Subwoofer Placement and Volume Adjustment

I just recently purchased a Polk PSW10 subwoofer and am trying to figure out the best place to position it. Currently I have it in the corner. Also what would be the best volume setting?

I am by no means an expert on subs. But I have mine facing a concrete wall from the other side of the room. Seems to sound okay there. The idea being the low freq waves are quite large so you want to let the wave move as much as possible before it hits the wall an bounces back. That is why a large room is better when it comes to bass. As for volume I have mine about 5 decibels louder that my speaker settings. Our ears perceive bass freqs as being lower than other equal adjusted frequencies. Personal preference is another factor in how loud you want it. Personally I like lots of bass but I don't what it to be boomy or dominate the higher freq. I want a balanced sound spectrum.

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Originally Posted by Wireworm5

The idea being the low freq waves are quite large so you want to let the wave move as much as possible before it hits the wall an bounces back.

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LFE waves really don't need large open area to avoid reflections, it won't do much good...a 40 Hz sound wave is 28 ft in size...it radiates omnidirectional...so unless it's 28 feet from the nearest wall, object, etc, it's bouncing anyway. It's placement in a room for minimizing reflected sound at the ears is pretty much irrelevant in most homes.
80 Hz frequencies are 14 ft, still pretty big, 20 Hz are 56 ft...you get the idea...

There actually some advantages to aiming the woofer directly at a wall or furniture. This tends to break up standing waves some and helps obtain a smoother response. For the most part it's agreed that aiming a the subwoofer won't have much effect on the overall response in the room, though it might affect the response at a given postition in the room. Trial and error for the most part.

Corner and half gain is a good starting place.

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Originally Posted by gcook67

I just recently purchased a Polk PSW10 subwoofer and am trying to figure out the best place to position it. Currently I have it in the corner. Also what would be the best volume setting?

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...a sub might not be the most aesthetically pleasing. This method won't work for everyone, but it did for a friend of mine...

Put the sub where you normally sit - the "sweet spot". Crawl on the ground a figure out where the bass sounds best to you... usually, the loudest. THAT is the spot for the sub. Normally, without trying this, I would not have believed it. In my friend's livingroom, it was the best spot. Didn't land too far from a tri-corner, but not exactly where I would have started!

Something to try,

Jimmy