Subwoofer in big room?

[Checks]

I just got the Logitech Z623 and the bass isn't as great as what the reviews call it. I have the speakers on my desk and the subwoofer underneath my desk on the ground. The question I have is will a subwoofer be more effective in a closed room? Currently my setup is in my living room on the second floor and there is no wall on one side. My speakers and sub are facing the side with no wall which extends to a large open air area that goes to the first floor too. Is this what's causing my bass not to hit as hard, or do I need to tweak it to make it sound better?

 

[jsmithepa]

The open space definitely doesn't help.

You want to place the SW on a corner for max umph.

A down-firing SW helps a little in this regard, yours looks like a side-firing.

Don't have a man-cave you can move to?