# So subs have to be placed....



## paints (Feb 3, 2008)

in the front for a 5.1 system?

I see that the THX site placed their sub in the front pretty much under the center front.

Can a sub be placed along the wall?


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## bobgpsr (Apr 20, 2006)

The point of the THX reccomended 80 Hz crossover frequency is to not have the subwoofer locatable by ear. So that gives great flexibilty in location of a sub. Its best placement would be the spot that gives a non-peak and/or no bad dips in frequency response to the listener at their desired listening position. That is mostly room dependent.


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## paints (Feb 3, 2008)

Thanks....

My room is L shaped. Guess I'll place it on both sides of the room (one side fully enclosed and the other that opens up to the landing area) and see which one sounds the best.

Guess I really need to remember "go with what sounds best to you".

I finally grasp projectors and screens. I'm making headway on receivers and speakers. Now it's sub-placement and room acoustics.

Little by little.......

Gracias!!


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## KenMasters (Feb 7, 2009)

Sub placement is quite a bit more tricky than you'd think. I find it best to place the sub alongside one of the fronts as it helps with integration. You can place a sub alongside a wall or in a corner. Doing so gains volume and depth, but at the risk of it sounding boomy.


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## thewire (Jun 28, 2007)

paints said:


> in the front for a 5.1 system?
> 
> I see that the THX site placed their sub in the front pretty much under the center front.
> 
> Can a sub be placed along the wall?


THX recommends that a subwoofer always be located somewhere in the front of the room.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

For the best results, a sub placement test should be done. Pick a passage of a movie (or Music) that you know has lots of good lows, place the sub in the listening position and crawl around the outside of the room listening for where the lows sound best. Where you hear the best sound that is where you should place the sub.


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## headknocker (Mar 17, 2009)

For the first couple of years I had my sub in the left front corner of the HT...and then I installed a 5.1 system for a friend where he insisted he wanted his sub on the left or right side of his listening position. It sounded great...outstanding impact and it blended perfectly with the rest of his system. I couldn't localize it. My wife commented that it sounded better than our system so I went home and moved my 15" sub to the left corner near the sofa. It sounded fantastic and it's in that spot to this day.


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## Eric D (Feb 9, 2009)

And I've got two 12" subs set at a couple of quarter-wave points out from the front corners (based on peaks measured in REW). They're sealed - it might be quite different for ported subs. When I get more time, I've got to go back and measure the before and after, and then explain what I did as well as post the graphs.

have fun!


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## tmoey82 (Mar 19, 2009)

I have mines in the front left corner and it sounds good. I had it on the right and it sounded ok. I guess you will have to play with it to find the best spot.


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## paints (Feb 3, 2008)

Thanks for all the tips.

Guess I'll probably start out in the front. Then move to the sides and see which sounds the best after I get everything setup. I'll pick a scene from the LOTR's and just play it each time at each position for comparison. 

This ought to be interesting. My first venture into the world of audiophildom.


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## KenMasters (Feb 7, 2009)

paints said:


> Thanks for all the tips.
> 
> Guess I'll probably start out in the front. Then move to the sides and see which sounds the best after I get everything setup. I'll pick a scene from the LOTR's and just play it each time at each position for comparison.
> 
> This ought to be interesting. My first venture into the world of audiophildom.


Yea, that's the best way to do it. Good luck.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Its easier to place the sub as close to where you normally sit and do the crawl test around the outside of the room. Moving the sub around takes far more time and if your like me moving a 150lb sub around is not fun.


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## paints (Feb 3, 2008)

I hear ya. The old back ain't what it used to be.

I may as well wait until after the NCAA tourney. I've had to rearange my whole room to get as many people as possible against the back wall. The room fills up quick with 17 people laying around a 17x17 room.

I'm sure the sub will sound different with different furniture groupings.


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## epereira (May 12, 2008)

paints said:


> I hear ya. The old back ain't what it used to be.
> 
> I may as well wait until after the NCAA tourney. I've had to rearange my whole room to get as many people as possible against the back wall. The room fills up quick with 17 people laying around a 17x17 room.
> 
> I'm sure the sub will sound different with different furniture groupings.


You got it! The frequency response at the primary seating position is dependent on the placement of the speakers (subs), room furnishings AND the contents of the room (i.e. personnel). If you move things around or have more people in the room the subs sound different and may need to be recalibrated. Also, keep on mind that the human body absorbs a lot of the sound and so you may have to crank up the volume when you have a room full of people. Good luck though - a lot of it is very subjective - go with what sounds best to you.


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