Key Takeaways
- Move a wireless subwoofer behind or under seating for a movie theater-like experience with enhanced bass vibrations.
- Bass can be felt, not just heard, when subwoofers are strategically placed for optimal viewing and sound balance.
- Experiment with subwoofer placement for an immersive movie-watching experience; place it against seating for a rumble effect.
I’ve been using my subwoofer the orthodox way for some time now, but on a whim I moved it against the back of our double recliner, and now I really feel like I’m at the cinema.
My Humble Home Setup
I have neither the space nor money for a fancy soundbar or (gasp!) a surround-sound system. Instead, we have an entry-level Samsung soundbar with an accompanying wireless subwoofer. This is hooked up to our 55-inch LG CS OLED TV, which actually has a decent pair of built-in speakers, but the soundbar was initially bought to make up for the tinny speakers in my 55-inch Samsung QLED. A TV that’s now been relegated to my mancave slash office.
While the soundbar in question is middle-of-the-road by anyone’s measure, it’s still pretty decent, and we’ve enjoyed watching movies and TV with it.
LG OLED C1 Series 55
$1197 $1600 Save
$403
4K OLED TV with Google Assistant and Alexa built in
A Wireless Woofer Can Go Anywhere
Because the subwoofer is wireless, it can be placed anywhere in the room. We have a small space for TV watching, with a double-recliner positioned at the optimal viewing distance for a 55-inch TV.
When we first got the soundbar, the woofer was set up under the TV, in front of us. This was fine for a while, but I was never completely happy with the sound, so I decided to experiment with different placements.
The “Correct” Place To Put a Subwoofer
Conventional wisdom when it comes to subwoofers is that you should position it in one of the front corners of the room. Which is where I put mine at first. Some people say it should be put away from the nearest wall about a third of the way towards the room’s center.
Since the low frequencies emitted by a subwoofer don’t sound directional to our ears, there’s a lot of flexibility on where you can put the speaker. In very large rooms, you might even need a second sub, as is the case with 5.2 surround systems. So that the intensity of the base can be balanced better across the room. However, it really needs to be quite a large room for this to be necessary.
The thing is, even cranked up I felt the bass from our sub was just too weak. So I had the idea of putting it behind our double recliner couch, right against the back of the center console. So when we recline to watch a movie, the subwoofer would effectively be below us.
Also, since the contact points between the sub and the couch are cushioned, it means that the bass can be transferred into the couch, without rattling or distortion.
Being in the Rumble Bubble
Now we’re basically sitting between the two sound sources of the soundbar and woofer. The bass, after a little bit of tuning, is now punchy and balanced with the rest of the audio. The best thing, however, is that explosions and other low-down sounds (like the stomping of Godzilla’s feet) vibrate through our seats. I can feel the bass as much as hear it, and this has done absolute wonders for my movie watching experience.
I Can’t Go Back
There’s no way I could go back to watching movies without this incredible rumble running up my spine. I almost can’t believe what a qualitative difference this has made to my TV experience. Perhaps for some people this would be a little too extreme, but I now look forward to watching some more bombastic titles, and if you have a wireless sub, it might be worth a try just once to see if getting closer to the bass works for you.
