Or place the speaker where it sounds like the singer is right in front of you. It takes a little time and effort but is quite rewarding. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Boyce To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 12:29 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] How To Place Speakers Correctly
Correct speaker placement is the best place to start to get great audio performance from your system. It's free and all it takes is some time and patience. In general, don't place speakers too near the front wall (the wall behind the speakers). Placement closer to the wall amplifies bass response and probably makes the bass sound too loud or boomy. Every room is different, but here are two speaker placement methods that should make your system sound better. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: One hour Here's How: 1. Apply the Golden Rectangle Rule If your room permits, try placing the speakers about 3' from the front wall. This reduces bass reflections from the front wall and helps tame boomy bass. The distance from the side wall(s) is equally important. The Golden Rectangle Rule states that the speaker's distance from the side wall should be 1.6 times the distance from the front wall. If the distance from the front wall is 3', the distance from the side wall should be 4.8' from the side wall (or vice versa if your room is wider than longer). Finally, angle the speakers towards the listening spot, called speaker toe-in. 2. Apply the 1/3 - 1/5 Rule Position the speakers so that the distance between the front wall is 1/3 or 1/5 the length of the room. Both of these methods prevent the speaker from exciting room resonances. Angle the speakers towards the listening position, as above. Your listening position is as important as speaker position to achieve the best sound quality. More on finding the 'sweet spot' soon. Good Listening! 1. Don't be afraid to experiment with speaker placement. Every room is different and the methods presented above are guidelines. 2. Use masking tape on the floor to mark the speaker position as you experiment with placement options. Q. How Do I Position My Loudspeakers and Subwoofer For My Home Theater System? Probably the most critical part of a home theater set-up is the positioning of the loudspeakers and subwoofers. Factors, such as the type of loudspeakers, room shape, and acoustics definitely affect optimum loudspeaker placement. However, there are some general loudspeaker position guidelines that can be followed as a starting point, and, for most basic installations, these guidelines may be sufficient. A. NOTE: The following examples are provided for a typical square or slightly rectangular room, you may need to adjust your placement for other room shapes, types of speakers, and additional acoustical factors. 5.1 Channel Speaker Placement Front Center Channel Speaker: Place the Front Center Channel Speaker directly in front of the listening area, either above or below the television, video display, or projection screen. Subwoofer: Place the Subwoofer to the left or right of the television. Left and Right Main/Front Speakers: Place the Left and Right Main/Front speakers equidistant from the Front Center Channel speaker, about a 30 degree angle from the center channel. Left and Right Surround Speakers: Place the Left and Right Surround Speakers to the left and right side, just to the side or slightly behind the listening position - about 90-110 degrees from the center channel. 6.1 Channel Speaker Placement The Front Center and Left/Right Main speakers and Subwoofer are the same as in a 5.1 Channel configuration. Left and Right Surround Speakers: Place the Left and Right Surround Speakers to the left and right side of the listening position, in line with or slightly behind the listening position - about 90-110 degrees from the center. These speakers can be elevated above the listener. Rear Center Channel Speaker: Directly behind the listening position, in line with the Front Center speaker - May be elevated. 7.1 Channel Speaker Placement The Front Center and Left/Right Main speakers and Subwoofer are the same as a 5.1 or 6.1 Channel set up. Left and Right Surround Speakers: Place the Left and Right Surround Speakers to the left and right side of the listening position, in line with or slightly behind the listening position - about 90-110 degrees from the center. These speakers can be elevated above the listener. Rear/Back Surround Speakers Place the Rear/Back Surround Speakers behind the listening position - slightly to the left and right (may be elevated above listener) - at about 140-150 degrees from the front center channel speaker. Rear/Back channel surround speakers can be elevated above the listening position. For actual visual examples of 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channel surround sound speaker set-ups, check out the diagrams from Dolby Labs NOTE: To aid in your speaker setup, take advantage of the built-in Test Tone Generator that is available in many Home Theater Receivers to set your sound levels. All Speakers should be able to output at the same volume level. A inexpensive Sound Meter can also help with this task. NOTE: The above setup description is a basic overview on what to expect when hooking speakers up to your home theater system. The set up may vary depending on how many and what types of loudspeakers you have, as well as your room size, shape, and acoustical properties. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.12/1095 - Release Date: 10/26/2007 7:54 PM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
