The 'Subwoofer Crawl' Is the 2-Minute Technique That Sound Engineers Always Use for Perfect Home Audio

Subwoofers bring tremendous bass to your home entertainment setup, but as they tend to be so big, many try to place them somewhere discreet to avoid distraction from your home's aesthetic.

But actually, doing so can limit your sound system's potential. The subwoofer benefits from being positioned in the ideal place so that the deep, bass-y sound can be felt reverberating to its full effect and envelop you for that at-home movie theatre experience.

Luckily, it doesn't take long, nor does it require any tech know-how to find the ideal position, as sound engineers have revealed the 'subwoofer crawl' technique that will find the perfect spot for yours in minutes. Paired with your best soundbar, your setup will have never sounded richer.

The 'Subwoofer Crawl' Technique Will Perfect Your Home Audio in Minutes

The subwoofer crawl is simple. Place your subwoofer where you usually sit, play a bass-heavy song, then crawl around the room, listening for where the bass is strongest, fullest, and most articulate. Mark the spot and move the subwoofer there.

The idea of crawling around your living room may sound surprising, but by placing the subwoofer where you usually sit, you are reversing the acoustic relationship of the room.

And, instead of guessing where the sound will land, you are back-tracing the soundwaves to find the exact point where your movie room’s architecture and the speaker’s output harmonize perfectly.

But remember, do not place the subwoofer on your sofa. The cushions absorb sound and will not accurately reflect the acoustics and sound projection of your room. If you want it to match your ear height more closely, you can place it on a chair, but be careful as the subwoofer's deep bass could cause rattling, affecting the sound.

Chris Bone, system design specialist at Monitor Audio Group explains, 'As every room is different and audio is very subjective, achieving the best results ultimately comes down to careful listening and small adjustments until you find the best sound for your room and tastes.'

It's best to play something with strong bass and low-end frequencies, like Massive Attack's Angel or Daft Punk's Phoenix from our soundbar testing playlist, or a booming action scene like the New York fight sequence in Avengers: Infinity War. This will give you the greatest sense of how the bass is carried through your room.

'Once positioned, fine-tuning is key. Adjusting the crossover, phase, and volume settings ensures the subwoofer integrates seamlessly with your main speakers, delivering bass that enhances the overall sound rather than overpowering it,' Chris recommends.

'If you are using an AV receiver or processor for home cinema, a lot of this will be done for you with calibration, but it is still worth going through the settings to check them manually,' he adds.

Why It's Important

'Finding the best position for your subwoofer is just as important as choosing the right model,' says Chris.

'Low-frequency sound waves are long and interact heavily with walls, floors and ceilings, which means placement can dramatically affect performance at the listening position in your home cinema or stereo music system,' he continues.

'In a room will be areas of amplified bass (peaks) and areas of diminished bass (nulls). The goal is to find the place that the bass sounds the smoothest and balanced at the listening position.'

This is the beauty of the subwoofer crawl technique, and why it's so effective even though it seems perhaps a little too easy to highlight your soundbar's sound.

'It's a common misconception that placing your subwoofer directly against a wall or in a corner maximises bass output. While boundaries like walls and corners can indeed reinforce bass, this often comes at the expense of clarity and definition. We would recommend placing a subwoofer a minimum of two feet from the corners of a room to avoid this,' Chris adds.

If you really want to perfect your home entertainment setup, Chris recommends a second subwoofer: 'Having multiple subwoofers is a great way of reducing nulls in the room to provide a more consistent coverage at multiple listening positions.' The Sonos Sub Mini is a highly praised space-saving choice, while the Bose Bass Module 500's deep thumps are consistently reviewed to shake the room.

What to Shop

While you're looking to elevate your sound setup, here are my vetted selections from rigorous testing of the latest soundbars and subwoofers.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Next, learn how to highlight your soundbar in a small space.

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