Put subwoofer behind TV or on the ground?

[bachatero]

My parents have a simple soundbar + subwoofer (Hisense HS2100) that I convinced them to get to replace the horrible TV speakers that act like a Bose 901 blasting sound toward the wall. Until now, the subwoofer has been sitting on the floor and it's worked fine. However, recently I tried putting it right behind the TV. After adjusting the EQ, it sounds just as good but no longer looks like an ugly black box next to the cabinet.

Questions: If this works so well for me and many movie theaters, why don't more people do it? Is it true that placing the sub behind the TV would reduce corner/floor room modes and thus improve the sound?

 

[DVDdoug]

I assume it's because the TV is often up against the wall.

 

[Head_Unit]

why don't more people do it?

Because they've always seen subwoofers sitting on the floor is probably the biggest reason. Some lingering residue of speakers near TV = bad (from the days when TVs had magnetically influenced Cathode Ray Tubes)? And to fit behind the TV a "subwoofer" must be pretty small-that HiSense looks pretty tiny and surely unable to reproduce truly low bass notes-hence why some manufacturers apply DSP to both limit actual very low bass but enhance some harmonics to give an illusion of the low notes.