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Best place to put a single subwoofer?

I know there are many opinions regarding subwoofer placement. I have had multiple subs (4) all in the same listening space. Way too much! I have had matched pairs hooked up in stereo. Right now I own only 1. It is part of my dedicated 2 channel music room and not a theater system. I have a pair of MBL 101e Mk2's which are excellent speakers IMHO, and they produce POWERFUL bass in their own right. However I am a bass freak (as noted above), so the harder it hits the better. Plus I tend to listen to a fair amount of rock music which I like to play loud, (hence MBL 101e's). Right now I have my sub positioned dead center between the two Radialstrahlers and it does ok. But I feel as though I'm missing something and that I ought to do something to increase performance, although I'm not exactally sure where to go with it. Not too many places I can move it to, but input and suggestions would be much appreciated. I have tried moving it closer, and then farther away from the wall but have not noticed any dramatic improvements. What about bass "suck out"? Could I be having some cancellation issues? What things would you Audiogoners do to improve on (already good) bass performance?
martinmobile
mrdecibel
3,065 posts
 
Martinmobile, microphonics are the result of unwanted vibrations via acoustic (airborn) or mechanical feedback, usually re-amplified through the system. These can enter (or exist in) the preamp chassis and screw things up. IME tubes are more prone to this, although, it is everywhere and in everything. I believe heavily in "tube dampers", as I feel the sound is cleaner and tighter. BAT might have included them with the pre amp. They look like garden hose washers (as an example) and come in different shapes, sizes and colors. There are so many tweaks available to "tighten" up the sound. You are free to email me and I can discuss some of these with you. Taking panels off the speaker wall would be an experiment to see if " slam" is increased (brightness too, unfortunately). Let me know. MrD.
mrdecibel
3,065 posts
 
Martinmobile, anything new to report ?
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
Under the center channel! It will blend PERFECTLY!
mrdecibel
3,065 posts
 
Sthomas12321. FYI . This sub question was for a dedicated 2 channel music system, as indicated in the op. Thank you
soundsbeyondspecs
132 posts
 
My best 2-channel placement was located after I placed large carpet sliders under my SVS Ultra 13 with an adequate length of cable to reach all possible locations. Sliders made it very easy to relocate and re-evaluate the responce.

All the routinely recommended locations were tested. I found one position 4 feet outward from my left main to sound best. Both mains (sealed) and the Ultra are nearly against the walls. A REL also sounded best in the same spot by far. This location was definately best for my room design.

When I tested it 4 feet from the opposite right main, it wasn't nearly as musical, tight and precise after readjusting the set-up.

A side note: I run my Ultra in the sealed mode for 2-channel to minimize port noise, performing somewhat like a rumble filter. The sealed mode helps minimize low frequency artifact from different sources, too.
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