Author: Jay

Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I'm Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I've been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I've learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting) https://Facebook.com/easyhometheater https://Twitter.com/easyhometheater https://www.Pinterest.com/easyhometheater/ https://www.instagram.com/easyhometheater/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/easyhometheater https://follow.it/easy-home-theater?pub
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How To Reduce Blooming On Your TV (A Simple Guide)

How To Reduce Blooming On Your TV (A Simple Guide)

You can reduce blooming on an LED TV by turning down the backlight setting to about half. While blooming can’t be entirely fixed, reducing the strength of the dimming setting may also help. The more local dimming zones a TV has, the better performing it’ll be at mitigating this issue.

 

Though different TVs have different visual capabilities, depending on their display technology, they can sometimes experience problems.

From my experience with many TVs over the years, the type of TV dictates the kinds of problems they encounter.

One of these issues that LED TVs in particular may encounter is blooming.

But what is blooming exactly, and are there ways to get rid of it or at least minimize it?

Let’s find out!




 

What Is Blooming?

Light bloom on a TV, which is often referred to as blooming, is when a portion of the screen that’s supposed to be dark in a particular scene, is then lit up by a nearby object or element on screen that’s brighter.

Basically the bright part will look like a visible halo around the darker part, which may then permeate into other parts of the screen.

This isn’t good since the uniformity of the image itself gets broken up.

It can be a really distracting effect if you notice it since it takes away from what the scene should actually look like.

It causes the scene to look less dynamic than it originally would have been.

Not only this, but this blooming effect can elevate black levels in specific areas.

This directly impacts image quality since that juxtaposition of light and dark that gives the image depth gets diminished.

The brighter the black levels, the less dynamic and washed out your content will look which — as you’d probably guess, obviously isn’t ideal.

That said, the degree to which it occurs depends on the individual TV since some are more prone then others.




 

Why Does The Issue Of Blooming On A TV Happen?

If you’re wondering why blooming happens, it’s because of the type and quality of backlight design the TV uses.

That’s because It doesn’t happen with every TV.

In fact, the only kind of TVs that blooming really affects are LCD based TVs.

The reason for that is LCD based televisions are the only ones that use some sort of backlighting to display an image.

They all implement small lights behind the screen in various ways and to varying degrees of efficacy.

This is what’s known as local dimming, meaning different parts are tasked with handling particular parts of an image.

These lights are then separated into distinct zones, and the more zones a TV has, the more intricate it can be with the picture quality it displays and its resulting black levels.

A large number of zones can help with the depth of the image.

There’s even various types of local dimming like full array local dimming and edge lit dimming which can further help picture quality.

The problem arises though when a TV doesn’t have that many zones since the light output becomes localized in brighter scenes — which results in blooming.

The more zones or lights, the less likely that it is that that particular TV will have blooming issues from what I’ve seen (though like most things it depends)



The other reason LED based TVs might experience blooming is that people might use them with backlight brightness set too high in the TV for their room.

That stems from the fact that TVs often come from the store set at the brightest setting/mode without any calibration,.

When it’s on the show floor, it has to accommodate for harsh store lighting and grab attention by being as bright as possible.

However at home this doesn’t help and while being inaccurate, it can also lead to blooming.

Here’s a few ways to optimize your TV settings for better picture quality.

https://easyhometheater.net/how-to-optimize-your-tv

 

The interesting thing is OLED TVS don’t rely on a backlight, and so don’t have to deal with blooming issues at all.

This results in a much more even looking picture quality.

Using an OLED display can be a good way to avoid blooming all together since they don’t have a backlight and use self lit pixels instead.

However they sometimes don’t get as bright as an LED TV would, especially with HDR content, so it’s really a tradeoff with both.

But it depends on the particular capabilities of the TV too since this isn’t always the case.

 

How Can You Test If Your TV Experiences Blooming?

But how do you know if your TV is experiencing blooming?

The easy way would be to play content you’re familiar with that has scenes where there’s a bright object or portion of the screen right next to a dark part of the screen — and pay attention to this area.

You can even pause it if you need to.

If you notice that the darker portion looks like it gets significantly brighter when the lighter element is introduced, then it’s likely you’re experiencing blooming.

Though this can be to varying degrees since every TV is different, and every person is different.

Some may be more sensitive to it than others, and some TVs may show the effects of it a lot more than others.




 

How Can You Reduce Blooming?

How exactly can you reduce blooming on your television?

Well it’s difficult to say since the issue stems from the TV itself being a backlit or edglelit LCD TV; causing parts of the screen to be incorrectly lit from the backlight.

This panel design means it’s impossible to fully get rid of since there’s still a light present.

That said, there are a few things you can do that might make it a little less perceptible like adjusting the intensity of the backlight for instance.

But keep in mind that how much of an impact or effect they’ll actually have isn’t known since every TV is different.

 

Turning Down The Backlight

The first, which can have an immediate effect is turning down the backlight in your settings.

Like previously mentioned, when this is set too high it can cause light bleed, and this can then lead to display issues.

Since lighting conditions will be different in every room, there really isn’t 1 best setting for this in my opinion.

However I’ve personally found that turning down your backlight to about about half and working from there is a pretty good start.

 

Adjusting The Strength Of The Dimming Feature

Another thing that might help with the image quality is adjusting the settings around the dimming feature if the TV has one to see what effect it might have on picture quality.

While local dimming technically can help to get a better contrast ratio, it also makes the difference between lighter and darker elements on screen greater.

In turn, this can cause blooming if the TV doesn’t have an adequate number of led zones.

So by lowering this setting you can help to mitigate this.

Though keep in mind when doing this, you might lose some dynamism in the image due to higher black levels.

 

Adjusting The Gamma

You could also try to adjust the gamma by making that brighter or darker too.

I’ve found that gamma has a direct impact on the TV’s picture, and that it can be used to get a more desirable result.

Though white balance and image gradation could be thrown off balance if heightened or lowered too much.

Ultimately, there’s pros and cons to each way which really highlights the overall issue.



 

How Can You Avoid It & Overall Takeaways

Avoiding blooming is hard since an issue that inevitably all LED TVs face due to their backlight design.

It’s just that some are much better at dealing with it than others.

I’ve noticed the more local dimming zones and better light control the TV has, the better the TV is at minimizing it.

Full array local dimming in particular works really well in that regard.

OLEDs are pretty much immune to this problem due to the fact their pixels conduct electricity and emit their own light.

Mini LED TVs and Micro LED TVs greatly minimize this issue, but they haven’t been widely adopted quite yet.

So if you find that you experience blooming, you can try the 3 methods mentioned — or even replace the TV entirely if it’s something that’s really noticeable.

Just know that with LED TVs, blooming is something that all of them will likely experience to some degree.

Now whether it’s actually noticeable though is something that’ll certainly vary.

 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this offered some clarification on ways you can reduce blooming at least somewhat, since it really isn’t possible to get rid of it entirely with LCD based televisions.

That’s definitely one of a few areas where OLED TVS do have an advantage, but there’s benefits to both technologies honestly from what I’ve noticed.

With the proper display though, it’s quite possible to still enjoy that movie theater experience even while at home.

But with that, that about does it for this one.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple!

Is It Better To Watch TV In The Dark Or With The Lights On? (Or…Ambient Lighting?)

Is It Better To Watch TV In The Dark Or With A Light On?

Is It Better To Watch TV In The Dark Or With The Lights On? (Or…Ambient Lighting?)

Is It Better To Watch TV In The Dark Or With A Light On?

Whether it’s with a sound bar system, or just using a pair of headphones, watching TV can be a fun experience.

However if you’ve ever watched for an extended period of time, you might have noticed that your eyes can start to ache.

Why does that happen?

Well it could be a number of reasons but one major reason could be the actual the lighting conditions in the room.

While it’s certainly easier to see the details on screen in the dark, well-lit rooms can be easier on the eyes.

So is it better to watch TV in the dark or with a light on?

Let’s find out!

Is It Better To Watch TV in The Dark Or With A Light On?

While it’s better to watch TV with a light on rather than in the dark; the best way is to use bias/ambient lighting. Watching TV in the dark can strain your eyes over time, while watching in bright lighting can reduce image quality and cause reflections. Ambient lighting at 15 percent the max brightness of your TV is best.




 

Reasons You’d Watch TV In The Dark

It’s More Cinematic

One reason why someone might prefer watching TV in the dark is it’s more cinematic.

If you’ve ever been to the movies, you’ll notice that the lights are turned off once the movies start.

This allows for the main focus to be the screen with no distractions from anything else.

It gives things a more cinematic feel.

Watching TV in the dark also allows for better picture quality since you don’t have to worry about light pollution from external lights reducing screen visibility or picture quality.




 

No External Lights Reflecting On Screen

Another reason someone might want to watch TV in the dark is not having to worry about external light sources reflecting on the screen.

If you’ve ever watched TV in a brightly lit room and the television has a reflective panel, then it’s hard to miss all the different light sources reflecting on the screen.

Reflections from the room can very quickly diminish picture quality and the experience overall, so it’s understandable why someone would prefer this.

Of course you always have the option of trying to angle the light source away or even using a screen with a matte finish — but there’s still going to be some amount of glare there which can be distracting.

 

Reasons You’d Watch TV With A Light On

Easier To Watch Over Longer Periods Of Time

On the flip side, there’s also a few reasons why someone might prefer watching their content with the light remaining on.

One such reason, and probably one of the biggest, is when watching content for hours, it can often be easier with sufficient lighting in the room.

The problem with viewing a brightly lit screen in a dark room is that your pupils will dilate to accommodate for the darker environment.

However because of the bright screen, your eyes would also be presented with more light — and the discrepancy between light and dark over time could cause things to be visually harsh.

When the surrounding environment is illuminated however, this problem may be mitigated.




 

Can See Your Surroundings Easier

Yet another benefit to watching TV with the lights on is you can see your surroundings easier.

Should you need to get up for whatever reason, you won’t have to worry about not seeing where you’re going as opposed to if you just watched in the dark.

This is also one of the bigger differences with watching movies at home vs at a theater since you have the ability to leave your lights on if you choose to.

 

Best Lighting For Watching TV

So then with all of that said, what is the best lighting for watching TV?

Is it better to watch in the dark or with the lights on?

Well a mix of the 2 actually.

The problem with watching in the dark like we mentioned earlier is that your eyes might start to strain after a bit due to the difference between light and dark in the room.

However watching with shining bright lights can reduce image quality which is also not optimal.

So the best way to go about it is the usage of some kind of ambient or bias lighting.

Bias lighting can basically help decrease the perceived brightness between the content being shown on your TV and the current lighting in the room.

It can often be easier on the eyes, and if done right, can help improve the look of black levels and overall dynamism of the image your viewing.

Plus it can just make the room look awesome in general.

To get your ambient lighting right though, you’ll want to use a light that’s not to bright but is still somewhat visible.

This is so it still benefits the image without actually calling attention to itself.

The color temperature of light is also important as this will help bring out the best in your display as well.

This will typically be measured in a number denoted by Kelvins — and the higher this number, the cooler the light will look & vice versa.




6500Kelvin is what’s typically recommended as this is the accepted standard for optimal picture quality.

For ambient lighting, I found the following option to be a good one in my opinion.

LED light strip

Of course, there’s some people that may still prefer their ambient lighting to be a specific color from a subjective standpoint, so for that purpose, I’ve found these work pretty well in that regard.

LED Color Light Strip

 

Eye Strain While Watching TV

With extended viewing, the chances for experiencing eye strain could potentially rise so is there’s a few things to mention in that regard.

Obviously it’ll depend on the person and their viewing habits, but some sort of ambient or bias lighting like we previously went over may sometimes be helpful.

Bias lighting helps to minimize the juxtaposition between light and dark in the room so it might give your eyes an easier time with watching content.

There’s also the option of turning down the brightness on your TV since televisions will typically come factory set on the brightest possible mode.

Calibrating your display can certainly help, and turning down the backlight can be an easy way to make viewing content more manageable.

Finally there’s also accounting for bluelight exposure.

Bluelight is something that we experience from nearly every light source however too much of it may have an affect too.

Using blue light glasses are often thought to help in regards to eye fatigue that’s often common with looking at screens for long periods of time but there’s many variables in general.

 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this helped clarify what lighting conditions are best when watching your content, along with why exactly that is.

There’s of course always preference, but ambient lighting always tend to give the best balance between viewability and immersion in my opinion.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple!




Is Bias Lighting Worth It? (Improve Picture Quality)

Is Bias Lighting Worth It (Improve Picture Quality)

Is Bias Lighting Worth It? (Improve Picture Quality)

Is Bias Lighting Worth It (Improve Picture Quality)

 

Yes bias lighting/ambient lighting is worth it as it may amplify the perceived visual difference between the light and dark elements on screen, which can make black levels look deeper — resulting in potentially better perceived picture quality, a better viewing experience in longer viewing sessions, and is relatively easy to install. Plus it can add style to the room.

 




 

You know, as the years go by, I feel like home theater just gets more and more interesting.

From new smart home tech, to new formats like IMAX Enhanced, it really feels like there’s something new introduced every day.

So with that, what I wanted to do today was highlight an interesting technology that while not necessarily new per se, still provides tangible benefit to your home theater viewing experience.

What might that be?

Bias lighting also often referred to as ambient lighting.

But what exactly is bias lighting and more importantly, is bias lighting for your TV and room actually worth it?

Let’s find out!

 

What Does Bias Lighting Do?

So the basic premise behind bias lighting is it helps to decrease the perceived difference in brightness between the content being shown on your screen and the actual lighting in the room.

To make it easier to understand we’ll use an example.

Imagine you’re gaming on a monitor or watching TV in a dark room for a few hours, and your eyes start to get sore from the monitor lighting.




Well by placing this kind of lighting around your monitor or display, it may make your screen appear not as bright in comparison to the room — which can make it a lot more manageable to watch.

Believe it or not, it can also have a positive impact on your picture quality itself too.

Since light interacts with everything you see, including the human eye itself, it can alter the perception of your content in a way that can make seem improved.

If done right, you might notice that your black levels in your content seem darker in a way and the image looks more dynamic even though nothing really changed with the display itself.

It’s just because the way we perceive light makes it seem that way.

There’s many different types of this lighting, and even some that integrate with the display itself — but in general they’re typically small LED strips that are placed behind or in close proximity to the screen

Some are even adjustable so they can be cut the right length to fit your particular screen.

I personally really like ambient lighting in general with home theaters and feel like they add personality to it in my opinion.

 

When Should Bias Lighting Be Used?

But when should bias lighting actually be used?

I’d say if your primary watching environment is dark or your screen seems too bright in normal viewing conditions then bias lighting is probably a good idea.

Some people might still prefer the look of their entertainment center without it though, so it really boils down to preference at the end of the day.

 




 

Where Do You Put Bias Lighting?

Where do you put bias lighting?

Well behind your TV would be the ideal spot for the best results, but placed around or even under the display and projected upwards can work well too.

Just remember that if it’s set too brightly, it can have a negative impact on picture quality which is why it’s important to get the setting just right.

 

How Bright Should My Bias Lighting Be?

So then with all of this talk about getting the settings right, how bright should your bias lighting actually be?

In my opinion I would say it really depends on the brightness of the room but it should be somewhat visible but not too bright.

Any more than it looking somewhat dim and it starts to diminish the perceived visual benefit and can make the screen start to look darker by comparison.

If too bright it can also call more attention to itself by being distracting since the main focus should be on the content you’re watching.

 

What Is The Best Color For Bias Lighting?

Another thing to keep in mind though is the color temperature of the light itself matters too.

Now there’s 2 factors that play into this involving both the CRI (color-rendering index) and the CCT (correlated color temperature)




But basically the recommended color temperature for bias lighting is 6500Kelvin as that’s not only the specific color temperature that your television is designed in mind with & the one film makers create their content in — but also the one that gives the best representation of realism.

It’s the industry standard for content and one that’s felt to give the best balance of color and performance.

You can of course use LED lighting that connects to your smartphone to adjust the color for preference and aesthetics, but that’s recommended color temperature for the best result.

That’s also the recommended color temperature in terms of display modes with the warmest color setting often being closest to this.

 

Bias Lighting & Watching For Extended Periods Of Time

I mentioned this earlier, but there is sentiment out there that feels as though bias lighting can be helpful when watching content for long periods of time (though it depends since everyone is different)

Besides blue light exposure which is another thing in and of itself, the juxtaposition of the intensity of the light from your screen and your room could be harsh visually to some.

However when implemented correctly with the light not being set too bright, it’s possible it may helpful in that regard (but again it depends)

 

Final Thoughts

A quick one today, but I just wanted to highlight the benefits of bias lighting and how it’s an easy way to boost picture quality while helping to add flair to the look of your home theater.

In short, yes it’s definitely worth it in my opinion and can be a great way to improve the look of your home theater and general aesthetic of the room.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple!




Old Speakers Vs New Speakers (Which Is Better?)

Old Speakers Vs New Speakers - Which Is Better

Old Speakers Vs New Speakers (Which Is Better?)

Old Speakers Vs New Speakers - Which Is Better

There are many differences between older speakers & newer speakers which includes that particular speaker’s sound signature, the build quality, its size, and simply the way it looks. Though vintage speakers tend to have a warmer sound and are larger, newer speakers tend to play higher frequency sounds more efficiently. Both have their own unique advantages making it subjective.

 

I figured this would be an interesting one to cover.

Now we all enjoy home theater because of the sheer level of excitement and entertainment it brings to our favorite movies, games, and TV shows.

If you’ve been in the hobby for a while, then chances are you’ve seen the many different ways technology has advanced when it comes to audio and video.

But here’s something you might have wondered at some point; are these newer speakers the same as their older counterparts, or is there an actual fundamental difference between them?

Let’s find out!




 

What Exactly Is An Old Speaker?

So what makes this tricky is we first have to define what an old speaker actually is.

By definition, calling something an older speaker is almost subjective since everyone’s definition of old is relative.

Something from 5 years ago might be new to one person, but oudated to another.

Some have been in the world of audio longer than others and will varying opinions on what counts as older.

That being said, there are different periods of time where a certain manufacturing process might have changed or a new material might have been introduced so for the sake of comparison, that’s what we’ll be referring to since old is almost an arbitrary term.

The very first speaker for reference was created 1874 and was actually meant to assist with the function of the telegraph funnily enough.

But from there Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison would further iterate on it for additional purposes that would cause it to evolve into what it has today.

 

Are There Any Physical Differences Between Older & Newer Speakers?

While some speakers are still pretty similar in construction to how they use to be, others have very notable physical differences.




 

Materials In Drivers & Tweeters

One of the main differentiators between the 2 is a difference in the materials that the drivers and tweeters might be made of.

Some earlier speakers for example would use everything from metal to leather in their drivers, and as manufacturing processes and the understanding of audio reproduction improved, so did parts of the speaker itself.

Though with that said, there could be some level of subjectivity there too because I’ve personally heard older speakers from many years ago with older built drivers that still sounded incredible so it really depends at the end of the day.

Even though some materials like paper and plastic can sometimes be used today in some speakers, different blend and signature materials have become the more commonplace design choice from what I’ve noticed.

 

Build Quality & Construction

Another huge difference between the 2 is the build quality.

Older speakers didn’t have the precision in the manufacturing process that speakers nowadays have, and so build quality could really be all over the place.

Some older speakers were designed so well that they still outperform a good portion of speakers from even today; while others were made from lesser materials which meant they didn’t last very long.

There was a wide variance in the durability of these speakers, even more so than today.

Like I talked about previously, the materials used are directly related with how long speakers last, and the better the material, the longer the speaker will last.

Something to consider too is that older speakers may sometimes require more power than newer ones due to the numerous advancements made in the audio world that older speakers may have not had access to.

Due to the denser wood too that their cabinets are sometimes made of, some may have a warmer, more powerful tone which some may prefer.

Some may also just like the way a vintage speaker looks, especially if they happen to have an affinity towards audio pieces from a certain time period.

Tweeters were also made of more rigid materials which made them stiffer, and so had less dynamism comparatively.




 

Overall Design Of The Speaker & Its Size

Speaking of the way a speaker looks actually, another pretty big difference between older and newer speakers is their size.

Since commercial usage of speakers is somewhat of a newer thing, older speakers were often times much bigger than more modern ones.

They were typically used for other applications like studio mixing and concerts, and as home theater started to become more popular, the average size of speakers themselves shrunk.

 

Why Do Old Speakers Sometimes Sound Better?

If audio technology has made numerous advancements over the years though, then why do older speakers sometimes sound better?

Good question, and it’s one that even I ponder occasionally since I definitely have noticed this before.

I think one aspect of this has to do with how some were built.

Since a lot of vintage speakers were larger in density and overall cabinet size, and being that it was harder for some to get to a particular volume level, it may have given the sound a kind of warmer tone at higher levels that some may prefer (but that’s just speculation)

Plus this was a time where a lot of speakers were still being handcrafted so a lot of passion went into creating a lot of these speakers.

Then it’s also possible it could be from speaker burn in from their literal years of time.

Do speakers actually get better over time though?

That’s something I’m not sure of since that’s been a debate in audio for as long as I remember.

Some people adamantly feel speakers get better the more they’re played, while others feel they play to their full capabilities right out of the box.

Personally I’m not entirely sure because with the many speakers that I’ve had and tested over the years, I’ve kind of noticed both honestly.




 

Are Vintage Speakers Better Than Newer Speakers?

But are vintage speakers actually better than newer speakers?

I’ll say it really honestly depends.

There’s so many variables when it comes to sound that’s it’s difficult to say one way or another.

Older speakers sometimes sound warmer which some people may like, but then there’s other times where modern speakers have better control in the higher frequency ranges with more detail due to more advanced tweeters and things like that.

Then that’s not even accounting for the fact that modern speakers can also be weather resistant and or portable.

All in all, it really depends on the speaker.

Some modern speakers like the Polk Signature Elite ES10 & Klipsch R51PM are absolutely fantastic, while there’s vintage speakers from the 80s that also sound downright amazing.

Then that’s not even factoring in the various ways to make your older speakers sound better and you begin to realize it really boils down to personal preference and the speaker at the end of the day.

There’s no one size fits all since everyone may like a different type of speaker — though now with knowing all of this, hopefully it gives you an insight as to why someone might prefer one over the other.

 

Final Thoughts

Well that about wraps it up for this one. In summation both modern and vintage speakers have their applicability, making it really down to individual preference as to which is better.

Unless the speaker is falling apart or isn’t working, it’s really going to be about the particular speaker — not whether it’s vintage or not.

Both can work great in a home theater system.

Hopefully that provides some clarity since I know firsthand how complex audio can be sometimes.

Until next time though.

Make it easy, keep it simple!

Front Port & Rear Port Subwoofer Placement (Tips & Tricks)

Front Port & Rear Port Subwoofer Placement (Tips & Tricks)

Front Port & Rear Port Subwoofer Placement (Tips & Tricks)

For placement of rear ported subwoofers, I’ve often found that placing it one and a half times the width of the port away from the wall for the minimum distance tends to work best. Front ported subwoofers can be slightly closer, however to find the most optimal spot, doing the subwoofer crawl can reveal the best location for the sub.

 

I recently went over where to place your rear ported speakers for the best audio quality as well the difference between a front and surround speakers.

However what I didn’t go into detail about was the positioning of the subwoofer.

The reason for that is simple; bass frequencies are different both in the way they travel and how they interact in the room when compared with higher frequencies.

Similar to how positioning your speakers for bass output can be important, the positioning of your subwoofer is too.

So because of that, I wanted to do a separate article detailing how to specifically place your front or rear ported subwoofer for the cleanest bass quality — along with some tips you can also use to get the most out of your sub.

There’s a lot to get to so let’s just get right into it.

 




 

Understanding How Bass Travels

So to get an idea of where the best place is to place your subwoofer, it’s first important to remember how a subwoofer’s bass actually works.

Without making it too complicated since it can get complex really quickly, bass waves are omnidirectional meaning they travel in every direction and contain much more energy than higher frequency waves.

It’s the reason why even when sitting close to a subwoofer, it seems like the bass isn’t coming from any one particular direction.

They also travel much slower and interact with whatever is in the room to a greater degree — passing through different materials, reflecting off others and so on.

Being that these waves are longer than higher frequency sounds, even a slight movement of a subwoofer can have a dramatic influence on the bass you experience.

So with this in mind, you can use that to get a better quality bass through proper placement.

But how do you do that exactly?

A few ways actually that we’ll go over — but it’s important to remember that the type of subwoofer you have will affect this to some degree.




 

What Is A Front Ported & Rear Ported Subwoofer?

There’s 4 types of subwoofers, front ported, rear ported, down firing, and sealed.

A front ported subwoofer means the port is on the front, and is also called a front firing subwoofer since the driver is also typically located on the front.

A rear ported subwoofer has a port that, like you’ve probably guessed, is on the back.

Downfiring subwoofers have their drivers on the bottom and emanate their bass downwards through the floor.

A sealed subwoofer doesn’t have any ports and is just one solid enclosure.

The reason I’m reiterating the types of subwoofer is because it’s these ports that will directly influence the best place to actually place them.

The location of the port matters since it’ll give you an idea how far or close to a wall a subwoofer should be.

Of course there’s many other factors that impact bass quality, but this is one that’s definitely important.

 

Where Should I Place A Rear Ported Subwoofer?

Keeping all of this in mind then, how far should a rear ported subwoofer be from the wall?

For rear ported subwoofers, I’ve found the minimum it should be placed from a wall is the width of the port itself plus half the width.

So if the port is 3 inches for example, then the minimum in that instance would be about 4.5 inches from the wall.

This of course can and likely very well might vary, but from my experience, I’ve just found this to be a good starting point with finding the right spot for this kind of subwoofer.

Placing it closer than this can sometimes be detrimental to your bass quality as it can basically cause unwanted reverberation in the wall.

Not to mention it can cause your bass to sound boomy and lack articulation which defeats the purpose (though it depends since this might not always be the case)



Now as for the ideal spot, that’s going to be different for every room.

However what you can do to find this spot is using the subwoofer crawl.

I’ve covered this in much more detail before but basically to do the subwoofer crawl, place the subwoofer at your listening position and play content that has a lot of bass.

Then go around the room and find the spot where it sounds best.

Mark that spot and place the subwoofer there.

Here’s a guide that goes into much more depth with that process.

The Subwoofer Crawl

 

 

Where Should I Place A Front Ported Subwoofer?

Luckily, the process for placing a front ported subwoofer is basically the same as a rear ported one, the only difference is you might be able to place it closer to a wall without distortion or port noise.

But other than that there’s really not much of a difference.

Just remember to not place it in an entertainment center or something like that since it can be bad for both the sub and your bass quality.

 

Should The Subwoofer Be Between The Front Speakers?

What about the subwoofer’s position in relation to the other speakers, should it be placed between the front speakers?

It can be placed there, but the subwoofer crawl will be the best way to find out what the ideal spot for the unit is.

The ideal spot very well could be between those speakers, or it could be a corner or even somewhere else.

It’ll likely be different for each room so test to see what gives the best bass response.




 

How To Improve The Bass Of Your Subwoofer

Using Corners For Room Gain

That being said, there’s still ways to improve your bass even after you’ve found the best spot for your sub.

One way is through using corners.

If you place your subwoofer in the corner you’ll likely notice the almost immediate increase in SPL (sound pressure level) which can make it sound better, or it might do the opposite and make it sound muddled.

However you can still further tweak this sound for better bass quality by moving the sub forward from the corner a little bit and playing your content then keeping in mind what I mentioned earlier.

What you might notice is it’ll peak and drop in volume even from slightly moving it along the wall.

Once you find the spot where the bass is strongest without losing that detail, that’s where the sub should remain.

 

Adjusting The Trim In The Receiver Menu

Another way you could increase the amount of bass is by literally increasing the amount of bass.

After you’ve calibrated your speakers, if you notice the subwoofer’s levels still seem low, you can increase it in the receiver settings.

This is what’s known as running the sub hot though increasing it too much might make the LFE seem overpowering.

At most I’d say 6 decibels is what it should be increased by in the menu before it starts to become too unbalanced though it depends too.



 

Implementing Acoustic Treatment

Do you happen to notice holes in the bass output in certain spots around the room?

There could be nulls present.

Nulls to put it simply are when 2 sound waves collide which then cancel each other out.

This can lead to an area or even areas where there happens to be a steep decrease in volume.

You might also be experiencing the opposite with dramatic increases in volume known as peaks.

It could even be a combination of the two.

With that said, acoustically treating the room by way of bass traps, & sound panels may potentially help with the audio characteristics in a room.

 

Using 2 Subwoofers

Finally, for an improvement in bass, there’s always the option of using 2 subwoofers rather than one.

When properly setup, 2 subwoofers can give a much smoother and impactful bass, and can help reduce any peaks or nulls present.

https://easyhometheater.net/setting-up-2-subwoofers

 




 

Final Thoughts

With that, hopefully you now have a better understanding on where to place your subwoofer so that you get the most out of its capabilites.

A rear ported subwoofer and front ported subwoofer are both relatively similar in how they function; the actual differentiator between the different types are things like power, materials, driver size, etc.

Correct placement can have the biggest impact on the bass you experience, and with proper adjustment, can make for a very fun experience overall.

For ideas on subwoofers that might be worth considering, this article may help.

https://easyhometheater.net/the-best-home-theater-subwoofers

 

That’s all for now though.

Until next time.

Make it easy, keep it simple!

 

The Real Difference Between Front Speakers And Surround Speakers

Old Vs New Speakers - Which Is Better

The Real Difference Between Front Speakers And Surround Speakers

The Difference Between Front Speakers And Surround Speakers

The main differences between front speakers and surround speakers are the frequencies they handle & the positioning of their drivers. Front speakers and similarly designed surround speakers are called monopole since their drivers are forward facing. Beyond monopole, surround speakers can be further classified into bipole and dipole designs where their drivers are situated on opposite sides of the speaker.

 

Is there a difference between front speakers and surround speakers?

Whether you’re creating a home theater for the living room, or creating a smaller system for the bedroom, surround sound can add excitement to the movie watching experience.

Soundbars are definitely awesome, but the effect of surround sound when done right is just truly immersive.

But here’s food for thought – did you ever wonder if there’s actually a fundamental difference between the 2 types of speakers?

Surprisingly the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think and there’s a really interesting story there.

 




 

The Types Of Front Speakers

Center Channel Speaker

So to understand the difference between the front and rear speakers, why not start with the most important of all the speakers in a home theater setup; the center channel speaker?

The center channel speaker sits between the left & right speaker, and has a very important job — as it’s responsible for a majority of the dialogue and other important effects that you might hear.

In fact, in some cases it can be tasked with up to 80 percent of the sound mix.

It’s this speaker that handles voices and stuff of that nature, so getting the right one when opting for a surround sound setup is really important to say the least.

It’s why whenever I’m building a system, I always start with the center channel first and then choose everything else based around it.

But then could you just use 2 stacked bookshelf speakers for a center channel speaker instead?

Well you could, but it probably wouldn’t be best.

While I’ve actually covered that very topic, long story short I found that doing so just results in all kinds of time delays and anomalies with the audio, so using a dedicated center is a much better choice.

The Klipsch R-52C and Polk Signature Elite ES35 are pretty awesome, but here’s a few additional choices that I feel are really solid in that regard too.

The Best Center Channel Speakers

 




 

Left & Right Channel Speakers

Besides the receiver, the left & right center channel speakers are the the next most important in my opinion since they’re responsible for the sound effects largely outside of dialogue that pan from the left or right side.

Any music or special effects in a particular scene that happen on screen are handled by these speakers.

Placing them correctly is especially important since placing them in the right spot in your particular room is what allows for the best imaging with your sound for that realism factor.

Of course the type of speaker matters too since these along with the center is what forms the basis of your home theater setup

These come in all shapes & sizes from bookshelf speakers to the larger floorstanding speakers, but when done right can result in something truly impressive.

 

The Difference Between Front Speakers And Surround Speakers

Now when it comes to surround speakers, these are the ones that are responsible for subdued noises like background music or someone talking in the background.

It’s the speakers that give surround sound that enveloping effect, hence the name.

These can vary from the standard 5 channel systems, to 7 channel systems and above.

However given that the majority of the sound mix is typically focused on the front speakers for a good portion of the time, that makes the type of surround speakers used the least important in terms of priority with getting a good sound.



The focus should be getting the front soundstage & subwoofer situated first.

But that said, they’re still really important to get right — and to understand how to do that, we first need to understand the difference between surround and front speakers.

So to start, you can actually use any front speakers for surround speakers since they’re just tuned to a higher frequency in the receiver to handle those higher frequency sounds.

There’s not actually a physical difference between the 2 types of speakers if they have forward facing drivers.

The signal is simply digitally processed differently depending on their position in the mix.

If you take a front speaker, and then decide to use it as a surround, it’ll work just fine.

Though with that said, even though there isn’t a physical difference if the driver is forward facing, there are other types of surround speakers where there is a physical difference.

Speakers where the driver and tweeter are facing forward are called monopole in design since they project the sound in one direction to wherever the listener happens to be seated.

The front speakers are monopole, and while surround speakers can also be monopole, the ones that aren’t of this design are called dipole & bipole designs because of the way they project their sound.




 

The Types Of Surround Speakers

Bipole

Bipole speakers have 2 drivers, but the thing is they’re placed on opposite sides of the speaker itself which is pretty cool.

This is done to provide a more emissive sound — that also makes it so that the person can’t really specifically tell the exact spot where the sound is coming from if setup correctly.

This adds to that surround sound effect that makes it feel like you’re immersed in that content.

The drivers on a bipole speaker basically play at the same time by pushing air simultaneously — but to actually experience that diffuse effect, the speakers themselves have to be in a slightly different placement when compared with traditional surround speakers.

If you place them like you would normal surround speakers it might diminish the effect because they might cancel each other out with discrepancies in the actual surround sound effect.

Their specific placement though is going to depend on your seating position along with how the room itself is built since it varies.

Whether bipole speakers work better than the monopole though is subjective since it really depends too.

 

Dipole

Similar to bipole, dipole speakers also have 2 drivers on each side of the speaker; but where they differ is they’re not technically playing at the same time.

When one side isn’t playing, the other is, and this creates a null within an area in the room which is done to create an atmospheric effect with the surround sound.

Again though, whether this approach is better is subjective since some prefer one over the other and it depends on the actual room they’re placed in.




 

Can I Use Surround Speakers As Front Speakers?

Can you use surround speakers as front speakers?

Yes you can as long as the driver is forward facing or monopole in design though just be aware of the capabilities of that speaker since the front speakers are important with regard to output.

If the speaker is bipole or dipole, then you probably shouldn’t use them as front speakers since the sound might lack directionality which would take you out of the immersion

It might also make dialogue and other things hard to discern since the sound won’t be aimed towards your seating position which would make it hard to hear it.

 

Should Surround Speakers Be The Same As Front Speakers?

But then with all of this said, should your surround speakers be the same as your front speakers?

They can be, sure, but realistically they don’t really have to be.

Since the front 3 speakers are the most important and handle the widest ranges of frequencies, these are the ones that should be timbre matched (basically as similar as possible)

Since surround speakers don’t have to handle as much though, the need for them to be as powerful or capable isn’t really necessary.

Matching all of them could benefit audio quality slightly, but that’s dependent on a wide variety of things.

How important are rear surround speakers though?

Honestly while they do add an extra layer of immersion, I would say they’re less important than surround speakers since even less of the audio mix is directed to them.

While they can have some degree of output, it isn’t nearly as frequent as the other speakers.




 

Object Based Sound (Dolby Atmos & DTS:X)

Then there’s also the aspect of ceiling speakers and the newer object based surround sound or spatial audio.

Without going too in depth, object based sound is able to render each sound effect in 3D while treating each effect as an object traveling through a digital space.

This creates a much more realistic listening experience.

You’ll typically see this mentioned as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X

It’s hard to describe what it’s like in comparison to standard surround sound, but the level of realism in the audio quality is actually really impressive in my opinion.

 

Should Surround Speakers Be Louder Than Front Speakers?

When it comes to setup, should your surround speakers be louder than your front speakers?

Definitely not.

While most modern receivers have an optimization microphone to calibrate your speakers automatically, if you do happen to do it manually, the surround speakers shouldn’t be louder than the other speakers.

This is because their purpose is to provide ambience, not call a lot of attention to themselves — and if they’re too loud, it can detract from the overall cohesion of the sound.

As long as they’re setup properly, if they seem somewhat quiet that’s relatively normal.

The sound mix typically focuses on the other parts of the presentation in most scenes, and only really emphasize the surround channels a fraction of the time (speaking generally since there can be exceptions)

That’s not even to mention some movies can have a better mix and mastering process than others.

Of course you can adjust your surround speakers so that they’re audible enough for you to adequately listen to, but they shouldn’t be louder than the L/R & center channel speakers.

That way you enjoy the best audio quality from your home theater.




 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this helped with clarifying the difference between front and surround speakers and it now makes a little more sense.

While similar if the driver is forward facing, they can also differentiate themselves further by also being bipole or dipole in design.

Which of those is better though really is dependent on what your preference is.

That’s wraps it up for this one though.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple.

Rear Ported Speaker Placement (Guide)

Rear Ported Speaker Placement

Rear Ported Speaker Placement (Guide)

Rear Ported Speaker Placement Guide

Whether you’ve just got a new pair of speakers for a special occasion, or you’re trying to optimize what you already have, it’s likely you’ve noticed a port of some kind on either the front or the back of your speaker.

But you’re probably wondering what the point of this port is, and more importantly, where should you actually place your speakers for the most optimal sound quality?

Let’s find out!

Rear Ported Speaker Placement

In terms of rear ported speaker placement, I’ve found that a maximum of 4 feet is the point where a speaker can still benefit from room gain but 1 1/2 to 2 feet from the wall often gives a good quality of audio. This could be different for you though since every room & speaker is different.




 

What Are Rear Ported Speakers?

Rear ported speakers, often called bass reflex systems, are a common design among smaller bookshelf speakers.

Due to their smaller cabinet size, the port is placed on the back to save space while still being functional.

Bigger speakers, due to actually having more space to put the port, can place it on the front or back of the enclosure — though whether it makes a difference and which option is better is a different story entirely (we’ll get to that in a bit though)

But you might be asking, what is the function of a rear port in the first place?

Well it allows for a few things.

The main function of a rear port is to minimize the distortion produced by the speaker when the driver moves.

In order to produce sound, the speaker driver (often called a woofer) has to move air from one point to another.

The problem though, when this air has nowhere to go, is it remains in the cabinet which can then directly impact the sound you experience.

Sealed speaker designs can mitigate this potential through specialized internal bracing to help with their sound quality.

When adding a port to the cabinet though, it allows for this air to escape, positively impacting sound quality without having to accommodate for the lack of a port like a sealed variant would.

This port can allow for the speaker to reach lower frequency levels without distorting in the process.

Of course the shape of the port, (whether it’s vented or circular) its size, where it’s located, and even the material it’s made of can influence things positively or negatively.

Size is probably one of the most important factors since that’s directly correlated with how much air can actually leave and at what speed (also known as tuning which varies depending on the manufacturer and style of speaker)

That’s simplifying things of course since there’s so many variables when it comes to sound, but that’s really the basic premise behind the function of a port on speakers.



 

What’s The Optimal Speaker Rear Port Distance From The Wall?

So with that said, let’s just get right to the answer to the original question, what’s the optimal speaker rear port distance from the wall?

From my experience, the optimal distance often tends be around 1 1/2 to 2 feet.

Now some might say well placing the speaker too close to a wall might introduce some reflections and could directly influence the way the speaker sounds — and that’s definitely true.

However there’s a bunch of other variables that might affect sound like the material of the speaker itself, the material of the wall, what’s actually in the room itself, room size, and so on.

From my experience and what I’ve found from testing many speakers over the years is the maximum distance I would say is 4 feet but the ideal I’ve found is about 1 ¹/² to 2 feet from the wall.

The reason has to do with room boundaries and how the sound interacts in the room.

When placed too close obviously that’ll negatively impact sound quality but when too far from the wall, then it can’t benefit from any of the potential reinforcement speakers often receive when placed near a surface.

I’ve found that speakers can gain a lot of depth and oomph just from placing it closer to a wall and can make it feel more authoritative in volume.

It’s an easy way to get a sound boost but placing it too close can make it sound boomy which is why it’s important to get that distance just right.

Remember all of this isn’t always the case since every room and speaker is different, and the optimal distance could be different in your case.

Though with that said, I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a maximum difference if you’re going for accuracy; it’s that I’ve found for rear ported speakers, a maximum distance 4 feet for room gain is the point before it becomes less noticeable.

Your ideal spot could be shorter or longer than that, but I feel like those are a pretty good starting points in my opinion.



 

How Do I Get The Most Out Of My Rear Ported Speakers?

So how do you actually get the most out of your rear ported speakers?

Well of course getting the distance from the wall just right is important, there’s other things you can do too.

Another thing that’s important is getting the front stage (left, right, & center channel) speaker’s distance from each other right too.

If you place them too far apart then the soundstage falls apart with the audio since it’ll sound disjointed and not really immersive.

While placing them too close can make things sound narrow diminishing the surround sound effect.

The ideal distance is placing them the same distance apart that you are seated from them.

So for example if you’re seated 6 feet away, you’ll want to place them 6 feet apart.

This is known as the golden triangle rule in sound because the distance between you and your speakers is equal on all 3 sides forming an equilateral triangle.



Another way you could optimize your sound is through acoustic panels, bass traps, and even additional plush material in the room so there isn’t as much echo.

You could also use time alignment, which basically helps with timing discrepancies by using a delay to adjust for this.

Yet another thing you could do that could help you get the most out of your speakers is using toe in.

Toe in and toe out are basically terms for the angle at which the drivers of your speaker is pointing towards.

By increasing or decreasing that angle of your speakers based on where you’re sitting by pointing them more inwards or outwards, you can further tailor the sound for your current seating.

There’s also soundproofing and things of that nature, but these are direct things you can implement that may help.

 

Are Rear Port Speakers Worth It?

Are rear ported speakers worth it though?

Are they better than say front ported speakers?

Honestly, in my opinion I don’t know that they make too much of a difference.

The point of the port is to expel air, and whether it’s placed on the front or the back isn’t nearly as important as the things that directly matter like driver & cabinet size, speaker material, bracing, the size & shape of the port itself, those sorts of things.

So in essence, whether a rear ported speaker is worth it is going to depend more on the things mentioned not really the location of the port.

Though I will caveat all of that by saying the port being located on the back of the speaker, means it’s technically closer to the wall so it could make sound fuller overall from resonance and boundaries but it depends.



 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this helped with figuring the right placement of your rear ported speakers and you now have an idea of all the things that can directly influence the audio you experience.

There’s a bunch of things that can alter your sound, and their distance from the wall is certainly one of them.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple!

10 Inch vs 12 Inch Home Theater Subwoofers (What’s Better?)

10 Inch vs 12 Inch Home Theater Subwoofers

10 Inch vs 12 Inch Home Theater Subwoofers (What’s Better?)

10 Inch vs 12 Inch Home Theater Subwoofers

When comparing 10 inch vs 12 inch home theater subwoofers, the difference is 10 inch subwoofers tend to work better for smaller apartments & dorms, while 12 inch subs have bigger drivers for more impactful bass. However excursion, internal amplifier power, and continuous wattage are all more important factors. Both sizes of subwoofers have their own strengths and weaknesses.

 

I personally feel like choosing the right subwoofer for your space can genuinely be the difference between a sub-par movie experience (puns) or one that makes you anticipate the next movie right after.

The sub’s bass adds a lot to the mix, and when actually done right, immerses you in the experience entirely.

But here’s the thing, subwoofers not only come in all shapes and styles, but in sizes too.

Which brings us to our question in the title, between 10 inch and 12 inch subwoofers, two of the most common sizes, which is better?

The answer to that is pretty interesting actually, so we’ll just get right to it.

(Some of the best subwoofers for 2023 also happen to be 10 & 12 inch variants interestingly enough)

https://easyhometheater.net/the-best-home-theater-subwoofers




 

The Advantages Of 10 Inch Home Theater Subwoofers

They Tend To Be More Accurate With Their Bass

So the first reason why someone might decide to go with a 10 inch sub has to do with the quality of the bass they put out.

Due to the fact they have smaller enclosures and drivers, they don’t have to move nearly as much air as larger subs.

This let’s them be more responsive since they can move air that much faster, and as a result of all of this, tend have a more accurate bass response from what I’ve noticed.

Of course this isn’t across the board since there’s so many other factors that actually goes into the type of bass you experience, (plus there’s always exceptions) but in general it’s what I’ve found to be the case.

 

They’re Better For Rooms With Limited Size

If you’re limited when it comes to room size but still want to enjoy quality bass, then 10 inch subs can be a good middle ground.

A 10 inch subwoofer can provide a good balance between a deep enough frequency response while still being manageable in size which can be especially helpful for rooms that are limited when it comes to size.

 

10 Inch Subs Are Easier To Install

Additionally, due to their smaller size, 10 inch subs are often a lot easier to install than larger ones.

Rather than weighing hundreds of pounds and being difficult to move, these smaller variants (while sometimes still heavy) can be installed and moved around without nearly as much effort.




 

Can Be Stacked Easier

I’ve talked about subwoofer stacking before, but basically stacking your subwoofers one on top of the other can actually benefit your bass quality in a big way.

Without going into too much detail since I’ve already covered it, long story short, stacking them can actually result in a 6 decibel increase in sound.

That can be a noticeable jump in bass output.

The cool thing is that because a 10 inch subwoofer is smaller, it’s easier to actually put them in that configuration as opposed to having to lift a bigger unit.

 

They May Draw Less Power From The Receiver

Another benefit of a 10 inch subwoofer is they tend to have smaller internal amps which may draw less power from the receiver

This can can a great thing for the more energy conscious.

 

Better For Quieter Environments

Finally, because of their general lower power capabilities, 10 inch subs are typically better for smaller environments like apartments or dorms where you’d want good bass but without the worry of disturbing others.



 

The Disadvantages Of 10 Inch Home Theater Subwoofers

The Bass Might Not Be As Deep As Larger Ones

The drawback of 10 inch subwoofers is also their size.

Because they have smaller drivers than a 12 inch versions, the bass that they produce might not be as deep.

However that being said, there are exceptions to that which we’ll get to when we directly compare the 2.

 

Greater Chance For Them To Distort At Higher Volumes Due To Less Powerful Internal Amps

A problem with some 10 inch subwoofer is that because the internal amps they use aren’t as powerful and the drivers they use aren’t as big, they can distort when played at higher volumes.

This is because the cone has to work a lot harder to push more air, and when pushed past its intended range, the bass it produces can start to sound distorted.

Playing at really high volumes also has a direct impact on how long it lasts since the voice coil (an important part of the subwoofer) can heat up along with the rest of the internals.

 

The Advantages Of 12 Inch Subwoofers

Have Bigger Drivers For Deeper Bass

So when it comes to a 12 inch subwoofer, there’s definitely a few major benefits over a smaller subwoofer.

The first is much deeper bass!

These larger drivers can often push a higher degree of air, the result of which is an incredibly low bass response.

In fact, some subwoofers in this range can dig below 20 Hz (the audible range of human hearing)

What happens below this frequency range is pretty interesting.

Rather than hearing the bass, you actually start to feel it instead, which can reach into the infrasonic ranges.

If done right, it can actually pressurize the room, which is a different level of immersion entirely

Now if you’ve never experienced that kind of bass, it’s really hard to describe, but it basically makes the sound mix an entirely tactile experience.

This of course requires a lot of power, which leads into the next point..




 

Larger Enclosures Allows Them To Push More Air

Since the driver and enclosure are larger in a 12 inch sub, it can push more air overall due to the increase in power.

Remember, the more air a subwoofer driver can move efficiently (of course without distorting too while doing so) the lower the bass you experience.

While not the end all, the peak wattage and RMS (which is the continuous amount of power it uses in normal circumstances) is a good metric for this.

That combined with a likely more powerful internal amp, which can be one of several classes makes it a great choice for really large rooms (or even smaller rooms too if you make the space for it)

Of course how low the bass goes is still going to also depend on that device in particular, but in general, these are still a good rules of thumb to guage initial performance.

 

Less Chance To Distort At Higher Volumes

Also, because 12 inch subwoofers can play at higher volumes, likely being constructed of better materials to accommodate this, there’s less chance for them to distort at higher volumes (though it depends too)

Distortion can easily ruin bass quality and the chances of noticing it becomes higher the louder the volume is.

Luckily these larger subwoofers are often able to handle louder volumes more easily.

 

Disadvantages Of 12 Inch Subwoofers

Can Be Less Accurate In Bass Response

So the one drawback that’s definitely a possibility is because of its larger driver size, a 12 inch subwoofer could also be less accurate with its bass output.

While the driver can push more air, it also can take longer doing so — which if not set up correctly, can cause it to sound boomy or inarticulate.

 

More Power Usage

Another drawback is their power.

Being so powerful, a 12 inch subwoofer’s draw on the receiver might be a lot greater, which could cause them to use more energy.

Some do have power saving measures like auto standy which allows you to keep the subwoofer on, however these larger subs still use more energy than smaller variants which can be problematic for some.

 

Bass Can Permeate Walls Easier

The bass that these larger subwoofers are capable of can permeate nearby walls and leak into other spaces.

This can be especially problematic if you’re in an apartment or have neighbors close by as it won’t take nearly as much volume from the LFE for them to hear it.

You of course can decouple the subwoofer or even add acoustic panels but it’s important to keep in mind that the bigger the subwoofer is, the more chances of the sound escaping outside of the room.




 

They Take Up More Room Within The Room

If you’re in a smaller room, then a bigger subwoofer is also going to have a bigger physical footprint which means it’s going to take up a lot more space comparatively.

Getting a subwoofer that’s too big for the room can definitely be a hindrance when it comes to accessibility in the actual room, and you certainly don’t want it to overpower your speakers since it’ll make the sound mix seem bloated and unbalanced.

 

Stacking Them Might Damage The Enclosure Due To Their Weight

While you can definitely stack subwoofers, if the sub is too heavy, it could damage the cabinet of the subwoofer it’s placed on.

Each sub is different and made of different materials of varying quality so ones of lower quality can be negatively impacted if they’re too heavy, especially when you get to 12 inch subwoofers and larger sizes.

 

Deeper Bass Can Shake Unsecured Pictures and Decor Off Tables & Walls

So lastly, because of the deeper bass that larger 12 inch subs are capable of, unsecured decorations can actually be physically shaken off tables and walls at louder volumes if the sub is powerful enough.

If you have lots of delicate objects in the room, it’s definitely smart to make sure that beforehand everything remains secured so that nothing gets damaged from the random bass sweep that possibly shows up when you’re watching a movie.



 

Which Is The Better Of The Two Options?

So the crux of the article and the answer to our original question, which is actually the better of the 2?

I’ll admit that’s a tough one to say definitively one way or the other honestly, so here is what I will say.

Unless you’re specifically concerned with the physical size of the subwoofer and how it’ll fit in your particular space, whether it’s a 10 or 12 inch sub isn’t the most important thing in my opinion.

One of the few things that is going to have a direct impact on the bass you experience though is the amount of excursion the driver actually has.

Excursion is basically how far the driver can move, and the higher the excursion, the deeper the bass it’ll put out.

When you get a subwoofer with a high excursion, that means it’s capable of pumping out serious sound without audibly distorting when doing so.

If it happens to be a cast basket design, even better since that’s basically a way to help reinforce the structure of the sub making it more durable.

Then there’s the frequency response which is something to consider.

Now I wouldn’t take the numbers listed as set in stone since any variation in room types, seating, placement, etc can influence it, but generally the lower Hz, the deeper the bass.

It can be a good indicator of how the subwoofer might perform.

The same thing applies with wattage which is something you might come across.

Peak wattage is the highest it can go in an ideal scenario, but it’s not really a realistic metric to go by.

The RMS, or the continuous wattage, is a more grounded measurement to use.

In that respect, 12 inch subwoofers do often have a higher RMS than 10 inch ones due to more powerful amps which often translates to better bass, but this isn’t always the case.



If a 10 inch subwoofer with a vented port and a higher excursion driver is going up against a 12 sub with a higher wattage, from my experience, the 10 inch may actually outperform it in terms of quality.

At the same time, If you had 2 subwoofers that were virtually identical except one was a 12 inch sub and the other device was a 10 inch sub, the 10 inch version would probably have a cleaner & punchier bass, while the 12 would be louder and have more presence.

This is of course speaking generally since there’s so many variables with how a subwoofer could potentially sound, but those are just things I’ve noticed honestly.

 

What’s Better, 2 10 inch subs, or 1 12 inch?

Here’s an interesting question you might also be wondering, what’s better 2 10 inch subs or 1 12 inch?

Honestly even though the 12 inch would technically offer more bass in terms of volume, in this scenario I’d still go with 2 10 inch subs.

The reason for that has to do with the sound benefits you get when using 2 subwoofers.

Since I’ve covered that before in detail, I’ll just briefly summarize everything by saying using 2 subs increases your bass output by at least 3 decibels — which you’d then perceive as having your bass doubled.

Using 2 also allows you to smooth out any peaks or nulls in the room, giving you a more much smoother bass throughout the room overall.

This allows for more choice with seating when accounting for optimal sound.

Even if the single subwoofer is more powerful, using 2 tends to yield better bass quality and is the better choice in my opinion.




 

Final Thoughts

In short both 10 and 12 inch subwoofers have their individual strengths and weaknesses and is hard to definitively say which is better since there are so many other factors that come into play.

They both can be great choices as long as it’s the right one for your setup.

But keeping in mind the things talked about, getting the right subwoofer integrated with your home theater shouldn’t be nearly as complex.

If you still have any questions, feel free to ask since I’m fully aware home theater can be pretty involved at times when it comes to getting things to sound just right.

That about wraps up this one though.

Until next time. Make it easy, keep it simple!

How To Decouple A Subwoofer From The Floor (Improve Bass)

How To Decouple A Subwoofer From The Floor

How To Decouple A Subwoofer From The Floor (Improve Bass)

How To Decouple A Subwoofer From The Floor

You can decouple a subwoofer from the floor by placing it atop a specially designed platform that stops vibrations & bass from traveling through the floor; or by using specialized feet that attach to the bottom of the subwoofer cabinet’s bracing that prevents an over abundance in resonance. 

 

Check Availability Of IsoAcoustics Subwoofer Isolation Stand

 

Check Availability Of SVS Soundpath Subwoofer Isolation System

 

Today we’ll cover how to decouple a subwoofer from the floor so that you can still enjoy your bass without having to stress about it rattling the floor.

There’s a lot to get to, so let’s just get right into it.

(After, be sure to check out this helpful guide for the best subs for 2024-2025 with an insight on factors to consider under that)

https://easyhometheater.net/the-best-home-theater-subwoofers

 




 

Understanding How Bass Waves Travel

So to provide context to the original question so we understand why it’s important, it’s important to first understand how sound waves & bass waves actually travel.

Sound waves peak and dip in the energy they produce, causing any surface they interact with to resonate parallel to the wave itself.

They’re known as what’s called longitudinal waves.

To put it in more simple terms, whatever surface a sound wave interacts with, that surface will then attempt to resist the change in pressure by moving back and forth with it.

Make sense so far?

Well here’s the thing; depending on the frequency, this may not happen with higher frequencies since they may reflect or be absorbed more or less (again depending on that particular frequency)

Since humans are more sensitive to higher frequency sounds on average, it’s actually easier for us to hear them when we’re in the same space as that source.



However at the same time, they may be absorbed easier (depending on the material) since higher frequencies don’t have as much energy.

On the other hand low frequencies (bass waves) can do this easier since there’s a lot more energy that they have plus the fact that travel in every direction.

Combining all of these things, that means bass waves have the potential to be much more audible outside your space even if you don’t want them to be due to the simple fact that they just have more energy and travel way farther.

This is an oversimplification of course since audio & sound theory can get very complicated very quickly, and there’s lots of variables that can change things.

Of course proper subwoofer placement is important too, but decoupling can be a crucial part when it comes to the subwoofer’s installation and bass you experience.

 

What Does Decoupling A Subwoofer Mean?

Decoupling, to put it simply, is basically separating your subwoofer’s cabinet from the floor so that those bass waves it emits doesn’t travel through the floor and walls.

A good portion of subwoofers often come with feet attached at the bottom to separate the cabinet from the floor, though in saying that I’ve noticed that they sometimes don’t prevent these waves from traveling which can affect sound quality.

However proper decoupling is much more efficient and can have a number of advantages with regards to audio quality.

 

What Are The Benefits Of Decoupling A Subwoofer?

Reduction In External Noise

One of the major reasons why someone would want to decouple their sub in the first place is it help prevent unwanted bass from leaking outside the room.

Because the cabinet isn’t in contact with the floor, the bass waves can’t travel as well, basically acting as a way to sort of contain the bass output to that space.

This is great for those who want to enjoy a quality surround sound experience without it being a bother.

There of course exist a bunch of additional variables that can influence this like materials in the room, the type of walls and their thickness, etc, but the main reason usually boils down to this.



 

Improvement In The Quality Of The Bass

Another interesting benefit that decoupling your sub can have is it can actually have an impact on your overall bass quality.

Because proper decoupling focuses on reducing the vibrations that may travel through the floor and everywhere else, it has the potential to also reduce any additional noise that isn’t the bass your subwoofer’s driver is outputting.

The result of that could be a smoother & tighter bass with your content.

It can also help with taming the especially powerful subwoofers that can physically shake things and cause the room to resonate.

Even when using 2 subwoofers, decoupling can help level out the amount of bass in the room so there isn’t as many peaks which can cause things to sound boomy.

Of course your seating in a room will have a direct affect on this too, but in general, decoupling may be helpful in that aspect.

It can also help with any phase issues.

What is phase on a subwoofer?

Basically it’s a way to add a delay to the output of the bass and is often used when the subwoofer sounds out of sync with your speakers.

Long story short, decoupling can help with improving bass quality in a bunch of ways.

 

How To Decouple A Subwoofer From The Floor?

So how do you actually decouple a subwoofer from the floor then?

Surprisingly it’s a lot easier than you might think.

First, it’s possible to use a platform that’s specifically designed to isolate the subwoofer’s cabinet from the floor.

In general these platforms are an often softer material of some kind with a long solid sheet that sits atop — and this combination can help dampen the potential bass waves that might try to pass through.

They’re pretty easy to use and really only require you placing the subwoofer on top of it.

 

Check Availability Of IsoAcoustics Subwoofer Isolation Stand

 

Another way to decouple your subwoofer is using specialized feet that attach to the bottom of your subwoofer’s bracing that may help to prevent an over abundance in resonance from it.

In other words, it can basically help reduce the bass that travels through the floor.

That in turn can have a positive effect on the bass you experience from your subwoofer depending on the room.

 

Check Availability Of SVS Soundpath Subwoofer Isolation System

 

That being said, besides decoupling, there are actually few additional ways you prevent your bass from leaking the room and optimizing the bass itself.

 




 

Other Ways To Prevent Bass & Sound Leakage

Implementing Acoustic Panels & Soundproofing

I’ve talked about the benefits of using acoustic panels before, but basically acoustic panels are small foam or fiberglass panels that help absorb vibrations in a room.

This can improve sound quality since any unwanted reflections of sound waves are reduced.

However when used in conjunction with soundproofing, you can actually prevent the sound from leaving the room all together.

Now there are many ways to soundproof a space, so here’s an article that details the things involved in that process.

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-soundproof-a-room/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9089dadf23

 

Utilizing The High Pass Filter In Your Receiver

Another way to tame unruly bass is utilizing the high pass filter in your receiver.

A high pass filter is basically an electronic internal part in the receiver that gets rid of a certain frequency depending on what it’s set at.

It almost acts like a sort of EQ in a way

It might be under a different name in your receiver like room gain compensation or something similar, but the general idea is that by using this setting, it can help get rid of any excess bass that might be muddying your sound.

 

Securing Objects In The Room To Prevent Rattling

Another thing that might be helpful is securing objects in the room.

Things like speakers on a table, decorations hanging on a wall, etc can begin to rattle at higher volumes and that can have a negative impact on your sound quality.

Luckily, there’s various ways to achieve this such as using stands for your speakers and sticky tack adhesive for smaller loose decorations or pictures that might make noise.




 

Using A Bass Shaker

Another option is forgoing a subwoofer all together, but still enjoying the tactile experience that a subwoofer offers by using what’s called a bass shaker.

A bass shaker is a small device that attaches to your seating, and when a scene containing bass happens on screen, it provides a haptic experience you can feel.

This makes the experience much more immersive.

The benefit of this is that only you experience it, so for the more noise conscious when it comes to bass output, this can be a good option too.

 

Final Thoughts

In summation, decoupling your subwoofer can have various benefits including improvements in bass quality and a dramatic reduction in how much bass travels through walls.

When used in combination with the other tips explained in this article like acoustic treatment and/or using a bass shaker, you’ll be able to enjoy your bass in full.

For more on subwoofers specifically along with my top picks for 2024-2025, be sure to check out this guide on that very thing.

https://easyhometheater.net/the-best-home-theater-subwoofers

 

That’s it for this one though.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple!

Do Acoustic Panels Work Both Ways? (Explained)

Do acoustic panels work both ways?

Do Acoustic Panels Work Both Ways? (Explained)

Do acoustic panels work both ways?

Do acoustic panels work both ways?

It’s a good question and one I’ve actually been asked a few times.

Now if you remember, we previously went over how placing an acoustic panel behind your speakers is definitely a great idea since it basically helps improve the sound you experience in that room.

But here’s an interesting thought, is the quality of your soundproofing affected by how you actually place the panel itself?

The answer to that is actually pretty interesting, so let’s just get right to it.

Do Acoustic Panels Work Both Ways? A Quick Summary

Yes acoustic panels work both ways, but they work best when placed with the textured side showing. This is because the uneven and angled texture helps to better trap sound waves, preventing them from being reflected. When placed with the flat side showing, sound waves might reflect more due to the uniformity of that panel’s surface creating less friction.




 

What Are Acoustic Panels?

Now just for a quick recap, acoustic panels are light weight panels that come in varying sizes & materials, and are basically used to help get rid of extra sound reflections that might occur in a room.

By implementing sound panels, you can minimize this issue while actually improving your current sound (plus they make a great gift idea)

Contrary to popular belief, sound panels aren’t used to actually soundproof a room since soundproofing involves separating the sound in a specific room from another area that you’d want to prevent that sound from leaking into (acoustic tiles are typically better in that regard).

This means it would likely take various methods to properly achieve this (such as decoupling, bass traps, diffusers, filling the walls with dense fibrous material for sound absorption, incorporating mass into the room itself, etc)

Rather, the primary job of a sound panel and what they do focus on is reducing reflected sound waves within a room so that those same waves don’t reflect and collide into each other (since that can impact your sound)

I guess I’ll caveat that by saying that they technically can be used for soundproofing if they’re used in conjunction with those other methods (if we’re being technical lol) but used alone that’s not really their focus.

Funnily enough, I personally use sound panels in my own home theater and it surprisingly makes a bigger difference than you’d initially think.

It’s an easy way to improve your sound quality even before even calibrating your speakers or anything (provided you install them correctly of course)

.

Check Availability TroyStudio Acoustic Studio Absorption Foam Panel

 

That being said, there’s actually a bunch of different types which may suit different rooms & styles so I’ll quickly go over those since it’ll add a little more context to our original question.




 

The Different Types Of Acoustic Panels

Convoluted Foam/ Egg Crate Foam Panels

The first type of acoustic panels are what are known as convoluted foam panels or similarly, egg crate foam panels due to the fact that well….they look similar to an egg crate.

Because they do a great job with helping with reflected sound in a room, they can sometimes be a decent amount thicker and can even be cut smaller which is helpful.

I’ve had these kind of panels before and noticed that they tend to come shrink wrapped beforehand so it’s likely that you’ll need to wait a little bit for them to expand to their full size — though they definitely do a good job in my opinion.

Check Availability Of Convoluted Egg Crate Foam Panels 

 

 

Acoustic Fiberglass Panels

Acoustic fiberglass panels, like egg crate foam panels, are also pretty large at around 2 feet to even 4 feet; however they’re less thick at around 3/4 of an inch to 2 inches and typically can’t be cut since they often come in set sizes (unless you create custom ones)



Due to the coarser material it often does a better job with actually reducing unwanted sound waves.

In fact, I feel like these tend to do the best job when it comes to that, and are better suited in larger more symmetrical rooms from what I’ve noticed.

A little tip you might also find useful is leaving anywhere from about a half inch to an inch of space between the wall and the panel.

What this does is it gives more room for the soundwave to pass through easier so that it can quickly reduce that reflection.

But what’s really cool is that from there, that same sound wave is then reflected off the wall and back through the panel again a second time; essentially giving you double the efficacy in reducing any reflections present.

Check Availability Of Fiberglass Acoustic Panels 

 

 

Ridge/Wedge Foam Panel

Probably one of the most common designs and likely one you may have seen at some point, the ridge/wedge is often a favorite used by many.

From famous musicians to streamers, ridge panels are used due to their sheer versatility.

Since they’re symmetrical, they can be placed horizontally or vertically, and often come in lots of different colors — meaning they can easily be integrated with the theme of the room.

I find that these help with acoustic treatment too when placed correctly in a room.

Check Availability Of Wedge Acoustic Panels

 

 

Periodic Groove Structure Panels

These panels are uneven in structure based on the idea that when a sound wave hits it, the uneven nature does a better job at breaking up the cohesiveness of that actual sound wave when it travels around.

This in turn, could help in reducing the amount of peaks and nulls in a room, giving you a much more fulfilling and satisfying listening experience.

To put it simply, while these panels might look more uneven than the other types, it’s actually because of that, in my opinion, that they benefit from this and help with audio performance in a room.

Check Availability Of Periodic Groove Structure Panels

 

 

Do Acoustic Panels Work Both Ways

So the original question, do acoustic panels work both ways?

Well yes, to an extent.

Acoustic panels are designed to be placed on the wall flat side down, with the textured side that’s visible being responsible for disrupting the sound wave that’s reflected.




It’s the texture on the front of the acoustic panel that helps break up the sound wave since it can’t reflect off the surface as easily due to the the various angles and grooves that helps absorb these vibrations.

When you flip the panel, and place it flat side up, sound waves might potentially have an easier time reflecting off it which could unfortunately affect the sound quality in the room.

While it’d still technically work, since some of the sound would still pass through the material, it wouldn’t be nearly as performant in my opinion since there wouldn’t be the same amount of friction (though even that depends since every room is different)

Long story short, I would recommend using it flat side down as that’s the intended usage and what works best.

 

How Far Apart Should Acoustic Panels Be Placed?

As far as actually placing the acoustic panels is concerned, they should be placed anywhere where the sound waves are reflected which can be different for each room.

In professional studio settings or even dedicated theater rooms, you ideally want to cover anywhere from 60 to even 70 percent of the room for the better audio performance.

This tends to offer the best balance between minimizing echoes while maintaining the overall characteristics of the room since too much can make the room feel flat with dynamism of the audio.




Keep in mind you likely want to still keep some reflective materials and not cover everything since that can deaden the room by negatively impacting the spaciousness and imaging of your speakers.

By keeping some reflective materials, it allows the room to still maintain some semblance of liveliness so that it isn’t overbearing — while still providing a proper surround sound experience.

 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this helped clear up whether using the other side of an acoustic panel is a good idea, and you’re aware of the various types that actually exist.

Acoustic treatment is often overlooked when it comes to the average home theater, but it’s one of those things that offers immediate improvements to sound when done properly.

That’s all I have for now. Until next time.

Make it easy, keep it simple! ?