You’ve got extension. The system likely hits low and hard. But it doesn’t feel right. Certain notes boom or hang in the air, while others seem to fall away. The low end sounds full—but also unpredictable. You’ve moved the sub. Tweaked EQ. Maybe even recalibrated.
Still, the bass doesn’t behave the same way in any two seats. Sometimes not even in the same seat.
What if the problem isn’t the system—but where it’s standing?
What to Do
Look at your speaker and sub placement in relation to the room’s corners. If anything sits tucked into a 90-degree corner—even slightly—you’re feeding an amplifier you didn’t ask for. Try pulling mains and subs at least two feet out from wall intersections. If that’s not practical, place bass traps in those corners. Use something dense—4-inch mineral wool, rigid fiberglass, or purpose-built traps rated below 100 Hz.
Running a sub? Do the crawl test: place the sub in your listening chair, then walk the perimeter of the room. Wherever the bass sounds most even, that’s where the sub belongs.
Here’s Why That Works
Corners boost bass. Not gently, either. When low frequencies reflect off two walls and the floor, they reinforce—sometimes by 6 to 9 dB or more. This boundary gain creates pressure zones where certain frequencies swell unnaturally. Meanwhile, others cancel, leaving gaps. The result is an unpredictable low end that sounds different in every part of the room.
Pulling speakers out of corners reduces this overload. Treating the corners tames the buildup. The bass flattens—not in impact, but in behavior. Suddenly, the low end doesn’t just go deep—it goes clean.
Because bass isn’t supposed to wash over you. It’s supposed to hold the rhythm. Once the corners stop singing along, the system stops fighting the room—and starts moving with the music.
