PLACEMENT, SET-UP, INTEGRATION, TWEAKING
The sawdust has settled, there are still a few splinters under your fingernails, and you can always put the tools away later, really. It's time to make that box jump off the floor. The non-directional nature of bass has already been discussed, and you will recall that specific room placement of the subwoofer is not as critical as other speakers in your system. We also touched on the subject of standing waves inside the speaker enclosure; it shouldn't surprise us that we will need to address standing waves in the listening space as well. Bass energy is easily reinforced by reflection, and as those reflections recombine, the resulting buildup can cause very irregular response in the room in the form of peaks. Similarly, phase cancellations can occur when the sound waves at a specific frequency cause destructive interference and cancel each other out, and create holes or nulls in the response. Keeping the subwoofer out of the center between two opposing walls, and also out of corners, will help to achieve the most even, consistent response. Symmetry is not our friend, here. In some cases, moving the enclosure just a few feet can make a noticeable difference.
Aligning the subwoofer along a line drawn between the left/right main speakers will help to keep the speakers in the same time domain (yes, a foot or two can matter here!) and will improve coherence. When properly integrated, the actual location of the subwoofer will disappear and the bass will seem to be coming from the little bitty speakers on either side. Test tones and measurement equipment can help you with your system setup, but good results can also be achieved by spending time with a couple of well recorded CDs with which you are especially familiar. You may find it useful to have an associate (your spouse may or may not have the patience for this) make adjustments to the various system controls, or even move speaker enclosures, while you remain in a consistent listening position. After satisfying yourself that your primary location is OK, move around a bit to make sure that the wider soundstage is acceptable. Now relax and enjoy beautiful music.
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