Proper Main Placement
I just purchased a pair of RTi12's as my mains. My question has to do with placement of at least 2 feet from a wall. On the sides that is not a problem as my room is pretty wide. However, the 12's are pretty deep at 21". So unless I want my them in the middle of the room this presents a problem.
I reado something recently that said when measuring for placement you should measure from the center of the driver rather than the edge of the enclosure. Is this true and does it hold true for measuring the distance to the back wall?
I reado something recently that said when measuring for placement you should measure from the center of the driver rather than the edge of the enclosure. Is this true and does it hold true for measuring the distance to the back wall?
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
Post edited by RVJII on
Comments
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The on-line manual doesn't give the specifics you are mentioning. But the rear port may be the reason for the spacing to the rear wall you mention.
Best advice is to play with them. Start out where you think they look best and go from there playing with spead, distance from back wall and toe-in. Use a track off of each of a couple of your favorite CD's spanning as wide a musical spectrum as you listen to. Rate each set-up for detail and imaging (width and depth). Make big changes first to zero in on final preferences more quickly.
An SPL meter would be handy to have since as you spread them they will get farther from your listening position and the SPL will drop. Lower volume will not sound as good/ full.
Lastly, have fun and report your results and impressions...More later,
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RV,
Did you get the 2 ft placement idea from Polk's literature or somewhere else? I found that my RTi150s sound much better when they are out from corners at least three feet. I can do this in my room with no problem though. They may have a significant design difference from the RTi12s that affect placement though. The RTi150s are ported downfiring while the RTi12s are ported front and rear with one of Polk's big plates on the back. I'd thought from previous Polk speakers that had the plates on the back that they were there partly to allow placement close to a back wall--RT55i come to mind.
With a 21 inch speaker depth and a possible 2 ft rear clearance requirement on the RTi12's, it seems one should have a large room to get the speakers. -
i had rti150s(i know the 12's are much different but i thought this might help neway). mine were very close to the corners of the room and close to the walls because its my bedroom and its only 15x11. i toed them in to point at the listening position and things sounded fine even with them close to the walls.
i can't tell u how they should sound or what will sound good though, every room is different when it comes to bass. i think ur just gonna have to get ready to do alot of movin lol. good luck findin a nice spot -
I thought that I read it somewhere in Polk's literature. (Of course, I can't find it now...) I did talk to Polk's tech support and they felt that as long as it wasn't in a corner that placing it near a back wall would be fine.
I'm scheduled to get them sometime early next week so I'll know soon and let you know what I find.A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part... -
Thanks RV. Looking forward to your report on your new speakers. I'd guess you'd find the speakers will work very well fairly close to a back wall. My RT55i speakers seem to work best when they're away from a corner but within a foot of a back wall. The sound seems to project much better that way.
