SubWoofer Help ASAP...

It takes some time till one starts to hear the frequencies that are reinforced
or weakened by the room. This is why it takes time to set up decently a
subwoofer.

A pair of decent headphone, however, can solve this problem in no time. By
listening the selected walking bass (or bass solo) alternatively via the
headphones and via the speakers one can easily identify the artifacts
induced by the room, viz. what one hears in the headphones is not affected
by the room and consequently the bass is always tight and fast (no bloat).

To find a decent position for the subwoofer I play track 3 on Norah Jones'
"Come away with me" album, i.e. "Cold cold heart". I
make a look with my cd player and play only the first measure of the bass
line starting the song. The passage lasts 3-4 seconds and has only 6 notes
which are easy to follow but are sufficiently different frequency-wise.

To find tune the position of the sub I use a bass solo. Any will do. The one
suggested by Bryon is certainly good.

Funny you mention NJ's "Cold Cold Heart," Paul. That's a track I've used many times during tests.

Probably my most frequently used test track is Cassandra Wilson's "Strange Fruit" from the album New Moon Daughter. It has great low level detail, explosive instrument attacks, and a variety of instruments, rhythms, and timbres. So it's useful for judging not only bass quality but also resolution, dynamics, soundstaging, PRaT, and harmonic accuracy. And it's wonderful music.

I often bring "Strange Fruit" to shows like RMAF and ask a vendor to play it when there isn't much traffic in a room. I can't tell you how many manufacturers have leaned over half way through the song and said, "What is this? It's great."

It's both a great way to show off a system, and a great way to reveal its shortcomings. If you haven't heard, give it a listen. :-)

Bryon

Hey Bryon,

Thanks for the suggestion. I am not very familiar with the music of Cassandra Wilson, which is yet another reason to buy the "New Moon Daughter" album.

Paul