Subwoofer not filling the room

John24ssj

Prominent Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
1,107
Reaction score
748
Points
371
Location
South Wales
Hi all, hope you are doing well :)

So I've just setup my new Q Acoustics 5.1 system with 2 x 3050 front, 3090c center, 2x 3010 surround and 3070s as the sub and Denon AVR-X 1600H. This is my first ever 5.1 setup before I was using a soundbar.
IMG_20200416_180839.jpg



My living room is 4m x 6m or 13ft x 20ft but is also connected to a dining room via an archway which is 3m x 3m (picture below)
IMG_20200417_165128.jpg


I have done the Audyssey setup and it got the distances almost spot on (only off by -+10cm). So we watched couple of movies we have seen in cinema and have them in Dolby Digital via Disney+ app. And surround sound was spot on 3050, 3090c and 3010s performed amazingly, the immersion was lovely but the sub was very underwhelming.
So after doing some reading I tried the 9 clock gain trick and the Audyssey setup again which the sub was set to 0.18M distance at +12dB level but it's actually 2.7m away from the seating position. This helped a bit but was not quite there. So I messed about with the settings and got it sounding alright with gain at 12 clock and level at +8dB, this provided "enough" bass as we could feel it on our chests but didn't quite fill the room (most likely a dead spot, I am not sure). Anything louder (increasing gain on the sub or level in the receiver) my partner was not not happy with as it caused uncomfortable pressure on her ears.
My crossovers are:
-Front: 90Hz
-Center: 110Hz
-Surround: 100Hz

Sadly I am not really able to do a sub crawl as this spot is the only space my partner has given me, took me 2 years to get her to agree to this purchase as it is, so this leaves me with an issue where I can't really get a bigger sub than 3070S (or move it about) as that pretty much is the biggest gap I got between the cabinet and front speakers (30cm).

However, I am able to get another 3070S for £110. Would getting a second 3070s help to fill the room? We don't need louder per se just a bit more presence.

Thank you.
 
Think it would need to ve a DIY build to fill that room - not aware of any commercial ones that big....... 👿 🤣
 
The two rooms being open is where you have a problem if the main room was sealed it would be easier for your sub to cope.

Adding a second sub could help although you may have to experiment with where it is placed to get the best result. Try walking round your room and see where the bass is stronger a second sub can increase the sweet spot but don't expect too much from the 3070s as it only has 140w and at a price of under £200 is pretty low end in reality. Proper subs start at £300 and really £500 is where it all "starts" to make a difference.

If you could get a used BK XXLS400 or Monolith for £250-300 that would start kicking some butt :D even then though positioning can make a difference and where you have yours now might not be best. A corner position for the sub should give it a boost maybe start there and see if it helps.
 
The two rooms being open is where you have a problem if the main room was sealed it would be easier for your sub to cope.

Adding a second sub could help although you may have to experiment with where it is placed to get the best result. Try walking round your room and see where the bass is stronger a second sub can increase the sweet spot but don't expect too much from the 3070s as it only has 140w and at a price of under £200 is pretty low end in reality. Proper subs start at £300 and really £500 is where it all "starts" to make a difference.

If you could get a used BK XXLS400 or Monolith for £250-300 that would start kicking some butt :D even then though positioning can make a difference and where you have yours now might not be best. A corner position for the sub should give it a boost maybe start there and see if it helps.

My initial plan was to get a P12-300SB-DF but sadly it is way too big and my partner would not approve. So this 5.1 involved a lot of begging because she was more than happy with the soundbar :(
 
Just buy it. It is much more productive to ask for forgiveness then permission... It served me well all my life ;)
She's German, trust me asking for forgiveness is not really an option



Where is the seating within the room ?
IMG_20200417_180433.jpg

My plan was to move a big sub by the sides of the sofa but she is buying drawer units to go there
 
Dropping the front and centre channels to 80hz will help a little with mid bass impact but as the others have said it's a large space to fill with a small subwoofer
 
She's German, trust me asking for forgiveness is not really an option




View attachment 1283538
My plan was to move a big sub by the sides of the sofa but she is buying drawer units to go there
Haha, well I can certainly say that I feel for you. I had a German boss for 8 years... I loved the clarity but she was one tough cookie :)
 
Haha, well I can certainly say that I feel for you. I had a German boss for 8 years... I loved the clarity but she was one tough cookie :)
I know what you mean :D


Dropping the front and centre channels to 80hz will help a little with mid bass impact but as the others have said it's a large space to fill with a small subwoofer

I'll give that a go, 3050 should be able to go quite low but I don't see a point to push them that much as I only got a 1600H so it not a powerhouse as currently I have to set it to 75 to get decent sound anything below 50 is just silent.
 
She's German, trust me asking for forgiveness is not really an option




View attachment 1283538
My plan was to move a big sub by the sides of the sofa but she is buying drawer units to go there
Why drawers? What is actually going to go in them which specifically needs them right by the sofa. You need to argue with logic, if it’s just hypothetical things then they don’t count.

It’s easy enough getting a big sub and putting a fancy table cloth over the top and using it as a table. The bigger the sub the more things you can put on top and the extra weight would mean the things on top wouldn’t shake;).
 
Pull the sofa forward a foot or so and get a decent sub and place it sideways just behind the sofa, that way she won't see it, job done.:thumbsup:

She can't be that particular as I presume she is happy having that bookcase in the corner with all that tat on it. :D
 
She's German, trust me asking for forgiveness is not really an option




View attachment 1283538
My plan was to move a big sub by the sides of the sofa but she is buying drawer units to go there

I have just noticed your reply. You have to make a decision who is making decisions in this partnership :D
 
Why drawers? What is actually going to go in them which specifically needs them right by the sofa. You need to argue with logic, if it’s just hypothetical things then they don’t count.

It’s easy enough getting a big sub and putting a fancy table cloth over the top and using it as a table. The bigger the sub the more things you can put on top and the extra weight would mean the things on top wouldn’t shake;).
Well we have just moved to this house and everything is still moving about, what you see now is just temporary. Annoyingly there are no power socket by the sofa :(


Pull the sofa forward a foot or so and get a decent sub and place it sideways just behind the sofa, that way she won't see it, job done.:thumbsup:

She can't be that particular as I presume she is happy having that bookcase in the corner with all that tat on it. :D
That is not staying there, things are being moved around, binned and replaced. Actually that is where I store stuff out of her way so I don't get shouted at 😭


I have just noticed your reply. You have to make a decision who is making decisions in this partnership :D
That decision has been already made for me many years ago :D
 
Last edited:
That TV unit is taking up a *lot* of space. If you’re prepared to sacrifice the drawers it looks like you could get some reasonable sized subs in there instead. Cover the apertures with speaker cloth in a tasteful colour and it could look very neat. Tell your wife you’ve got a cunning plan to make the 3070 disappear. ;)
 
If you can get another few centimetres wiggle room, the other option would be to upgrade to an Arendal Sub 1s which is only 31.5cm wide.
 
If you can get another few centimetres wiggle room, the other option would be to upgrade to an Arendal Sub 1s which is only 31.5cm wide.

Well that is way too expensive sadly.
I think I am beginning to wear her down now and might be able to get some space by the side of the sofa. But she is questioning how much extra this would cost.
I imagine Peter Tyson would do a swap? That way it wouldn't be too expensive
 
We did prepare you for this in the other thread! 😅
Not sure about returning a sub that was part of a kit, best to call and ask them.

Worst case, you could sell the 3070s and pick up a new BK sub, for instance the P12-300SB-DF , by the time you sell the 3070s you'll probably need to add around £250. It's a big room, so not sure the P12 I mentioned as an example would fill it.
BK do have discounted Grade B subs on their ebay outlet page Colosussxb they never have any marks even though they are graded, you can contact them to ask about Grade B models if you can't see what you're after.
 
Last edited:
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
We did prepare you for this in the other thread! 😅
Not sure about returning a sub that was part of a kit, best to call and ask them.

Worst case, you could sell the 3070s and pick up a new BK sub, for instance the P12-300SB-DF , by the time you sell the 3070s you'll probably need to add around £250. It's a big room, so not sure the P12 I mentioned as an example would fill it.
BK do have discounted Grade B subs on their ebay outlet page Colosussxb they never have any marks even though they are graded, you can contact them to ask about Grade B models if you can't see what you're after.

Sadly they won't be getting any P12-300SB as there are supply issues because of the lock down :(
Q Acoustics Q B12 wouldn't be worth the money for a swap?
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Colosussxb have 2-3 XXLS400's for just under £400 on ebay at present which would be a good alternative if the colours are suitable.
 
Before you go and attempt to swap the sub for another one, and then put the other one in the same place which may not actually make any improvement, I would try your current one in other parts of the room just to test it out. For the sake of your good lady, tell her it's not staying there but you're just trying it out.
Another thing that sometimes works with the lady of the house. Tell her that while you have both invested in this stuff for a better music and movie experience at home, they need to be optimally placed within reason in order to get the best possible performance ;)
 
Sadly they won't be getting any P12-300SB as there are supply issues because of the lock down :(
Q Acoustics Q B12 wouldn't be worth the money for a swap?
I bought the B12 last week to match my Q Acoustic Concept 40. They gel together beautifully. But it is a hulking great beast of a subwoofer and won't fit in your space.
You could fit another small subwoofer right next to the right speaker. The smallest width I found last week was the XTZ 8.17. XTZ SUB 8.17 Activ-Subwoofer - XTZ Sound in Balance
 
An 8" sub won't cut it in a large room and for movies, ok in small room for hi-fi use.
 
That is a very large area probably 3500-4000 feet cubed? You need more than a 150w dual 6.5" sub.

A four figure sub I'd say.

Two q subs would be pointless.
 
I have to agree with the other comments, definitely try a few different locations first before you spend anything extra. Personally I would always say 2 subs is better than one, but they would both need to be powerful enough to fill a large room effectively. If budget and space is important, look into 3060s (same slim design as the 3070s, but features one 20mm driver on the side instead of the 2 on the front, and I believe 150w) and it would fit nicely behind the sofa too. I'll be receiving this sub too in the coming week, I'll let you know how it performs if you like.
I currently have the 3050 pair, and am looking forward to plugging it all in to my new Denon receiver 😁
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom