Sound bar subwoofer question from an audio newbie (1 Viewer)

[Jeff In Neb]

Hello all, I need some help and this seems like the place that can provide that. Recently I bought a Samsung LED HDTV. The sound is (as expected) horrible. Now I am close to purchasing a sound bar to augment that TV. The one I am looking at (Sony HT-CT150) comes with a WIRED subwoofer. My family room setup is a bit different so I am not sure if a wired sub is going to work. I guess my question is, can I place the subwoofer on the TV stand shelf directly below the sound bar which is directly below the TV? I sketched out a rough layout of my room. Note that the TV sits in a recessed space and is almost flush with the wall so the sub would also be recessed. As an audio imbecile, I thank you very much for your help.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Hi Jeff,


Placing the subwoofer on a shelf (as opposed to on the floor) is probably not going to work. Subs tend to vibrate a good bit, and I'd worry about the subwoofer shaking the shelf/stand and possibly the other stuff on it as well.


As is usually the case with anything subwoofer-related, it won't hurt to give it a try.


If that won't work for you, what about the corner off to the right of the TV nook?


Also, if you're thinking that a wireless system will be better for you, you may want to reconsider. Wireless speaker systems aren't really wireless, and they tend not to work very well. That's why they're so uncommon and hard to find.


Really, with a subwoofer, all we're talking about here is a single coaxial cable (RG-59 or RG-6). If your room has carpeting, the cable is easy to hide under the baseboard between the tack strip and the wall. If you have hardwood floors, it's very simple to run the cable along the perimeter of the room, tacking it down every few feet and maybe even painting it to blend with the walls/floor better. The cable is cheap - you can get 25' of RG-59 from monoprice.com for less than $3, or go RG-6 which is a little stiffer for $6.50.