Subwoofer Question


Has anyone setup a subwoofer at 90° off axis to the listening position and gotten it to integrate well?

My sub is currently near the front wall between the two satellites, and sounds quite good there. However, because of my limited space I may have to move it halfway between the mains and the listening position, and place it on a side wall. It's a front firing sub with an external[separate] amp/crossover. The room is 12 by 16 feet, with the mains on the narrow wall.

I don't have a dedicated listening room. This is a bedroom that also serves as an office/home theater/music room, so space is VERY cramped. I'm very hesitant to do this, but would like to hear of any success stories if there are any.

Thanks.
gunbei

Showing 2 responses by costrosk

Gunbei:

I haven't tried it (Luckily, I haven't had to), but in theory it should be possible to do. The theory is that the location of a properly set up sub, operating at the correct crossover, should not be audibly detectable. At least that's the theory, and that theory is completely contigent on the level and crossover frequency being low enough that localizing the source is nigh on impossible. In the real world (or more precisely, in your bedroom) results will vary, but to give it the best chance, you may have to run it at both a slightly reduced level and possibly lower crossover point. Since it sounds good where it is, just move it to the new location and try it out. Work the level down slowly til you feel it's either acceptable, or you hear the loss of the low end as just too great. If the former, you're done; if the latter, bring it up just as gradually as you went down, listening carefully to get it as close to level matched with your mains as you can. Once there, if the sub still doesn't integrate as well as you'd like, all you have left is lowering it's crossover point. Same shtick - lower gradually until you like it, or decide the loss is too great. With the lower crossover, you might then try bringing the level up a bit, but it might get a little bloated. It'll be tricky, either way, but... Theory says you can try!

chas


Gunbei:

Initially I'd leave the phase alone, and try to get to where you already are in integrated bass before fooling with it.

The process for setting phase on a sub is a little complicated and is best done with a test tone cd. What you do is reverse phase on your mains, then play the test tone at your crossover point. Sit in the listening position and have someone else adjust the phase on your sub until you hear the LEAST bass. That will be the perfect phase adjust when you return your mains to normal. Seems whacked, but it works. The other option of course is simple trial and error - try 90 degrees and see if it's better, etc. Use music you're very familiar with that has a strong bass presence, and you'll likely get pretty close. At the very least, you'll get to pick what sounds best to you, and isn't that why we listen?

Have fun!

chas