Subwoofer zones

Once the simulation is complete, the results are displayed as a map of colored zones. The front of your room is indicated by the blue line along one side of the map.

The color of each zone represents the quality of the sound you would experience at the selected listening position(s), if the subwoofer was put in that zone. Blue indicates high quality and red indicates low quality. The highest quality zones are marked with a star icon.

Try to move your subwoofer to a position marked with a star. Failing that, you should try to move it to the bluest zone that is appropriate.

Frequency response

When you touch the map, it will move the subwoofer icon to that zone and plot the frequency response produced by the simulation. This shows how the levels of each sound frequency would change at the selected listening position(s) if the subwoofer was placed in the selected zone. The x-axis of the plot shows the frequency in hertz (Hz), and the y-axis shows the magnitude in decibels (dB).

The sigma value (σ), shown above the plot, is what determines the color of the zone. It is calculated using the standard deviation of the frequency response, which approximates how flat and smooth the response is.

Frequency range

The acoustics of your room are simulated up to a maximum frequency of 300Hz. You can optimize for a target frequency range by dragging the sliders underneath the frequency response plot. When you set a target range, the zones will update as the scores automatically optimize to those frequencies.

With most audio systems, bass management is used to send low frequencies to the subwoofer, and higher frequencies to the main speakers. The frequency that separates the two is called the ‘crossover frequency’. Subwoofers also have a limited frequency range that is usually stated in their specification. We suggest that you drag the right slider to match your system’s crossover frequency and drag the left slider to match the lowest frequency of your subwoofer’s range.

Multiple listening positions

Initially, the zones are only calculated for a single listening position. If you have multiple seats in your room, or listen from more than one position, then you can add these by pressing the plus button in the bottom-right. You will be brought to the listening position setup page to enter the measurements of the location. When you’re done, the simulation will be run for that position and the zones will be updated.

You can select or deselect a listening position by clicking on the buttons just below the zone map. If more than one listening position is selected, the zone colors will update to show the best overall sound quality for the chosen positions. This is calculated as the maximum sigma value across all positions. The detailed view will overlay the frequency responses of the selected listening positions, each matching the color of the position’s icon.

You can remove a listening position by pressing the “x” icon to the right of it’s button just below the zone map.

Multiple subwoofers

If you have more than one subwoofer, you can add them by pressing the plus button in the bottom-right. Each subwoofer will be displayed on the map with a label. Clicking on a zone will move the currently selected subwoofer. You can change your selection using the buttons just below the map, and remove the currently selected subwoofer by pressing the trash icon.

With multiple subwoofers, the zone colors and frequency response are calculated using the combined frequency response of all the subwoofers. This assumes they are all playing in-sync at the same volume, and takes into account any constructive or destructive interference.

The colors and stars show the best zones for placing the currently selected subwoofer. However, as this is based on the combined frequency response of all subwoofers, the results will change if the other subwoofers are moved. To find the best combination of positions for the subwoofers, you will need to try a variety of different positions and see which combination produces the best overall result. Alternatively, you can use the optimize positions feature to automatically find the best combination of positions.