About a year ago, I added subwoofers back into my system. I had switched from a high-end full-range setup to the KEF Reference 3 Meta. As good as they are, they still roll off a bit in the very lowest octave.
So, naturally, I placed the subs symmetrically: one on the left, two on the right — evenly spaced between the main speakers. Sounded logical at first. But my room had a problem. Or so I thought.
I experienced a massive 43 Hz boost and a huge dip around 60 Hz. I blamed the room — wood floors, slatted panels, standing waves... the usual suspects. Something I assumed couldn’t really be fixed, except through room correction. And yes, Audyssey MultiEQ did a good job, but it's limited to 12 dB of correction. That’s not nearly enough to tame a 30 dB swing between peak and null.
But over time, a question crept into my mind:
Why am I placing the subs symmetrically at all? Why not use them to cancel each other’s problems, rather than reinforce them?
So I experimented: instead of front-left and front-right, I moved one sub to the back-left corner. Then I measured the results with RTA. And bingo! That crazy 30 dB gap shrank to just 18 dB — still a lot, but far easier to work with. Audyssey handled it beautifully, and for the first time, I felt like I was actually hearing kick drums the way they’re supposed to sound. Tight, punchy, and with no 60 Hz hole.
The moral? Subwoofers are superior to full-range speakers in at least one important way: you can place them independently to optimize room response. Try doing that with a pair of massive full-range towers. Sure, you could still add subs to those systems, but let’s be honest — that’s not what most people do. You buy full-range so you don’t need subs… and yet, you kind of do.
Anyway, I finally solved a major issue in my room. And the ironic part? There’s a guide by Amir in this very subforum that explains this exact approach — I just never followed it.
As always: trust measurements, not assumptions. And thanks for reading.
So, naturally, I placed the subs symmetrically: one on the left, two on the right — evenly spaced between the main speakers. Sounded logical at first. But my room had a problem. Or so I thought.
I experienced a massive 43 Hz boost and a huge dip around 60 Hz. I blamed the room — wood floors, slatted panels, standing waves... the usual suspects. Something I assumed couldn’t really be fixed, except through room correction. And yes, Audyssey MultiEQ did a good job, but it's limited to 12 dB of correction. That’s not nearly enough to tame a 30 dB swing between peak and null.
But over time, a question crept into my mind:
Why am I placing the subs symmetrically at all? Why not use them to cancel each other’s problems, rather than reinforce them?
So I experimented: instead of front-left and front-right, I moved one sub to the back-left corner. Then I measured the results with RTA. And bingo! That crazy 30 dB gap shrank to just 18 dB — still a lot, but far easier to work with. Audyssey handled it beautifully, and for the first time, I felt like I was actually hearing kick drums the way they’re supposed to sound. Tight, punchy, and with no 60 Hz hole.
The moral? Subwoofers are superior to full-range speakers in at least one important way: you can place them independently to optimize room response. Try doing that with a pair of massive full-range towers. Sure, you could still add subs to those systems, but let’s be honest — that’s not what most people do. You buy full-range so you don’t need subs… and yet, you kind of do.
Anyway, I finally solved a major issue in my room. And the ironic part? There’s a guide by Amir in this very subforum that explains this exact approach — I just never followed it.
As always: trust measurements, not assumptions. And thanks for reading.
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