Placement, modes, and sub integration — free upgrades first
The sortable spec plates for room acoustics & placement land as the database seeds. Meanwhile the Room Matcher already routes this category by room size and budget.
A studio monitor is only as honest as its placement, and setup is free. Seven ordered steps — symmetry, the equilateral triangle, ear-height tweeters, the wall gap, toe-in, decoupling, and level — each with the reason behind it, because a rule you understand is one you keep.
A subwoofer that draws attention to itself is set up wrong. The four dials that integrate one so you stop noticing it: placement by the subwoofer crawl, the 80 Hz crossover starting point, level matched to your mains, and the phase switch settled by a quick A/B — each in order, each with the why.
Crossover Frequency
The handoff point where the subwoofer takes over from the speakers — 80Hz is the convention.
Crossover Slope
How steeply a crossover fades each driver out, in dB per octave.
Room Gain
The free low-bass boost small rooms add below their lowest mode.
Room Mode
Dimension-locked bass peaks and nulls; the room’s own resonances.
Standing Wave
The physics behind room modes: a wave reinforcing itself between parallel walls.
Listening Triangle
The equilateral setup rule: speaker spacing = distance to each ear.
Toe-In
Angling speakers so their tweeter axes aim at your ears.
SPL
Sound pressure level in dB — anchored to real sounds, or it means nothing.
Reference Level
The calibrated loudness convention mixes are checked at — around 85dB.
It is the right starting point, not the right answer. 80Hz keeps the sub unlocatable and unloads small woofers — the convention THX popularized. Move it up (100–120Hz) for small satellites that strain below 100Hz; move it down (60Hz) only for towers with genuine low-frequency capability. Then verify by ear with a bass sweep: you should not be able to point at the sub with your eyes closed.
It is roughly city-traffic loud — the level mix engineers use as a reference anchor. Occupational guidance (NIOSH) treats 85dB as the threshold where exposure time starts to matter: hours at that level add up, and every +3dB halves the recommended exposure time. Practical translation for listeners: enjoy loud passages, but let the average sit lower, take breaks, and use a phone SPL app for a reality check. We frame this carefully on purpose — hearing does not regenerate.
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