Sub goes where?

[Frankie]

I was always under the impression that a sub was always located to the left and front of the viewing area. At least that was the direction that the folks guys over at HTF told me to go. I’ve always done it that way

The other day I was reading some information on rear speaker placement at the Dolby site www.dolby.com and they mentioned that sub placement could be anywhere that’s convenient because LFE is non-directional.

I tend to believe this, but wanted to get some feed back from around here. Where do you guys locate your sub? Is it a trial and error thing. At one time I was going to secure my sub to the floor joists in my crawl space directly beneath my viewing room.

F

[I 8 Piglet]

I belive that the general concensus it can sound right and be placed just about anywhere (not saying that everywhere will sound right) its one of those things where you really just need to play around with it and find out what works best for you.

[SeanL]

LFE is non directional, but at times you can still detect which direction the bass is coming from. Traditionally, the best spot for seamless sound is to put the sub between the tv and one of your main speakers. This gives a seamless soundstage, but may not produce the most bass. If you don't care about directionality, then the best bet is to sit the sub in your listening position, and with a test tone running, you crawl around till you find the spot with the best bass response. Another possibility, is that if your room layout permits, sit the sub in a corner. That usually generates good bass, but may not provide for a seamless sound.

Rooms are so different, and bass sound being a matter of personal preference often times, that one is best off experimenting and going with what sounds best to them.

[Frankie]

I guess I'll try moving it around. I don't have a lot of options. My TV is in a corner angled toward the viewing area. I had the sub behind the TV at one time but found it to be very boomy (is that even a word?)

I used it a support for my left front at one point. After the minor renovation it ended up on the left side at the end of the couch firing against the wall. It sounds fine there so long as you’re not sitting in the couch. My wife was getting nauseous sitting there. Unlike my 18-year-old son she's not a big LFE fan.

I had it in the corner behind us a one point but it sounded strange in that location as well.

I guess I’m doing a little testing. At least I’m not constricted by a rule or guideline.

F

[chipmac]

I've read many times that the best way to locate your sub is to place it where you normally sit. Now move yourself around the room as it plays and where it sounds best is where you should put it. I've never tried it but many other's have and claim it works.