Subwoofer Placement?

I will receive shortly my Behringer B2092A subwoofer to go with my 2031A speakers. My Organ is backed up against a wall crammed between two 6' high utility shelves holding music. The speakers are on the top shelf, aimed toward the middle of the bench at about 6' away and 6' high. Where to put the subwoofer? If I put it on the bottom shelf on either side of the organ it will be off the floor. Does this matter? Next to the bench? Collective wisdom will be much appreciated. Thank you!

Hi Sandy,

I suggest Googling your post's title to find some of the tradeoff's, especially from home theater installations. Your sub weighs almost 60 pounds, so you'll need a sturdy shelf if you put it on one, but also expect that it really should be sitting on the floor. My earlier research seemed to indicate that "it all depends" on the playing space and its acoustics, and your own ears will be a major part of determining where it works best. Of course, moving a 60 pound box around and having sufficient cable to reach it can be some work, but I guess that's all part of the "fun"!

The low notes the sub produces tend to lack a sense of direction, ie, the ears don't really pinpoint where the sound is coming from. My sub is located on a side wall a few feet in front of my main speaker array, which I face when playing (so the sub is to my right) at about 1/3 of the room depth distance. I share it with my home theater, for which it's along it's front speaker/TV wall (the home theater receiver balanced all of its speakers, including the sub, automatically).

My biggest issue with my sub was not so much the placement, but the fact that I had the loudness set too high, so I was exacerbating the standing waves in my living room for the low bass notes. I used a Radio Shack sound pressure level meter to get it set correctly, along with balancing my other speakers accordingly, and that made a great (and beneficial) difference.

Barry

Thank you Barry! The loudness issue would not have occurred to me. After all, isn't louder better? Guess not.

And, if you place it in a corner, you will an "acoustical" amplification factor, usually not uniform across the low end. This can help or hurt depending on other factors of the room.

Rgds,
Ed

Thanks again to Barry and Ed. Moving stuff to find the right spot was difficult as I had to move a piano! But, the directions with the subwoofer clued me in. Try to put it at the stereo center. So I placed it directly behind me on the organ bench and presto, there it was. Thanks again.

Sandy Hackney
Easton, NY

Not exactly a sub woofer, but a Butt Kicker http://www.thebuttkicker.com/ can be mounted to a structure. In home theatre installations, it many times is mounted directly to the sofa. Drummers mount them to the riser (throne as they refer to it) that supports them and their drums. I have one mounted to the floor joists under our music room. Those very low notes, beyond my hearing range, you physically feel.

Rgds,
Ed