Gateway SW203 - Manual (Page 5)

5
C
Away from walls:
Normal bass
Against walls:
More bass
In Corner:
Most bass
Away from walls:
Normal bass
Against walls:
More bass
In Corner:
Most bass
DRAWING 3 - SW103/SW203/SW303 placement
PLACEMENT
Where to position your
SW103/SW203/SW303
The SW103/SW203/SW303 operates at
low bass frequencies which are essentially
omni-directional. That means you can place
the SW103/SW203/SW303 almost anywhere
in a room without compromising the effec-
tiveness of your main stereo speakers.
Four factors need to be considered:
1) distance from your main speakers;
2) distance from a wall outlet;
3) distance from your receiver; and
4) proximity to walls and corners.
1. Distance from your main speakers.
The best placement for your subwoofer is
on the same wall as the main speakers, espe-
cially if you are matching up with small book-
shelf speakers. With tower speakers, side wall
or rear placement is also acceptable.
2. Wall outlet. Since the SW103, SW203,
and SW303 require AC power, it must be
placed within ten feet of a wall outlet. We
don’t recommend extending that range
with an extension cord.
3. Connections to your receiver,
integrated amplifier or preamplifier.
If your receiver or integrated amplifier
does not have a subwoofer output or LFE
output (see next page), setup between
the amp and SW103/SW203/SW303 will
be made with speaker wire. You can basi-
cally place the SW103/SW203/SW303 any-
where in a normal-sized room.
4. Proximity to walls and corners.
Physical placement of the subwoofer will
have a definite impact on the frequency
response and the perceived amount of
SW103/SW203/SW303 bass output.
Because low frequencies have long wave-
lengths, they are influenced by proximity
to a boundary such as a wall or floor.
See Drawing 3 below. When you place
the SW103/SW203/SW303 well away from
a wall, it will produce bass at a certain
level. Move the subwoofer close
to the wall, it will produce more output
(about 3dB more). Putting the subwoofer
in a corner will increase output another
3dB (6dB more than when placed away
from walls and corners).
All this technical jargon may sound con-
fusing, but it basically means that you have a
number of options, each of which produces
a different amount of bass. For example, if
you like a lot of heavy bass, consider putting
the SW103/SW203/SW303 into a corner. If
you like smoother, less-obvious bass,
move the subwoofer out into the room.
The main thing to remember is that there
Connecting the
SW103/SW203/SW303
to a wall plug
The SW103/SW203/SW303 draws a
moderately high amount of current. We do
not recommend plugging it into a “conve-
nience” outlet (switched or unswitched)
that is often found on the back of receivers
and other stereo components.
Instead, connect the SW103, SW203, or
SW303 ONLY to its own AC outlet. See items
8 and 9 in the Safety Instructions at the
beginning of this manual.
is no “right” or “wrong” place to put the
SW103/SW203/SW303(assuming it’s less
than ten feet from a wall receptacle). It all
depends on how much bass you want.
Another reason to experiment – because low
bass waves are very large (up to forty feet or
more across!), they tend to cancel and rein-
force each other, causing places in the room
where there is lots of bass and others where
there isn’t very much at all. If you walk
around your listening room while playing
music, you’ll probably discover these sorts of
areas where bass is either exaggerated or
reduced.
Incidentally, moving the SW103, SW203,
or SW303 around won’t affect the stereo
imaging of your main stereo system, so
feel free to try various subwoofer positions.