New subwoofer

[deeder7001]

I bought a subwoofer and it arrived yesterday. Since then I've been trying to find the best spot for it. For now it's sitting under my desk and it sounds ok. What's the best place for a subwoofer besides the corners?

It's a Yamaha YST-SW216.

[k_rock923]

Just make sure it stays on the floor. Hardwood floors are better. You can't tell what direction frequencies that low are coming from, so it doesn't matter where it goes in relation to the listener.

[P$ycHo™]

don't put it too close to your computer! i was at my frien and we wanted to do a little LAN and my PC was standing next to the Subwoofer. Everytime windows booted, it crashed. i thought WTF? my system is f**ked up again! i reinstalled XP and it still crashed. after 4 hours we moved the tower a little bit away from the subwoofer for some reason, and tada, everything worked.
The problem was my window kid. it didn't protect good enough form the magnetic field of the woofer.

[deeder7001]

This subwoofer is magnetically shielded. At least that's what it says in the manual. For now the sub will stay under the desk like it was part of a 2.1 set for computers.

[Psythik]

Originally posted by k_rock923
Hardwood floors are better.

I disagree. Every time the subwoofer in the living room hit, it moved around so much that I had to put a piece of carpet under it.

You can't tell what direction frequencies that low are coming from, so it doesn't matter where it goes in relation to the listener.

Just be sure that if you do decide to put it behind you or far off to the side, that you properly set the phase knob/switch on the sub.

[k_rock923]

You might very well be, and probably are right. I don't know a ton about audio, but enough to make things sound at least decent.

[deeder7001]

I never really liked hardwood floors. Seems like it would echo more in the room.

[P$ycHo™]

Originally posted by deeder7001
This subwoofer is magnetically shielded. At least that's what it says in the manual. For now the sub will stay under the desk like it was part of a 2.1 set for computers.

My friend's woofer was build by his brother, so it was unshielded.

[ScorLibran]

It's all a matter of how much bass you want, and how you want your bass to sound.

It's impossible to accurately predict from afar how a subwoofer will perform in a particular location. There are many factors to consider: quality of the subwoofer, acoustic characteristics of the subwoofer, the thickness of the carpet on which the subwoofer will sit, the composition and thickness of the walls, whether anything in the room is subject to rattling, how much furniture resides in the room, the composition of materials in the room, etc. And, of course, convenience of location - the factor that determines most subwoofer placements.

GENERALLY, the subwoofer should always sit next to a wall. Exceptions may include the layout of the room not allowing it, or if you share walls with neighbors. A sub against the wall is considerably more noticeable in the next room than one sitting away from the wall.

Once you've determined it's OK to place the sub against a wall, now you'll want to determine how close to a corner you should place it. The closer to a corner it sits, the more bass you'll hear from the subwoofer. But also know that the closer to a corner, the more "muddy" or "booming" the bass can become. If you want as much booming bass as possible, then stick that sucker right in the corner and be done with it.

For bass that I consider powerful enough but also "sharp" enough, I find that placing most subwoofers about 1.5 to 2 feet from the centerline of the subwoofer to a corner of the room provides the best bass response. Use this guideline and find you're own "favorite" spot for your sub.

If your subwoofer has its own master pot, then adjust it to the setting recommended by the manufacturer while you're trying it in different positions. You don't need a flat audio response - in fact, put your software EQ and DSP settings wherever you normally like them, THEN start experimenting with subwoofer position.

And, of course, don't monkey with settings - even output volume - once you've started trying out locations for your subwoofer. And use one song to test with. Put it in the playlist editor by itself and turn on track repeat. That way the results will be meaningful.





Oh, and hi everybody.

[eheiney]

Scor! You're back!

[deeder7001]

I put it in a corner. I may not keep it there.

Hello Scor.

[Psythik]

Originally posted by ScorLibran
For bass that I consider powerful enough but also "sharp" enough, I find that placing most subwoofers about 1.5 to 2 feet from the centerline of the subwoofer to a corner of the room provides the best bass response. Use this guideline and find you're own "favorite" spot for your sub.

If your subwoofer has its own master pot, then adjust it to the setting recommended by the manufacturer while you're trying it in different positions. You don't need a flat audio response - in fact, put your software EQ and DSP settings wherever you normally like them, THEN start experimenting with subwoofer position.

Another thing you could try is to place the sub in your normal listening position, then crawl around the room until you find the spot where the bass sounds its best to you. Put the sub in that spot. Works for me every time.

Oh, and hi Scor.

[ScorLibran]

Interesting idea. I'll have to try that next time.

Except that now, at age 40, "crawling around the room" is a much more daunting prospect than it used to be.

Oh, and one other thing. People assume you have the subwoofer on carpet, because most people enjoy music, movies or games in carpeted rooms. But in case the room with your subwoofer is NOT carpeted, be sure to insulate the subwoofer cabinet from the hard floor. Those little rubber feet that stick to the bottom of the unit work well. If you don't have any, then try a short stack of paper. Don't use towels or a folded blanket - the sub should have a solid foundation, as you do want it to transmit some of its output cleanly into the floor.

[deeder7001]

I have already done the crawling on the floor thing. Came up with nothing except for the spot under the desk.

[ScorLibran]

The intersection of convenience and efficacy is a lovely place.

[deeder7001]

I guess so. A sub that doubles as a footrest. I just have to be careful not to kick it.

[ScorLibran]

I've kicked my Klipsch subwoofer many times. Never seemed to bother it. It also serves as a footrest and a cat bed. Complete with heat and vibrate.

[deeder7001]

My Yamaha is front firing so the grill is facing out-ward(why is that word censored?) with the speaker right behind it. So far no problems. What Klipsch sub do you have?

[ryan]

Originally posted by deeder7001
My Yamaha is front firing so the grill is facing out-ward(why is that word censored?) with the speaker right behind it. So far no problems. What Klipsch sub do you have?

******d is not, ****** is. It just happens to have a censored word in it. I've forgotten why.

[ScorLibran]

Originally posted by deeder7001
What Klipsch sub do you have?

An older model of the ProMedia 2.1 line (meaning I bought it five years ago).

[deeder7001]

Nice. I've heard some Klipsch speaker set at Circuit City a few times and I liked how it sounded.

[ScorLibran]

All speaker models have their own "sound". I'd call the Klipsch ProMedia speaker set "throaty", which comes from some shaping of the sound, as all but $10,000 speakers do. But it's easily EQ'ed out, and overall their sound quality is very good. The bass is strong and clean. And they have enough power to, by themselves, to fill a decent-sized party with respectably clear, wall-shaking sound. (Which has caused many people to ask, in astonishment, "Those are PC speakers?!?")

[deeder7001]

As I know Klipsch PC speaker sets aren't exactly cheap you paid a good bit. A sound investment.

[ScorLibran]

That it was. They cost me about $270 at the time I bought them. A decision I was questioning all the way home, until I hooked them up...

[deeder7001]

I wouldn't have even questioned the decision unless it was a different brand. Until recently I never knew Klipsch made speakers starting way back in the 40s.

[m0e]

Originally posted by ScorLibran
Except that now, at age 40, "crawling around the room" is a much more daunting prospect than it used to be.

You get used to that when chasing a four year old around the house.

Originally posted by ScorLibran
That it was. They cost me about $270 at the time I bought them. A decision I was questioning all the way home, until I hooked them up...

I felt the same way when I bought my ProMedia 4.1's, even though it was less out of pocket since I had an in-store credit, and already had a pair of Chorus II's and a KV-3 in my home theater setup. That kind of money for computer speakers has that kind of an effect.

[deeder7001]

If I had bought my speakers and subwoofer straight from Yamaha I would have paid $300+. I'd still have to buy the amp and other accessories to complete the system.

[cmountford]

Originally posted by Psythik
I disagree. Every time the subwoofer in the living room hit, it moved around so much that I had to put a piece of carpet under it.

ROFL you should get some cerwin vega earthquake speakers

http://www.pssl.com/Cerwin-Vega-EL36...e-18-Subwoofer

ROFL...if you have a really great equalizer (PA quality, you need to be able to limit the equalizer to strictly subsonic (below what humans can hear)--sound. I worked for this mobile DJ owner, and he has a bunch of Earthquakes, and he played a prank on the neighbors once where he did this, and pictures were falling off the walls & crap (we're nowhere near any major fault lines, so earthquakes don't happen here). They're like what the hell is mike doing this time.

I mean those things are amazing at parties...they go soooo deep...I think the frequency response actually goes lower than what is listed on the page (I'd say around 20 or maybe 15 Hz)

You need your own dedicated amp, but they will make an entire dancehall hella shake. Your neighbors would hate you though

[edit]: the picture doesn't really show how big those babies are... but read dimensions: Size: 36"h x 24"w x 36"d. Wt. 162 lbs.

that's 3 feet x 2 ft by 3 ft. and they weigh 162 pounds EACH. He's hooked 8 C-V earthquakes up at this huge party before (He would charge $5000 for a show like that)...he had over $100,000 worth of sound & lighting equipment at those student council conventions)...I mean it's hella overkill but he was showing off for a student council convention to get schools to book with him (2 or 4 Vegas normally saturate a huge dance room w/ hella shaking.

[P$ycHo™]

JACKHAMMER!!

[cmountford]

Originally posted by deeder7001
I guess so. A sub that doubles as a footrest. I just have to be careful not to kick it.

I must admit I've done this before

[cmountford]

Originally posted by deeder7001
I guess so. A sub that doubles as a footrest. I just have to be careful not to kick it.

I must admit I've done this before

[cmountford]

Originally posted by cmountford
I must admit I've done this before

uhhh wtf.

MODS: Why won't it let me edit-delete the accidental duplicate post?

[ryan]

The real question is, why did you post AGAIN?

[cmountford]

hopefully so the mods can address this issue & explain why I can't delete my own damn posts

[deeder7001]

Since my last post, I've put the sub in a corner behind me. Across the room from the speakers. At first I had it on the floor which was somewhat problematic. I would hear all the upper bass frequencies.

Yesterday I got bored and put it on some soda cans(to get it off the floor). That pretty much fixed my problem of the upper bass. Today I put those soda cans into the box they came in and put a blanket over the box. Now it sounds much more like it should.

[Psythik]

Originally posted by P$ycHoâ„¢
JACKHAMMER!!

[Image]

Your pic is useless if it doesn't have something beside it to show how big this mofo really is:

[ScorLibran]

Originally posted by deeder7001
Yesterday I got bored and put it on some soda cans(to get it off the floor). That pretty much fixed my problem of the upper bass. Today I put those soda cans into the box they came in and put a blanket over the box. Now it sounds much more like it should.

Kudos. Not many things in this world are nicer than having an audio setup you really like.

[deeder7001]

The best part is that I don't know of anybody that has a nicer sounding system than mine.

[ScorLibran]

Cool. Me too. Part of it's that "good sound" is something slightly different for all of us, and another part is that real audio enthusiasts tend to be few and far between in the world, so we either own or can name someone who owns the best system among our group of friends - but often not more than one such person.

In my case, no one close to me in real life is nearly as picky about sound (or video) quality as I am, and as such, I'm the one they call when they plan on buying any serious A/V equipment. Same thing with tech support - I'm the one they call when their computer breaks. As full of techies as this place is, I'm sure lot's of folks here experience the same thing.

[deeder7001]

People always call me when they need something done with A/V stuff or computers too. I hate knowing so much sometimes.


This is another forum I go to a lot. The main thing there is audio. Quite a few are like Atmo only for audio equipment there.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?