Speaker Placement?
Hello,
Im setting up a dedicated audio room. The room dimensions are 18 X 13. I was planning on placing the speakers on the short wall (13) 31 from the sidewalls and 43 from the front walls with the listening area ~ 12 from the front wall. This is pretty much the recommended setup from the Polk web site. I was wondering how you guys have placed stereo speakers in a rectangular room? Speaker distances from walls, front & side? And what you think the advantages / disadvantages are of placing the speakers on the long wall Vs short wall?
Thanks,
O
Im setting up a dedicated audio room. The room dimensions are 18 X 13. I was planning on placing the speakers on the short wall (13) 31 from the sidewalls and 43 from the front walls with the listening area ~ 12 from the front wall. This is pretty much the recommended setup from the Polk web site. I was wondering how you guys have placed stereo speakers in a rectangular room? Speaker distances from walls, front & side? And what you think the advantages / disadvantages are of placing the speakers on the long wall Vs short wall?
Thanks,
O
Post edited by outlander on
Comments
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"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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I tried the Cardas method that Face was kind enough to post a link to. This configuration in a 13’ X 18’ room places the speakers very close together and way out into the room and in turn yields a pretty narrow sound stage. I guess I’m back to my original question about speaker placement in rectangular shaped rooms. Do you guys like the speakers on the long wall with the listing area close to the back wall or speakers on the short wall and too close to the side walls?
Thanks,
O -
I tried the Cardas method that Face was kind enough to post a link to. This configuration in a 13 X 18 room places the speakers very close together and way out into the room and in turn yields a pretty narrow sound stage. I guess Im back to my original question about speaker placement in rectangular shaped rooms. Do you guys like the speakers on the long wall with the listing area close to the back wall or speakers on the short wall and too close to the side walls?
Thanks,
O
I found by trial and error, with an emphasis on error.
Face's recommendation is great. Start there then fine tune using your best (favorite) music. We've about the same room dimensions, and the cardas method + nearfield = decent results in an untreated room. Then fine tuning begins. Moving the speakers farther apart & back, farther & closer to the front wall. Keep in mind optimum listening height. All the (standard dynamic cone) stand or floorstanding speakers in my room liked an area around 4 feet out from front wall and 3 feet from sides 6 feet apart give or take a few inches. Acoustic room treatments solidify the illusion and let you turn the volume up.
I've tried long and short wall in a 12 x 20. I like the short wall with more room behind me vs long wall with a close wall right behind me. Strongly consider sidewall and corner treatment, at least the first sidewall reflections in a 13' short wall choice. If you go long wall you'll get about 2' behind you sitting 7' away from speakers out 4' so a lively wall will need treatment. I could not find a satsifying balance of black hole dead - lively - diffusion - bass trapping the a close rear wall. And it's so volume level dependent.
Placement gets you so far in small/medium rooms then room treatments take things farther, more so with increased volume. Some place their speakers too far apart and get a weak or diffuse central image, a hole in the middle. Close to the sidewalls w/o treating and the reflection competes with the main image. Placement coupled with treatment yeilds a locked, stable image.
For me it worked best to start out tight focused then I moved 'em apart and back together in 1/2 measures. Say 2 inches farther then back 1/2 that with finer increments as the focus dials in. I vary my listening chair distance too.
We're both 'cursed' with a medium room...I've heard my speakers well placed filling a large room and miss the scale of it all, however with this medium room I'm able to get a satisfying stable holographic-3d image which doesn't collapse when I turn my head side to side and the dynamic level is a bonus.
