What is the best location for a subwoofer?

It is beneficial to choose your soundbar’s placement options. The location of your soundbar really makes a difference if you want to make the most of it. Placing your soundbar at the wrong location may disappoint you in the long run by ruining your overall experience. So, let’s help you find the most suitable location for your soundbar.

You may choose to place your soundbar above or below your TV. The best location should be in front of you and at ear level. You can either place your soundbar at a rack or mount it on the wall. You can place the speakers and subwoofers at different corners of the room. Also, make sure you are able to access the device easily with remote control.

Here is the advantage I have personally experienced by putting my Soundbar in the right place

  • Enhances the sound quality
  • Provides easy user experience 
  • Looks aesthetically pleasing
  • Eliminates external noises

Can You Put a Subwoofer anywhere in the Room?

The best location for a subwoofer should be along the front wall of the room. It results in the best sound blending with the soundbar. It also minimizes the localization effects of sound. In other words, it makes you feel like the bass is coming from all around you.

Pro Tip: Placing your subwoofer in the corner of a room will maximize its output. Subwoofers placed in the front corner of a room perform the best as they sound louder. They produce more bass with lower distortion.

However, you can still put a subwoofer anywhere in the room as bass waves travel in all directions. In case you do, make sure it is facing your main listening area. Otherwise, the sound effect won’t be as expected.

Can you put a subwoofer behind a couch?

Ideally, subwoofers should be in the front or corner of the room. They should be pulled at least 6-inches away from the wall. It is the ideal location to get the best low-frequency audio signal performance.

There are loads of advantages of placing a subwoofer in the front corner, which we have already mentioned above. Having said that, there is no formula for locating the best spot. It’s completely your personal preference.

Hence, you can place your subwoofer anywhere in the room, including behind a couch. Placing a subwoofer behind the couch can also be beneficial by helping with the localization. You can use an SPL to measure the frequency response of your subwoofers to test the best location.

Can you put things on top of a subwoofer?

Many people think of placing a lamp or a cable box on top of a subwoofer. However, it is not the best practice that you should follow. Let us quickly explain to you why you shouldn’t do that.

You need to avoid putting things on top of a subwoofer. Placing anything on the subwoofer produces vibrations. As a result, any item placed on top of it may fall.

How far from the wall should a subwoofer be?

The ideal distance between a subwoofer and the wall should be 1-2* the diameter of the subwoofer port. For instance, if your subwoofer comes with a 5-inch port, the ideal distance should be 5-10 inches from the wall. If your subwoofer comes with a 7-inch port, the ideal distance should be 7-14 inches from the wall.

There should be enough gap between your subwoofer and the wall. Subwoofers that come in a port design usually have a small hole in the back. The purpose of this hole is to allow air to flow through. While placing these subwoofers, you need to maintain the same distance as mentioned above.

Is it OK to put a subwoofer on the carpet?

Yes, it is absolutely ok to put a subwoofer on the carpet. Carpets usually absorb a very negligible amount of sound. Even if you have a down-facing subwoofer, there won’t be much of a difference in sound output.

Many people ask this question as they have carpet in the living room. Some users have noticed that placing a subwoofer on carpet has benefited them. Controlling the excessive vibration when the device reproduces the punchy bass has become easier for them.

Hence, experts suggest that subwoofers are better on carpet than on a hard surface. In fact, carpets actually help in absorbing the vibration. By controlling the vibration, carpets also control sound distortion.

Can you put a soundbar behind you?

Yes, you can put a soundbar behind you. However, you need to ensure two things. First, you need to ensure that the connectivity is designed for larger distances. Second, the listening experience doesn’t get obstructed. 

Usually, soundbars come with designs that do not include very long wires. The connectivity often isn’t designed to cover longer distances. Hence, if you put the soundbar behind, you might face a problem in connecting your soundbar to the TV. Also, if your soundbar comes with wireless connectivity like Bluetooth, there might be frequent disconnections.

Soundbars are designed to be placed under your TV and in front of you. When you put your soundbar in front of you, the music goes in all directions. Hence, it produces surround sound and gives you the experience of a home theatre. If you put the soundbar behind, you might not get the true feel of a home theatre.

Conclusion

Selecting the location of your soundbar makes a lot of difference if you want to get the best sound. While you can choose to put your soundbar and subwoofers anywhere in the room, the best location is close to your TV facing out the room. The best location for subwoofers would be the two front corners of the room.

However, the ultimate choice of location totally depends on your preferences. While choosing the location, you also need to take into consideration your setup. If you choose to sit too close to your TV, the best position will be right above your TV. If you choose to sit at a distance, it can be below your TV.

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Yo, I'm Sreekanth Devireddy, a technologist, designer and a passionate writer. Previously worked under tech giants as a Head Of Product Reviews. I love to review products and write buyers guide, that helps people to make the right decision at the right time.


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