I’m a film enthusiast and hip hop head. My adolescent experiences have shaped my relationship to sound and cinema. I grew up in Los Angeles going to world-famous movie theaters because my dad loved big, blockbuster films. I remember standing in line for what felt like hours as a kid because my dad wanted to see Raiders of the Lost Ark on its first Saturday in theaters. I remember the trips to what was then Mann’s Chinese Theater, Grauman’s Egyptian Theater, and the Cinerama Dome.

Then there were my teen years. The birth of hip hop and the “Boom Bap!” I remember riding in my buddy’s Volkswagen Scirocco with his booming system and its ten-inch woofers that hit so hard it felt like it was throwing my heartbeat off, sitting in his backseat. And that isn’t hyperbole. But I loved it.

I loved the way basslines and rhythms literally moved me, just like explosions and roaring starship engines did in those massive theaters I’d grown up going to. And now, I get to experience those delicious bass haptics when I enjoy movies at home, and I want you to have that experience as well. The problem is, you may not have your living room set up to get the most out of your home theater subwoofer. That’s where I come in! I’m going to help you. Let’s get into it!

You’ve crawled so that your bass can run

Ever heard of the “subwoofer crawl?”

Think of the subwoofer crawl like a pub crawl: moving from spot to spot, sampling the goods, finding your favorite deep, dark brew. Well, the subwoofer crawl isn’t too dissimilar from that, but for this crawl, you’re looking for deep, dark bass response!

The “subwoofer crawl” is performed by doing your best to place your subwoofer(s) on your seating position. Yes, place your sub on the couch, plugged in, connected, and fully operational! After doing so, that’s where the “crawl” comes in. Load up a movie on your Blu-ray player, or some music from your favorite streaming service. Hip hop, EDM, Dubstep, and Drum and Bass are just some of the genres I’d recommend. Two of my favorite subwoofer testing tracks are:

Skrillex, “Supersonic,” and The Roots, “Do You Want More?!!!?”

Now that the bass canon is loaded, you won’t literally be crawling around your home theater space, but you’re going to “crawl” from corner to corner, and all parts in between, carefully listening to the speaker’s output so that you can determine where in your listening space the bass sounds most impactful. Once you’ve identified the place in your listening space where the bass sounds best, that’s where your subwoofer’s new home is going to be. Try to identify as many spaces that sound great as possible so that you have options in case one or more don’t work because they’re tripping hazards or just don’t work aesthetically. Mark your good positions with painter’s tape or throw pillows. Whatever you have handy!

Depending on your “ear,” you may spend 15 minutes or so doing this, but that investment will net favorable gains the next time you sit down to watch “Dune: Part Two,” or “The Matrix.”

Don’t block your blessings

Make space for the bass… open space

This may seem obvious to some and maybe not to others, but don’t place the speaker in a position where an end table or other solid, non-upholstered furnishing is sitting right in front of it. Sure, it may not significantly affect the rumble that shakes your walls, but it will likely prevent the sound from filling your room unless there’s enough space between that object and your subwoofer.

Bass, to a great degree, is about the ability to “disturb air.” And hearing the output is like throwing a stone into a lake: the subwoofer is the stone, and the subsequent ripples that happen after the stone hits the water are the sound in your room. You want those ripples to go out as far and wide as they can, without being disturbed by reflective (solid) objects like rattan furniture, for example.

Bass-ed god

Cleanliness is next to godliness

Did you know that dirt and dust can affect bass response? Occasionally, you’ll want to take a dry microfiber cloth and remove any dust and small debris from the subwoofer’s driver itself. Dirt buildup over time will affect sound quality, so it’s a good idea to unplug the subwoofer from time to time, but be very gentle with its sensitive components when cleaning.

Before taking my advice on cleaning your subwoofer, consult its manual to see if it offers any tips for cleaning and general maintenance.

Check the app

Adjust the settings as needed

Different apps offer different options for your subwoofer’s output. There are all sorts of technical terms that describe the issues you can run into with a wireless subwoofer, as many tend to be these days, but apps do the heavy lifting to make sure you’re getting the best experience. Each app has its own set of features, so I’d recommend googling anything you are unfamiliar with, then adjusting as needed.

A couple of things you want to listen very carefully for are timing and impact. Since your subwoofer is working wirelessly, there’s the possibility that it’s out of time with the sound coming from your soundbar. As best as you’re able, watch something with gunshots where you can see a character squeezing a trigger and listen for the gunshots in your room. Does it sound like the sound effects of the gunshots are happening too far after the trigger is pulled? If you see an on-screen explosion, does the sound or vibration from said explosion seem like it’s happening too late after the visual? Many apps will allow you to correct for this. Like I said, though, you’ll really need to take a moment and lock in, no distractions.

And impact is important. Too much or too little bass can impact your enjoyment of a particular show or movie. Many apps will also give you, at minimum, very simple options to adjust the bass output. If it’s set too high, it will often muddy your dialog and make it hard to hear clearly. If it’s set too low, scenes that should have a particular impact will seem a bit lifeless, and flat as the haptic effect of the bass vibrating your space will be diminished.

Last note on apps: did you skip the room calibration feature your app has (if it has one)? If so, go back and run it after you’ve performed the subwoofer crawl. And if you added the subwoofer after you’d already set up your soundbar and run room calibration, go ahead and rerun the room calibration software now that you have that sub.

The ultimate goal of all of this configuring is to make your subwoofer disappear into your setup. When a subwoofer is properly configured, it should complement your main speakers. It should sound like your main speakers become “fuller,” with a richer, more robust sound. If you can identify your subwoofer’s sound in your room, its gain level in the app is likely set too high, or it’s positioned in a spot where the sound is “boomy,” overpowering the mid and high-frequency sounds.

When you have it well-adjusted, everything should sound like it’s working in harmony, and you’re enveloped in beautiful, 360-degree surround sound such that you can’t tell exactly where it’s coming from. It should almost be as if the speakers are “hidden” and you’re just in the middle of that lush soundscape.

Connectivity

Optical input, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-A

Audio Format

Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, DTS HD High Resolution Audio, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, LPCM: 2ch/5.1ch/7.1ch, LPCM fs: 192kHz/24bit

Power

Bar: 30 W, Subwoofer: 20 W

Dimensions

Soundbar: 35 1/2 x 2 5/8 x 4 in; Subwoofer: 7 5/8 x 15 3/8 x 15 3/4 in

Buttons

Power button, remote control

Brand

Sony