When in doubt about the speakers' sizes, always select "small" on the setup menu. It adjusts the waveform slightly, and that, in turn, changes where the peaks occur in the room. When all else fails, try placing the sub as close as possible to your couch or chair, with the sub in the "end table" position. Buying a cable a foot or two too short is a drag, and after you've opened the package you may not be able to return it for a refund or exchange. Setting the subwoofer volume is next. Sets the phase of the subwoofer. Once the sub is a lot farther away, it will be harder to maintain the illusion the bass is coming from the speakers. To check your sub's phase, play music with lots of bass, listen for a minute or so, and have a friend sitting by the sub flip the sub's 0/180-degree phase switch slowly back and forth. If you're having problems finding the perfect spot, try this method: move your couch or chair out of the way, or into another room, and put the sub in the listening position. It's provided because the speakers and subwoofer sound best when they are in-phase -- meaning their woofers move in and out in sync with each other. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. In some rooms, smooth bass response won't be all that hard to achieve, but I've heard my share of "problem" rooms where the bass always sounds boomy or muddy. That's why it's worth making an effort to find the best location for your sub; it can make a dramatic difference in the sound. If you're still not satisfied with the sound try using the receiver's manual speaker setup. If you don't hear any difference between the 0 and 180-degree settings, leave the phase control in the 0 position. Precisely matching the volume levels of the front left, center, right, and surround speakers is important, but subwoofer volume is more subjective. On some receivers you'll be presented with a wide range of subwoofer or crossover settings, from 40Hz up to as high as 250Hz. The "by ear" method works well enough. But if you don't like the change, return to the previous setting or rerun the auto setup to return to your original calibration settings. This two-part guide will help you get the best room-shaking bass from your subwoofer. When the bass sound is lacking or unclear, switch the subwoofer phase. First, you will need to set all of your speakers so that they are facing the same direction. One of the other controls you may find on your subwoofer's rear panel is marked "phase." The phase control operates over a range of 0 to 180 degrees. Setting the subwoofer volume is next. To non-audiophiles the maze of connectors can be intimidating, but in most instances the single-cable Sub In connection will be the easiest and best-sounding hookup method. Next, turn the sub's (low-pass) crossover control knob to its maximum, highest numerical setting (you're going to rely on your AV receiver's internal crossover control to route the mid and high frequencies to the speakers and the bass to the sub). The sub and speakers have to work together as a team, and ideally you should never hear the sub as a separate sound source. The most common crossover frequency recommended (and the THX standard) is 80 Hz. A sound level meter can be a big help when setting speaker levels, but it's nearly useless for determining the sub's correct volume level. Learn how to correctly set up your subwoofers for optimal placement and connectivity. All of the bass should appear to come from the speakers. We always try to get the best sound at the 0 setting, but the phase control can be a lifesaver when all else fails. If you know your speaker’s frequency range, set the crossover point roughly 10 Hz above the lowest frequency your speakers can handle cleanly. I can set the sub's volume level with DVDs in 10 minutes or less, but with CDs I might be fiddling around for days. If you don't hear any difference between the 0 and 180-degree settings, leave the phase control in the 0 position. If the sub and main speakers were in phase, he'd hear a single thump when he connected the battery to the wires leading to the sub's terminals. Adjusting phase on a subwoofer is very similar to what happens when you move it along a wall. If you like what you hear, great, you're done! Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Again, if you feel like this is all a little too complicated, relax, take a deep breath, run the auto setup program, and let the receiver sort things out. With small speakers, it's best to keep the sub within 3 or 4 feet of the front left or right speakers. Some folks like to feel the sub working the room all the time -- and some prefer to only hear the sub's contributions with big special-effects-driven movies or dance music. So if you have any doubts, try turning the subwoofer's volume control up or down. Setting the phase control to 180 degrees reverses the polarity of the subwoofer. August 29, 2012: This is an update of my subwoofer setup article from 2008. The goal is to get the best balance of deep bass from the sub and still have the mid and upper bass from the speakers in equal proportions (adjust the subwoofer volume control in each new position). If you need a long interconnect or RCA subwoofer cable, I recommend Blue Jeans Cable. If you're lucky enough to have large floor-standing speakers with 8-inch or larger woofers, you may wish to run them as "large" speakers. Larger speakers are generally easier to match with subs; small speakers or speakers with 4-inch or smaller woofers can require more fine-tuning to get right. While a subwoofer's deep bass is nondirectional, it would be unwise to just stick the sub anywhere that's convenient in your room. The subwoofer crossover is a crucial part of setting your speakers to work harmoniously and avoid inconsistencies with the output. You may have to try a few different recordings before you hear any difference, and it might help to turn up the sub's volume level for this test. Then again, don't be surprised if the sub still doesn't sound as good as you think it should. Now play music and movies with lots of bass, and take a little stroll around your room, stopping in the spots where you'd like to place the sub. Setting the Phase. Adding delay to the subwoofer signal can sometimes help the subwoofer to integrate better with the loudspeakers in the room. Yes, I know that sounds like a crazy idea, but it's just for test purposes. © 2020 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Merely buying a great subwoofer is no guarantee that you'll wind up with great bass. If your AV receiver has an auto speaker setup program, run the complete setup routine with the calibration microphone that came with the receiver. Bruce recalled his days setting up sound systems when he'd use a 1.5-volt battery to test subwoofer phase. When you find the place that sounds the best, put the sub in that spot. Here you can see the Sub In connection on the Hsu's rear panel; on other subs the input may be labeled LFE, Direct, or Bypass. The numbers below highlight general guidelines for speaker/subwoofer crossover frequencies. Turn the volume control halfway up. For really small speakers or skinny sound bars, keep the sub as close as possible to the speaker(s). The Hsu Research subwoofer's rear panel pictured on the right is fairly typical. 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