The positioning of your subwoofer creates a massive impact on the quality of its sound. Therefore, it is necessary to spend considerable time researching the perfect setting for your subwoofer.
Among all positions, placing the subwoofer behind your couch is a common question people ask. There are a lot of things you need to consider such as the subwoofer size, the environment you are in, and many others. Let’s get into it.
Is It Ok to Put A Subwoofer Behind the Couch?
Everyone wants to set their home theater and bass speakers in a way that offers them the most enchanting sound. Is it ok to place it behind the couch? Yes, absolutely.
Placing the subwoofer behind your couch will deliver a clear and blended sound. However, it requires you to consider a few factors for producing the best sound.
Size of Your Subwoofers
The bigger your subwoofer is, the better it is to place it behind the couch. A subwoofer that is large enough to carry the load of your home theater as a whole can be placed behind the couch. However, it would be difficult for a 2.1 set to manage the bass from a distance.
Frequency Requirement of Your Speakers
If you own a speaker that depends on your subwoofer, even for a frequency of 120HZ or above it, then placing the subwoofer behind the couch is not a good idea. This can lead to the disruption of a balanced line. Thus, it will result in a cracked voice coming out of the speaker.
So, in such a situation, the best option is to place the subwoofer near the speaker itself.
Make sure not only to depend on your ears for judging the sound quality. Use an SPL Meter for measuring the hertz frequency. This will clear out your doubt about the best placement position.
Can A Subwoofer Be Put on a Carpet?
A carpeted floor absorbs the sound vibrations. Thus, you will experience fewer vibrations if you use a subwoofer placed on the carpet.
Let us have a glimpse of some benefits of placing the subwoofer on the carpeted floor.
Less Echo Effect of Sonic Waves
The rug in your room can mop up echoes and to muffle effect. This aids a subwoofer to deliver loud and clear sound without facing the challenge of reflecting sonic waves. An echo effect causes the bass speaker to produce a noisy and cracking sound.
So, if you have placed your subwoofer on the carpet, you will be able to hear a well-defined sound coming out of your speakers.
Minimum Vibrations
As we discussed, the carpeted floor can absorb the vibration of any sound. So the vibrations produced from the subwoofer will be reduced to a minimum while using a carpet. The carpet also keeps the subwoofer still and stable, thus producing more evenly distributed sound. Therefore, do not worry if your media room has a carpeted floor.
If you are planning to move your subwoofer to a carpeted floor, I would recommend you to go for it.
Which Way Should A Subwoofer Face?
Apart from the location where the subwoofer is placed, the direction it is facing is also a significant point to consider. So, exploring the best possible way in which your subwoofer should face is a good idea.
It would be best if you tried moving the subwoofer in different directions at the perfect spot you found to place it. The direction where it sounds the best should be the direction your subwoofer should face.
Apart from that, the perfect way in which your bass speaker should face is the main seating area where you listen to the sound coming out of it. Although it is not a thumb rule, most of the time, it offers the most high-quality bass sound.
Also, an important point to bear in mind while deciding the subwoofer’s face is its port position. The port is the hole in your bass speaker to pass the low frequencies in a range to produce a clear and defined sound.
Make sure that a wall or any furniture does not block this port. Place it at least a few inches away from any blockage. This will help to vent out the frequencies of sound in a better way. Otherwise, you will experience blocked and muffled sound from your sub.
Paying heed to the crossover frequency is also a significant pointer while deciding the subwoofer’s facing direction. Suppose the crossover frequency of your bass speaker is high; the distance of port from wall matters. It decides the smoothness of the bass.
Should My Subwoofer Be on The Floor?
Placing a subwoofer on the hard floor directly is not the worst idea, though it’s not an ideal way to place your bass speaker either. A subwoofer on the floor can emit more vibrations as the sound will bounce back easily from it into the whole room. This is because the low frequencies venting out of the subwoofer is omnidirectional.
Also, the bass speaker is the high energy producing boxes. The low-frequency sound transmission requires it to radiate high power. Therefore, it can create pressure on your apartment floor. This is something to keep in mind if you have neighbors below you.
What to Put Under A Subwoofer?
The frequencies coming out of the bass speaker can travel in any direction. Therefore, it will produce vibrations and noise while placed on the floor. This may annoy your neighbors, which is certainly not a good idea.
A subwoofer placement behind couch or a subwoofer placed in front of your sofa does not deal with minimizing its vibration effects. So, it is essential to spare some of your time researching the best way to reduce oscillation.
The best option is to find alternatives to the floor where your subwoofer is recently placed. It means you can use a few things to put under your subwoofer instead of landing it directly on the bare floor.
I recommend some subwoofer isolation feet which go under your subwoofer. These help to stop virations passing through the floor to any neighbours below.
Alternatives of The Floor Placement
Let us discuss a few things that you can use beneath your subwoofer for reducing its vibrations.
- Use a carpet on the floor of your media room. This will reduce the echo effect and vibrations coming out of your bass speaker. This option is best and effortless as well. Also, it is the affordable choice of all other options.
- You can also build a platform for your subwoofer that is not much elevated from the floor. However, make sure it is heightened enough not to reflect the sonic waves. The ideal height of your platform can be 12 inches.
While building a platform, bear in mind that your subwoofer is heavy. So you need to create a base that could handle its weight.
- If you are not comfortable building a platform on your own, you can always head towards the market filled with many products for your rescue. You can order a vibration control foam stand or isolation platform online or from your nearby shop.
- In case you do not wish to place anything beneath your subwoofer, you can also choose vibration absorbing materials present in the marketplace.
Conclusion
A subwoofer undoubtedly enhances the sound quality of your home theater. A perfectly positioned subwoofer can deliver you an awe-inspiring bass sound that could make your day or night perfect. That majestic experience is worth the time and effort you would spend on its placement.
We hope our efforts helped you with your idea of subwoofer placement behind the couch. Now, it’s your turn to create a magical musical moment with your loved ones. So, have a happy and joyful music experience!
Also read my SVS PB1000 VS SB1000 subwoofer comparison here.
