Subwoofer on a shelf?

jwl

Hello,

Is there any issue with putting a subwoofer on a shelf - say 3-4 feet off the floor?

Does the distance from the sub to the person's ear matter.

The sub I am using is the Polk PSW10.

J

Syndil

Since it's front-firing, shouldn't be much of an issue acoustically, but it may vibrate the shelf.

McLoki

you can put a sub anywhere you would like - there are a few things to keep in mind though....

The shelf will have to be REALLY sturdy. Just holding the subs weight is only part of the issue, they also vibrate a lot and the sub could vibrate off the shelf or the shelf could vibrate off the wall. (may need to attach the sub to the shelf somehow, not just set it there - may not be a huge issue with that sub though.)

That is polks lowest sub, what that means, is it may need the additional bass energy of reflecting off the floor. The sound may be a little less boomy but there will be a lot less bass present up in the air. (if the sub is more than powerful enough now - may not be an issue, but once again, that would be suprising with that sub)

Every speaker matters how far it is from the listeners ear. Volume drops 6db every time distance from the speaker doubles. (another way to think about it is the same volume requires about 4 times the power every time the distance doubles)

As opposed to mids and highs, bass is pretty much non-directional though, so the subwoofer does not have to "point" at the listener like other speakers should.

If it were my speaker, I would probably not risk it, but then again, I have not been in your room, if you are confident the shelf will hold it while playing - throw it up there and see how it sounds.

Michael

drummer87

I agree with above post I have this same sub sitting on the floor next to my entertainment system. The vibrations feel better on the floor especially in movies with explosions and such you will lose some of that if you move it off the floor.