Are you someone in an absolute dilemma about your subwoofer placement? Wondering if a subwoofer on floor or shelf is a good choice? Well, we are here to answer all your questions.
In this article, we provide you with a detailed guide on whether or not you must place your subwoofers on the floor or shelf. So, let’s get started!
Subwoofer on Floor or Shelf?
If you are new to home theater systems and have purchased a subwoofer with your soundbar to enhance your vision as well as an audio experience, one of the toughest things to figure out might be where to place it.
Subwoofers are known for capturing the low-frequency audio signals which are otherwise missed out by the speakers thus producing low bass sounds. So, a proper placement of subwoofers in your room becomes inevitable in elevating the sound experience from your home theater system.
One of the more popular placement options is on the floor or shelf. However, is it the right option? Well, let’s find out!
You can also check our detailed review on the Best Subwoofer for Soundbar.
Where to Place Subwoofers on Floor or Shelf?
Placing your subwoofer on the floor or a shelf at first may seem to be a very suitable choice in theory. However, practically both of the placements face some serious issues.
Subwoofers are a powerhouse when it comes to recreating low-frequency bass sounds which elevate your audio experience but are also responsible for generating some very intense vibrations. When you keep your subwoofer on the floor these vibrations get transmitted to your next-door neighbors no matter how much you have deadened the walls and the floor. This will not only create disturbance for your neighbors but the excessive rattling will also hinder the audio experience greatly.
Similarly, when a subwoofer is placed on a shelf the vibrations may cause excessive rattling there and if the shelves are unstable the woofers may even collapse.
The uneven bass distribution is caused due to the reflected sound interfering with the generated sound to create peaks and nulls. The uneven pressure on the room caused due to placing the subwoofer on the floor leads to a completely inaudible or too loud bass which entirely defeats the purpose of using a soundbar.
Moreover, if you have a wired subwoofer then placing the subwoofer on the floor can also cause a lot of clutter from the subwoofer wires which makes the room look unaesthetic and messy.
Given all these reasons, it doesn’t seem a good idea to place subwoofers on the floor or shelf afterall. So where to place the subwoofers to avoid these problems?
Well, you can place them on the floor but using the right technique. Let us elaborate the same in the next section.
How to Correctly Place the Subwoofers on the Floor?
We’ve already seen that placing the subwoofers directly on the floor is not a feasible option. One of the better alternatives to this is to place the subwoofer on the floor but on an elevated surface and at an angle.
For this, you can use speaker riser foams and isolation platforms which are vibration absorbing and can even bear very heavy subwoofer weights up to 200 pounds.
You can also place the subwoofer on a table or a shelf but in order to decrease the vibration, you need to be careful that the table and shelf are both stable enough to handle those vibrations.
Final Words
So, that’s all about placing the subwoofer on floor or shelf. While it’s not very feasible, you can try out the option using the correct techniques for elevation and stability of the subwoofers.
We hope this article was helpful and you’re all set to set up your subwoofers on your home theater system.
Mia Evelyn is a soundbar specialist and she love to test and review different soundbar brands. She shares her neutral and in-depth reviews through the Soundbar Mag.
