Sub Placement Wrong? (1 Viewer)

[Savage357]

Can someone tell me if my sub placement is wrong here? I'm no expert, which is why I was hoping to get some advice on whether I should change the placement here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mark-P]

Low frequencies are non-directional. Sub-woofers can be placed anywhere in the room with identical results just so long and nothing is blocking them.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Best placement requires measurements to know for sure, but subs generally get better extension and output placed in or near a corner, along with some parametric EQ to smooth out any peaks. But that seems to be out of the question in your room, so I wouldn’t worry about it.


I’d be more concerned about the surround speakers, which appear to be in front of the seats…


Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Dave Upton]

It's almost impossible to say from a picture. Do you have a microphone to take measurements? If not, a MiniDSP UMIK-1 and RoomEQWizard will go a long way.

 

[Wayne_j]

Agreed that I'm more worried about the surround speaker placement. They should probably be right between the two rows of seats.

 

[Savage357]

I did do the calibration with the microphone supplied with my Denon AVR-X4500H.

I also suspected I have placed the surround speakers a bit too far forward and will do as y'all suggested and move them back a bit behind the first row seating.

If I move the sub back against the wall where the screen is, should I place it in the corner, moving the Left tower towards the center channel speaker or put the sub between the tower and center?

 

[Dave Upton]

The subwoofers response in your room will be related to the room's shape, and a variety of other acoustic factors. Nobody is qualified to tell you from a picture alone which position will sound best.

I would suggest doing the subwoofer crawl method, as this will get you the best results without measuring equipment

 

[Savage357]

I did use the calibration microphone and an SPL meter, but I feel dumb as I don't really know how to use the SPL meter.

 

[John Dirk]

Your room is similar to mine. I had basically only two choices for sub placement so I chose the one less obstructive to traffic in and out of the room. I also have that entry on the left EXACTLY where my surrounds would ideally be placed. This forces me to place them a little further back than is ideal but, as other have noted, all rooms present their own challenges.

On a separate note, have you considered painting that ceiling? A darker color will help with light control. Check out my pics for before and after examples.

 

[John Dirk]

I did use the calibration microphone and an SPL meter, but I feel dumb as I don't really know how to use the SPL meter.

You shouldn't. We all started there. A quick Google search and a bit of practice is all it takes and it's a great investment of your time as built-in calibration programs are far from perfect.

 

[Savage357]

Not sure how to view your pics, but my ceiling is a flat dark chocolate and when the lights are off and the projector is on, I don't get any light reflections or glare. If anything I would like to eventually replace the carpet with a darker color!

 

[John Dirk]

Not sure how to view your pics, but my ceiling is a flat dark chocolate and when the lights are off and the projector is on, I don't get any light reflections or glare. If anything I would like to eventually replace the carpet with a darker color!

Just click the link. I would like to replace my carpet one of these days too.

 

[JohnRice]

What model sub is it? It looks like a dual, opposing side model, maybe from PSA.

 

[Dave Upton]

I've had varying degrees of success using this tool. If you feed it good info, it can help you identify the best spots to place your sub. Do you have room dimensions you can share?

amroc - THE Room Mode Calculator

HTML5 room mode calculator. Read and hear the tune of axial, tangential and oblique modes. Scientific sources included.

amcoustics.com

You can put in your dimensions, and choose a frequency. The 3D model is interactive. Whatever position you choose, you should be using Dirac/Audyssey etc to correct the in-room response once you find a good spot:

 

[Johnny Angell]

Would it be ok to place a subwoofer high, like on top of a 6’ tall entertainment unit?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Won't know until you try....

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Dave Upton]

Would it be ok to place a subwoofer high, like on top of a 6’ tall entertainment unit?

You might have some serious issues with vibration and noise while it's reproducing bass, but generally speaking subwoofers can be at any height. You do want to be a little bit cautious about having a subwoofer at the midpoint of a wall, as typically there are a lot more room modes to excite there

 

[Savage357]

This sub is a Rythmik Audio, it is a great sub imo, although I am no expert, it has some very nice and deep base. It is servo driven, whether or not that is good or bad, I don't know. Haha

http://www.rythmikaudio.com/FVX15.html

 

[Savage357]

My room dimensions are 16' x 24' give or take an inch or so.

 

[Dave Upton]

Rythmik subs are excellent. I was just saying that it would be unwise to put any sub on a cabinet unless it was extremely solid and well braced.