The vast majority of sound systems, whether for PC or any other audio source, include a powerful and large subwoofer . This greatly hinders where to place it , but you should know that depending on where we place it we will have a better or worse sound, especially in the bass sounds that are provided by the subwoofer. In this article we are going to tell you where you should place it to have the best possible sound .
Sometimes physical conditions limit us a lot where to place the subwoofer of the sound system. Since they are large and heavy, it is difficult to have them on the table or where they could sound better, so we will start by saying that if you do not have enough space to place it where it sounds best, you will have to make room or hold on and place it where you can best. We assume, however, that before buying the sound system you have already taken into account that it will come with a large subwoofer and that you have space to place it .
In any case, keep in mind that the subwoofer is an essential element of sound systems. Not only because it is the one that provides the most power, but because it is responsible for transmitting the bass sounds that give depth and immersion to all kinds of sounds, whether for when we are playing, listening to music or watching a movie. If we use an audio system and do not connect the subwoofer, the sounds will seem empty and without depth.
This is the ideal location for the subwoofer
The ideal placement depends on the conditions of the room where we are going to place it. This element is normally very powerful but it depends to a great extent on the reverberation of the room where we place it, the distance from the walls and the height from the ceiling, so it is not the same to place it on the floor than on the desktop of the PC.
Normally we will find recommendations to place it in a similar way to this image:
This image is correct, relatively, because as we say it depends on how the room is, and it greatly influences whether we place it on the floor or on top of a piece of furniture.
Actually, the ideal location for a subwoofer is on the floor and in a corner , but leaving a certain distance from the walls to avoid the bounce effect (and, very important, never touching anything else and less the walls). In this way, it will take advantage of both walls to reverberate and thus expand the intensity of the sound, being also increased (although less, due to the distance) by the ceiling.
In a 2.1 speaker system where there is no center speaker, it is also a good location to place the subwoofer right in the center, so that its sound reaches everywhere. However, and given the size that these devices usually have, it is quite difficult to place them in that position without interfering with other things or getting in the way (or simply not looking good).
If we want to put it on top of a piece of furniture, we must be careful, because the subwoofer will make it vibrate and the sound would be distorted depending on the materials of said furniture and its stability. For this reason, it is important that if we want (or have to) place it on top of a piece of furniture, it is stable and robust, and we should avoid it being metallic as much as possible. In addition, if you do this, it is recommended that the subwoofer have rubber feet to absorb vibrations (and if it does not have them, it would be advisable to put a rubber support for this purpose).
In all the ways and as we anticipated at the beginning, it will depend a lot on the layout of the room where we are going to install it, so the best thing many times is to try in different places until you find the place where it sounds best.
Another important detail is to place it in an area where the sound is not “drowned out” by surrounding furniture or the like. The subwoofer should be free with no possibility of the waves bouncing too close as the effect is totally counterproductive. There are people who are looking precisely for this device not to be seen in plain sight and that is why they hide it.
This is a misconception and not understanding how this device actually works in the immersion of the system, so it is a factor to take into account.
A practical example is with a Razer Leviathan , which consists of a sound bar and a large subwoofer. The soundbar is placed under the monitor, and we have found the best sound from the subwoofer by placing it between the monitor and the PC case, about 15 cm from the wall and 25 cm from the case. In this way, the PC case (with tempered glass side) acts as a wall, and the effect of the bass that is created is spectacular. And, although it is on the table (made of wood), it does not create vibrations in it thanks to the rubber feet (unless we turn up the volume to the maximum).
In short, the ideal location of the subwoofer depends a lot on how it is and especially on the conditions of the room in which you are going to place it, so we cannot say that there is an ideal position that is the panacea for all users, because where it works perfectly for some, others may find problems.
