Bottlehead Forum
Bottlehead Kits => Subette Subwoofer => Topic started by: ipetruk on August 12, 2024, 04:19:28 PM
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Hi,
I've read the description of the Subette and I am really curious how is it suppose to be wired and positioned.
In particular when you plan to use just one speaker with your TV. For example when you have a TV stand that has your record player and your amps. The TV itself is mounted on the wall above the stand.
Two Pipette speakers on both sides make sense. Can Subette be on the side? It seems like that would make the bass off center. What about somehow placing it horizontally? What would be a suggestion?
I'd suppose having two Subettes and Sublimes would solve that problem, but that is twice as expensive
Thanks,
Igor.
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It crosses over at a low enough frequency that you can get away with it being positioned away from center stage without too much trouble. And yes, you could lay the cabinet on its side if you like.
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thoughts on hanging the subette horizontal above my pipettes? or should it be lower to the ground? pic for reference
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It should be OK. The thing about subwoofers is that they produce sound at wavelengths that are in the same general magnitude as room dimensions. Because of this they can activate room modes - resonances that can be boomy sounding. Every room is going to have a different set of places where certain bass frequencies might get louder or softer if the subwoofer is located there. So the best way to approach subwoofer placement is to try it in a spot and see how it sounds. If it seems to be boomy or sucked out at a certain bass frequency you can try moving it a foot or so to see if that resolves the issue. You might want to have someone hold the sub up to the wall where you are thinking of hanging it and seeing how it sounds at your listening position before you hang the speaker permanently.
In theory you might want the sub to sit slighty off center both vertically and horizontally so you don't activate the most obvious side wall-to-side wall and floor-to-ceiling modes. But a theory is just a theory and you really need to try it out and see how it sounds
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I just happened to be reviewing my Hsu Research subwoofer manual and it has a nice synopsis on rules of thumb for placing a subwoofer:
Rules of thumb for placement
• Avoid the center of the room: In general, avoid placing the subwoofer half way between the front
and back walls. This is where you get a strong null from your room’s standing waves. You should
also avoid sitting in that area. No matter how powerful the subwoofer is, there will not be much
bass around the center of the room.
• Use corner placement: Subwoofers usually sound best tucked in a corner. A good corner is far from
wall divisions and has at least 6 feet of wall to either side. If you have more than one good corner, use
the one farthest away from large room openings or the one closest to the listener. Keep the subwoofer
within 1 foot of the wall.
• Use nearfield placement: A good subwoofer usually sounds best close to the listening position. As an
added bonus, the subwoofer’s volume level will be lower so neighbors are less disturbed. We strongly
recommend this method if your couch is up against the back wall and your room is over 18 feet deep.
• Use “subwoofer crawling”: This excellent technique is not as hard as it sounds. The room’s
acoustical reflections are used to your advantage. Place the subwoofer in the listening position, in
a seat, towards ear level. Connect the subwoofer to the system and play some music with steady and
constant bass. Walk around the room, listening for the nicest and most even bass. When the bass
sounds good, crouch down and listen where the subwoofer would normally be. You may use a SPL
meter to measure the evenness of the bass. Mark the best sounding place. The subwoofer should
be placed there.