What is subwoofer phase

Still, it got me wondering if I could come up with a simpler phase check than the ones I suggested in the article, which required either measurement or careful listening. My e-mail convo with Bruce gave me some ideas and, ultimately, a method that's simpler than my original.

And all you need to do it is a piece of free software and a meter you've either already got or can get for nothing. First, let me digress a little with an explanation about phase. If your subwoofer and main speakers are in phase, the woofer cones on the subwoofer and the speakers will move forward and backward in sync at the subwoofer crossover frequency. They'll reinforce each other's output. That's good. If the sub and mains are out of phase, the woofer cones on the main speakers will move backward while the subwoofer cone moves forward, and vice-versa.

They'll cancel each other's output. That's bad. But it's not accurate to think of your sub and main speakers as being in or out of phase, except maybe at one particular frequency.

That's because the phase of both devices changes with frequency. Even if you can get them in phase at 80 Hz, they might not be at Hz. Search form Search. Brent Butterworth Nov 8, NEXT: Page 2 ». Prime Wireless.

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If you're lucky enough to have large floor-standing speakers with 8-inch or larger woofers, you may wish to run them as "large" speakers. But your center and surround speakers will still likely work best run as "small" speakers. On some receivers you'll be presented with a wide range of subwoofer or crossover settings, from 40Hz up to as high as Hz.

Your speakers' or subwoofer's user manual may offer specific guidance in this area; otherwise use the Audiophiliac's crossover recommendations: for small speakers with 2- or 3-inch woofers, try settings between and Hz; for midsize speakers with 4- or 5-inch woofers, use 80 or Hz; and with large bookshelf speakers or skinny floor-standing speakers, try a 60 or 80Hz crossover.

When in doubt about the speakers' sizes, always select "small" on the setup menu. One of the other controls you may find on your subwoofer's rear panel is marked "phase. The correct setting is the one that yields more bass. You may have to try a few different recordings before you hear any difference, and it might help to turn up the sub's volume level for this test. If you don't hear any difference between the 0 and degree settings, leave the phase control in the 0 position.

Setting the subwoofer volume is next. Precisely matching the volume levels of the front left, center, right, and surround speakers is important, but subwoofer volume is more subjective. Some folks like to feel the sub working the room all the time -- and some prefer to only hear the sub's contributions with big special-effects-driven movies or dance music.

A sound level meter can be a big help when setting speaker levels, but it's nearly useless for determining the sub's correct volume level. The "by ear" method works well enough. Again, if you feel like this is all a little too complicated, relax, take a deep breath, run the auto setup program, and let the receiver sort things out. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read.

Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. How to set up a subwoofer Learn how to correctly set up your subwoofers for optimal placement and connectivity.

Steve Guttenberg.