To sub or not to sub, that is the question.

Just a thought...

While there is an ideal place in the room for a sub, there can be other choices for other reasons.

I don't play my surround as loudly as some people and in a normal configuration for the sub, such as in front, I don't get the room shaking effect at my normal volumes. Recently, I moved my sub behind the couch and now I can feel the vibrations much better than before even though I have reduced the volume of it because of it's closer proximity. It still sounds like the bass is coming from the front.

While this may not be the ideal setup for the most balanced sound for the entire room, I only care how it sounds from my sitting position. If you play your system at higher levels then this is probably a moot point.

Technically speaking I suppose that there are some flaws in my logic, but I am only reporting what I have experienced. All my speakers have been adjusted for distance and volume.

As for your initial question of whether to use it or not, try it both ways. Only you can make that decision.

We had a lakefront log chalet in NY that was VERY solidly built, and the ceiling was 20 ft high along the center of the room. The Magneplanars were arrayed along that centerline of the room and I had a VD Servo 15 at each end of the couch. The resulting sound was REALLY accurate. The bass was as solid and deep as one could ever appreciate.

So do whatever works. Each room is different so a different solution will be required.

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Originally Posted by Mash

I would avoid overlapping speaker frequency ranges, because the sub/satellite cancellation effects are hard to predict even if you know how to calculate them. KEEP IT SIMPLE: limit the smaller speakers to frequencies not handled by the sub.

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This is largely a non issue because each channel has its own bass, and there is not a lot of overlapping of bass between channels. The only time you experience cancellations, is when there are two channels with the same bass signal coming from them, like when you use the phantom mode for the center channel.

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Originally Posted by StevenSurprenant

Just a thought...

While there is an ideal place in the room for a sub, there can be other choices for other reasons.

I don't play my surround as loudly as some people and in a normal configuration for the sub, such as in front, I don't get the room shaking effect at my normal volumes. Recently, I moved my sub behind the couch and now I can feel the vibrations much better than before even though I have reduced the volume of it because of it's closer proximity. It still sounds like the bass is coming from the front.

While this may not be the ideal setup for the most balanced sound for the entire room, I only care how it sounds from my sitting position. If you play your system at higher levels then this is probably a moot point.

Technically speaking I suppose that there are some flaws in my logic, but I am only reporting what I have experienced. All my speakers have been adjusted for distance and volume.

As for your initial question of whether to use it or not, try it both ways. Only you can make that decision.

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....below 80hz, so the placement of your sub shouldn't make any difference.

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Originally Posted by Swish

....below 80hz, so the placement of your sub shouldn't make any difference.

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It does make a big difference, even if it is non-directional. Putting the sub in the right place in a room ensures that you have a smooth frequency response over it operating range. The advice of crawling around the room, and placing the subwoofer where it is the loudest is just plain wrong. You do that, and you have just placed your sub in a mode in the room - one of the worst places you can place it.