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Speaker Placement for Home Theater
Your subwoofer
A powered subwoofer delivers crucial impact in a home theater system, but is one of the least demanding speakers to position. Since low bass frequencies are omnidirectional, you can usually place your subwoofer just about anywhere in your home theater room with good results.
Placing your subwoofer near a wall will generally result in more bass, and placement near a corner — where three room boundaries come together — will get you even more. Keep in mind that even though the bass increases as you place the sub near a wall or corner, the quality of bass may be slightly "boomier" and less controlled. Aim for a spot where you get a compromise between quality and quantity of bass.
One cool technique for placing for your subwoofer is to put your sub in your listening spot, play some music, move around the room, and listen. You'll probably notice that the bass sounds a little bit different as you move around from location to location within the room — where it sounds the best may be where you want to put your subwoofer.
Many powered subwoofers are equipped with a phase control — usually a 2-position switch. Choose the setting that produces the most bass while all your speakers are playing.
After you've got your sub where you want it, check out our article on tuning your subwoofer for more tips on how to get great bass.
Your room
One thing to remember when setting up your speakers is that your room plays a key role in how your system will sound. Your room's shape, layout, and where the speakers are placed in the room are all factors that will affect a home theater system's performance.
Placing your front speakers next to a wall will slightly increase their bass output. This can improve the sound of smaller, bass-shy satellite speakers, but can muddy the sound of floor-standing speakers. Conversely, bringing speakers out from the wall may lessen their bass response but improve clarity.
A room with too many reflective surfaces, such as windows and tile, can add harshness to the sound or make it seem too bright. Adding carpets or drapes can help your system sound much more natural.