The goal behind these designs is to create the most ambient of sound fields as humans are particularly good at identifying sources of sound behind their heads (a holdover from the days when we were the hunted, not the hunters). If you find yourself eyeing a pair of $900 tri-polar surround speakers, yet you have a measly $200 pair for you main set, something is very wrong. Just to reiterate, the surround channels only account for about 10% of a mix. You really can get by with just about anything so don't waste your budget here.
Now let's get back to the bass-ics. The amplified subwoofer will provide the punch in a system necessary to impress your friends and irritate your neighbors. The trick to getting good sound from your subwoofer is placement. Most people put their subwoofer into the corner behind the couch and call the job done. This may well be the best place for it, but there is a simple way to test.
Place the connected subwoofer in your seat and walk around the room with music playing. As you walk around you will here certain pitch changes. When you find a spot where the music sounds the best, stop. This is the ideal location for your subwoofer. Now if you find yourself standing in the middle of the room, the sub will likely end up in the back corner anyway, but hey, at least you know.
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