Subwoofers and Seating Position for Klipsch Forte iv's

@soix how exactly does one carefully place their subwoofer?  Do you move it all around the room, tweaking phase and output settings to eliminate bad choices?  Is it inch by inch or foot by foot?  Are you using music or sound tones?  What if you have two subs?  There are limitless permutations. 

Or do you simply find a spot that you think will work that also looks good and dial it in?  There's no need to be neurotic about it, you are talking about 20-80hz which makes up a very tiny slice of recorded music. And as I said earlier, for the most part it's omnidirectional. Tuning a sub is basically eliminating unwanted vibrations while getting sufficient output. If you have a big room like OP's you'll probably need a second sub.  

how exactly does one carefully place their subwoofer?

@perkadin There are programs designed to help like RPG, etc., but the crawl method I mentioned earlier is very effective and doesn’t require additional software, microphones, etc.

https://www.audioholics.com/home-theater-connection/crawling-for-bass-subwoofer-placement

If you wanna understand more of the theory of sub placement there’s a good intro in this video, but you can google Todd Welti on whose work a lot of this info is based.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InwRYDzgEQk

So it’s not as easy as just plop them wherever they look good and change some settings to get really good bass in a given room — there’s just a lot more to it than that.

@grislybutter are you planning to match 2.5K subwoofers to 5K speakers that already have a lot of bass? 

Yeah, I guess I am. The Forte iv's are specified at 38Hz. The last speakers I had for any length of time were Thiel CS5i's that went down to 23Hz. I like the dynamics and sensitivity of the Forte iv's but I also think that, well, they are a bit thin and a bit off in tone. I am considering subs as a way to possibly correct for some of this without pumping bucks into more expensive speakers. If this does not work then it is on to Volti, Tannoy or who knows.

All,

I have purchased a SVS SB3000 subwoofer that arrived yesterday. With just the one sub, I can tell a difference; the sound is ...just more heavy, fuller, I guess. Initially it also sounded a bit boomy. I have it crossed over at 38Hz and am fussing with volume, phase, crossover slope, etc. All sorts of fun. The SVS app is nice as you can make adjustments while in the sweet spot. 

Have not done the crawl yet.

From what I think I can hear, I suspect that two subs would be better than one. Yes, bass is not supposed to be directional, but my impression is that, with the sub placed just inside of my right speaker, the bass is emanating from that side. Might just sound that way because of the visual...I have longer interconnects arriving tomorrow so I can move the sub around.

Stay tuned...

38Hz seem low, as you are using it between 18Hz and 38Hz? I went through a lot of pain for weeks with setting up 2 subs and I am curious about what I can learn from you.

@grislybutter 38Hz seem low...

Based on what I've read, I am trying it at 38Hz to 48Hz. The subwoofer is supposed to be able to go to like 18HZ. I realize that there is not a lot of recorded music that produces 18Hz, but after two days of messing with it; I can definitely say that the sound is a bit fuller. With some music, I believe I am hearing a bit more slam.

My presumption is setting the sub at a little bit higher than the Forte woofers, allows for reinforcement of the bass in the 38-48HZ./z region. I suppose this is where the extra slam and fullness originates. 

Of course, I could be completely wrong on this as I am no expert. I also suppose that the sub needs to break in? So then I get to adjust everything all over again?

I am still waiting on new longer interconnects to show up so that I can experiment  with the sub's position in the room, which will probably force me to start over again.?

The SVS instruction steps start with sub volume, then crossover point, then slope, then phase and polarity, etc.

I suspect that the trick is going to be frogging with it so that it blends with the Forte woofers. It is a fine line because it sure can go boomy and sound slow...  if I am  not careful. 

I went with a sealed woofer because I read a lot of comments that indicated a sealed sub does better than a ported sub with music. Having said that, I kept reading that Hsu subs are supposed to be "musical", but I believe that they are all ported!?

If I can get the one sub to blend, it will be an improvement. I can rationalize why two subs would sound better than one.

What I have read is that you should get the first sub to sound like you want and then work on the second one. Part of the process is getting the loudness right so that it does not overpower your speakers. Apparently, you have to reduce the first sub's volume when you add the second sub so that the overall loudness is correct with the speakers?

Now you know what I think I know! Please share your experiences with two subs to help me learn. Thanks!