Sub Placement For DS7200 system
Systems
Posts: 14,873
I know this could be in the sub forum, but due to the integrated nature of the system, I thought I would put it here. I have a couple of weekends to give this a listen before deciding whether or not to rtn it, & I want to make sure I give it a fair listen.
I've reviewed the sub placement info on the Polk website, w/things like the old trick for finding the best place for your sub, don't put your listening chair/sofa up against the wall (& if you can't avoid it, at least try to compensate by pulling the sub out from wall), etc.
Current sub placement is halfway between front L&R, below TV, w/plenty of space above it & in front of it, but very close to wall in rear & support columns on L & R. It rests on the floor. The TV shelf is supported by two columns to either side of the sub, so even though sub is "hemmed in" on the sides, it's not in an enclosed cabinet. The columns are deep enuff to extend the full depth of the sub. I've tried two 6-channel SACDs & in both cases, even w/sub at minus 10 (lowest setting), the bass was a booming monster that didn't blend well w/sats & ctr. Even less forceful bass notes did not blend in & sound smooth, the way they do w/a good acoustic suspension spkr. The only bass that sounds good so far is pulsating techno bass like you have on current Mitsubishi tv commercials. Since my sofa is against wall, I can rearrange living room to have space behind sofa, put sub in a corner (but still between front spkrs). Beyond that, my options are limited, I live in a 1-bdrm apt.
So, finally, to my questions--would putting an absorbent mat underneath & on floor in front of sub help? Carpet is thin, floors are concrete. Should sub not have cabinetry close to it on the L&R? Will some of this change as system gets broken in? I notice that there's no phase switch, so that's not a way to deal w/it.
By the way, Fireshoes, it was already on order when you made your suggestion, I didn't blow you off.;)
I've reviewed the sub placement info on the Polk website, w/things like the old trick for finding the best place for your sub, don't put your listening chair/sofa up against the wall (& if you can't avoid it, at least try to compensate by pulling the sub out from wall), etc.
Current sub placement is halfway between front L&R, below TV, w/plenty of space above it & in front of it, but very close to wall in rear & support columns on L & R. It rests on the floor. The TV shelf is supported by two columns to either side of the sub, so even though sub is "hemmed in" on the sides, it's not in an enclosed cabinet. The columns are deep enuff to extend the full depth of the sub. I've tried two 6-channel SACDs & in both cases, even w/sub at minus 10 (lowest setting), the bass was a booming monster that didn't blend well w/sats & ctr. Even less forceful bass notes did not blend in & sound smooth, the way they do w/a good acoustic suspension spkr. The only bass that sounds good so far is pulsating techno bass like you have on current Mitsubishi tv commercials. Since my sofa is against wall, I can rearrange living room to have space behind sofa, put sub in a corner (but still between front spkrs). Beyond that, my options are limited, I live in a 1-bdrm apt.
So, finally, to my questions--would putting an absorbent mat underneath & on floor in front of sub help? Carpet is thin, floors are concrete. Should sub not have cabinetry close to it on the L&R? Will some of this change as system gets broken in? I notice that there's no phase switch, so that's not a way to deal w/it.
By the way, Fireshoes, it was already on order when you made your suggestion, I didn't blow you off.;)
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Post edited by Unknown User on
Comments
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Hello,
Thanks for participating in the Forum, I'll try and offer some useful information. As many have said before, sub-woofer placement is probably as important as the actual sub-woofer itself in getting well balanced bass response. The interaction between the extremely long bass wave lengths, that the woofer produces, and the room's boundaries and the listening position all have to be considered. While placing a sound deadening material under the sub-woofer could help eliminate transferring bass vibrations to the surrounding cabinet I don't think it will solve the fundamental problem. Is it possible to pull the sub-woofer forward, even 1' to 1 1/2', can make all of the difference? Also if you could bring the listening position forward slightly, this could place you out of an area where standing waves might be occurring. Another test, to try, would be to reverse the sub-woofer, place the driver inward and the rear of the enclosure facing outward, just to see what repositioning accomplishes. Remember it can sometimes be less than a foot of change that can make a tremendous difference. But, above all, be patient, it's a trial and error procedure that requires some experimentation.
To change the polarity relationship between the satellites and the sub-woofer, reverse the speaker connections on the satellites. Flipping positive for negative on the satellites and center is the same as reversing the sub-woofer's polarity.
Regards, Ken Swauger
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