The bass is there. Your seat may be hiding it.

“No bass” can describe several different faults. A speaker that cannot reproduce the note, a subwoofer that is not receiving the signal, a crossover gap and a listening-seat null are not the same problem. The useful clue is where the bass disappears.

First, make sure the bass is actually being sent

For a broadly lean balance or a low-end roll-off, separate settings, speaker limits and cancellation before choosing the next test.

Play a familiar passage through the same input and playback mode you normally use. Check that a subwoofer is powered, the right input is selected and your receiver has not changed speaker-size or bass-management settings. Try a second recording with sustained low notes rather than judging one kick-drum hit. If every listening position lacks the same low band, investigate the playback chain before the room.

Do not confuse less bass at the seat with a sub that is switched off. A position-dependent null has a distinctive clue: the same note comes back at another practical location. This is a hypothesis, not proof; a measurement and a controlled move make it stronger.

A dip can come from a room mode or a reflection

Modal null: low-frequency energy between boundaries forms standing pressure patterns. At a frequency where the listener occupies a minimum, that note can sound weak. Genelec’s monitor-placement guidance explicitly describes frequencies appearing to be missing at such a seat and recommends moving the listening position forward or backward.

Boundary interference: sound from a speaker also reflects off walls, floor and ceiling. A reflected path may arrive out of phase with the direct path, producing a notch at the seat. Moving the speaker, listener or reflecting geometry can move the notch. A dip by itself does not identify which path caused it; speaker and subwoofer measurements can overlap several mechanisms.

The five-minute listening-seat test

1. 1 · Fix the setup

   Keep source, playback route, processing, volume and speaker positions unchanged. Begin at a safe level.

2. 2 · Mark the seat

   Put the phone at approximately ear height where you normally listen. Record the exact location.

3. 3 · Try a usable move

   Measure or listen at a seat about a small step forward, then another feasible position. Do not compare a wall corner with a sofa seat as if both were realistic.

4. 4 · Compare the same band

   Ask whether the missing notes return, whether another band gets worse and whether the change repeats.

5. 5 · Choose a compromise

   A position that fixes one null but creates two peaks is not automatically better. Include the entire listening area.

Standing up changes height and proximity to floor/ceiling patterns as well as fore–aft position. It is a useful clue, but a seated comparison is the better decision test. For the broader physics, read our room-modes guide.

If the seat must stay, change the source

Moving a loudspeaker changes both its direct path and how strongly it excites room modes. With stereo mains, keep left/right geometry comparable and move them as a pair first. A subwoofer is often easier to relocate: shortlist practical positions, then compare each at the same seat. The subwoofer crawl guide explains how to turn that into a controlled placement test.

Beware of a crossover gap masquerading as a room null. If the missing band sits near the handoff between sub and mains, test alignment and routing after placement. Our subwoofer crossover guide covers that order.

Why boosting a deep dip is usually the wrong first move

At a cancellation notch, boosting the speaker increases both direct and reflected energy; the opposing relationship remains. Genelec’s technical support notes that positive EQ at such dips is inefficient, spends headroom and can amplify a peak at a different seat. A modest cut of a repeatable peak across the listening region is a different proposition. Compare multiple positions before reaching for EQ, and do not treat “flat at one pixel” as the goal.

What Room Tuner can contribute

Room Tuner can run a Quick reading at one listening position or a Full reading around a listening area through a supported AirPlay 2 system. The frequency response is relative, not calibrated absolute SPL. Keep phone position, playback route, volume, microphone setting and method consistent for meaningful comparisons. Pro Best Seat compares two to six named seats with repeated readings and can show a winner, a tie or a trade-off—or withhold a conclusion when evidence is poor. It does not find every possible seat in the room.

Pro’s guided sub-spot comparison tests locations you actually try. Room Tuner can suggest placement and EQ only when its measurements support a recommendation; it cannot prove that a speaker is broken or automatically correct a physical cancellation.