Placing a subwoofer in your home theater is an effective way of dramatically increasing the stereo’s sound quality. However, simply buying and installing a subwoofer is definitely not enough to make sure that your music gets the best possible treatment. You’ll need to take some additional steps to get the maximum out of your subwoofer. But providing more power is not the only way to get a louder bass from your subwoofers.
Also you’ll require a bigger amplifier for this method which can be pretty expensive. In fact, sometimes it doesn’t even matter how expensive your subwoofer is because an incorrect setup can result in poor sound quality. In such cases, simple adjustments can help you get more and better bass without spending more money on equipment. All that you need to do is to fine tune and properly calibrate your subwoofer, which is more than enough to guarantee that you’re getting the highest-quality sound which it’s capable of producing. The list of instructions compiled below can definitely help you in optimizing your subwoofer’s performance.
Complexity level: Moderate
Time required: 5-10 minutes
Resources required:
- Home theater subwoofer
- Quality subwoofer cables
Instructions:
1. Buy a quality subwoofer
The first thing that you must make sure is that you are having quality subwoofer as the subwoofer that comes along with home theater systems are generally installed with low power amplifiers and also it is very difficult to calibrate them properly. Therefore, it is always recommended to buy a standalone subwoofer from an established company or invest in a quality home theater from a reputable manufacturer.
2. Place the subwoofer at an appropriate location
a. For a good bass go for the corner placement of the subwoofer in front of the room. This arrangement can provide up to six decibels of bass boost, which definitely eliminates the need for more amplification.
b. Place the subwoofers close to the front speakers if you prefer bass smoothness and integration.
c. As a general rule, the subwoofer must be placed between the left and right channel speakers and on the same horizontal plane. But make sure that there is a space of at least 6 inches between the subwoofer and the wall.
d. You must also avoid placing the subwoofer at an equal distance from two walls as an asymmetrical position will yield louder bass output and smoothest overall response.
3. Make sure that it is operating in phase
a. The next thing that you must do is to make sure that your subwoofer is operating in phase with the rest of the system. Generally, most of the subwoofers are equipped with a phase switch for phase adjustment. Normally this switch can be varied or will offer two positions, one of 0 degree and the other of 180 degree.
b. If the switch is variable then play some bass heavy music and continue adjusting the phase switch at the same time until you hear the loudest bass.
c. If the switch offers only two positions, then try both of them and the position that results in the loudest bass is correct. However, if you are unable to recognize any difference between the sound coming from two positions of switch, then it’s better to leave the switch at 0 degree position for optimum performance.
4. Use the subwoofer crossover controls
a. Properly adjusting the crossover controls is equally important as this can cause your subwoofers and main speakers compete in the bass frequencies and cancel out each other’s effect. Therefore, it is very important to adjust the crossover controls properly rather than leaving it at default factory settings.
b. A crossover of 80 hertz and below is appropriate for large floor standing speakers with good bass extension. However, for smaller speakers, a crossover frequency that ranges between 100 and 150 hertz will provide optimum performance.
Frequently asked questions:
Are square or triangular subwoofers better than round ones?
This totally depends on the taste of the person. If you prefer imaginative looks and style then square and triangular subwoofers are definitely for you, as they will definitely catch the eye of everyone. Also they produce bass extremely well, but traditional round woofers tend to play more accurately. If you lack sufficient cargo space, then triangular subwoofers might help you as they can fit into spaces.
Quick tips:
a. In case of subwoofer, placement always trumps over amplification. Consult the user manual to ensure that your subwoofer is placed properly.
b. Take the help of a friend and ask him to change the position of the subwoofer while you listen for an increase in the quality of the bass respose.
Things to watch out for:
a. Quality bass is not always mean loud bass. Make sure to adjust your subwoofer for the most accurate and the smoothest response.
b. Placing the subwoofer right against the wall can contribute to the formation of boomy one note bass, therefore, this type of placement must be avoided.
