Sub placement

I agree with Vicdamone and this is how my JL's are set up. The ARO is a very strong piece of software and can't imagine trying to dial subs in with a basic eq and volume control. On another note, if you are using them to only bring in the 40hz and lower then you may not need to put them next to the speakers. But by all means if you are crossing at a higher frequency then I think they need to be an extension of the mains and placed very close to the mains and maybe a couple of inches in front.

I am capable of adjusting my sub using years of experience tempered by personal taste and it does not involve my sticking my head on the back corner floor behind my left main speaker while the sub enjoys a single malt and hip magazine on my listening couch.

subs are omnidirectional. face the cones any way you like. if the method works for you, it will work without regard to the subwoofer driver orientation

Marty

Marty, the orientation of the subwoofer can make a big difference as the
interference patter in the room, i.e. position of the bass nulls and peaks,
depends sensitively on the relative orientation of the cone (and port) with
respect to the walls.

To be more explicit, because of interference, i.e. the way wave interact, the
bass response is not the same across the room. There are places with very
strong bass, i.e. these are places where constructive interference occurs for
some specific frequencies (the room modes), and also places with very little
bass, here destructive interference occurs (again for room modes). The
position of these bass nulls and peaks in the room depends on where the
subwoofer is located in the room. Thus, by changing the position/orientation
of the subwoofer one is looking for a position that does not give any
significant resonances (constructive and/or destructive) at the listening chair.

In conclusion, because our ears are somewhat insensitive to the position of
the bass source one can (and one should) move/rotate the subwoofer around
in the room in order to improve the bass response at the listening position.

NVP,

Not IME. For the last 6 years, I've used a RTA to measure FR at the listening position. If the subs are in a good spot, I get good results irrespective of orientation. There may be small differences, but if you're setting up subs by ear, I wouldn't characterize the delta as significant.

Of course, different rooms and/or different ears might yield a different conclusion

Marty