Cerwin-Vega CVHF-A18S Manual - Manual (Page 6)

3. PlaCing tHe SUbwooFer (Figure 3.1)
Proper placement of your subwoofer will result in the best musical and home theater experience. Thankfully, subwoofer
placement is not difficult.
Subwoofers reproduce low-frequency audio. Low frequencies are not as directional as high frequency signals, so unlike
placing high-frequency speakers subwoofers can usually be placed anywhere in the room.
When you put a subwoofer in a room, the sound waves bounce back and forth between the parallel surfaces of the room. When
they combine, it is possible to get a “standing wave.” If they cancel each other out you can get a null. If you listen in a location
where standing waves peak, you will likely hear boomy, one-note bass. If you are sitting in a null, you will hear less bass. Moving
a foot or two to either side of a null can cause the bass to “magically" reappear.
As you can see, the subwoofer and your particular room work together. It's not just the location of the subwoofer that matters:
where you place the sofa and chairs is just as important. Here are a few tricks that will help you work around peaks and nulls
and assist you in getting the best sound from your subwoofer.
If possible, place the subwoofer on the same horizontal plane as your main speakers, i.e. in line with them.
Corners and walls reinforce bass frequencies. If possible, place the subwoofer in the corner of a room or next to a wall, and
then use the subwoofer’s level control to dial in the right amount of bass.
The worst place for a subwoofer is in the middle of a room. There are no walls to reinforce the bass energy there.
If there is too much bass buildup in one area, try moving furniture around to dissipate, or diffuse, this buildup. Careful subwoofer
and furniture placement will help to more evenly distribute the bass frequencies throughout the room. A second subwoofer can
also be used to more evenly distribute bass frequencies, though is usually not necessary.
The most difficult room shape is square, so if you have the flexibility to choose which room you'll use for home theater or you
are building a new home and designating a space for home theater, avoid rooms with equal dimensions.
The closer you sit to a wall, the more pressure your ear will pick up and the greater the bass intensity will be.
Avoid rooms with concrete floors and walls. Walls where the wallboard flexes are more absorptive and produce fewer problems
with "bass boom." If you can't avoid concrete walls, add studs and one layer of wallboard to the walls of the room to further aid
absorption.
Cerwin-Vega! CVHF - Powered Subwoofers for Home
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Figure 3.1
Approximately equal distances