low-frequency tone through your sub and walking around the room. You’ll notice that the 50 Hertz tone can vary in volume by as much as 20 decibels in different parts of the room.
While some people advocate for placing the subwoofer in the listening position and walking around to find the best sound, Guttenberg’s main tip is to place the sub as close to the listening position as possible. This is because being in the near field of a subwoofer allows you to hear the bass more directly and less of the room.
Guttenberg learned this tip from a demo with Dr. Sue from Sue Research, a subwoofer manufacturer. In the demo, they used a wall of subwoofers and tiny NHT Superzeros speakers. Despite the small size of the speakers, the bass sounded amazing when Guttenberg was seated close to the subwoofer.
If you’re struggling with bass in your listening room, Guttenberg suggests trying this tip. While getting the power and signal cables to the sub may be a challenge, the experiment is easy to do and could result in smoother, more even bass.
In conclusion, if you want to make your subwoofers sound better, consider placing them as close to the listening position as possible. Don’t forget to test the sound by playing a low-frequency tone and walking around the room. By following Guttenberg’s tips, you may be able to enjoy a better listening experience.