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18 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
System Configuration
When all audio, video and system connections
have been made, there are a few configuration
adjustments that must be made. A few minutes
spent to correctly configure and calibrate the
unit will greatly add to your listening experience.
Speaker Selection and Placement
The placement of speakers in a multichannel
home-theater system can have a noticeable
impact on the quality of sound reproduced.
No matter which type or brand of speakers is
used, the same model or brand of speaker
should be used for the left front, center and
right front speakers. This creates a seamless
front soundstage and eliminates the possibility
of distracting sonic disturbances that occur
when a sound moves across mismatched
front-channel speakers.
Speaker Placement
Depending on the type of center-channel speaker
in use and your viewing device, place the center
speaker either directly above or below your TV,
or in the center behind a perforated front pro-
jection screen.
Once the center channel speaker is installed,
position the front left and front right speakers
so that they are as far away from one another
as the center-channel speaker is from the pre-
ferred listening position. Ideally, the front-channel
speakers should be placed so that their tweeters
are no more than 24" above or below the
tweeter in the center-channel speaker.
Depending on the specifics of your room
acoustics and the type of speakers in use, you
may find that imaging is improved by moving
the left front and right front speakers slightly
forward of the center-channel speaker. If possi-
ble, adjust all front loudspeakers so that they
are aimed at ear height when you are seated
in the listening position.
Using these guidelines, you’ll find that it takes
some experimentation to find the correct location
for the front speakers in your particular installa-
tion. Don’t be afraid to move things around until
the system sounds correct. Optimize your speak-
ers so that audio transitions across the front of
the room sound smooth, and that sounds from
all speakers appear to arrive at the listening
position at the same time (without delay from
the center speaker compared to the left and
right speakers).
Surround speakers should be placed on the side
walls of the room, at or slightly behind the
listening position. The center of the speaker
should face into the room. The speakers should
be located so that the bottom of the cabinet
is at least two feet higher than the listeners’
ears when the listeners are seated in the
desired area.
If side-wall mounting is not practical, the
speakers may be placed on a rear wall, behind
the listening position. Again, they should be
located so that the bottom of the cabinet is at
least two feet higher than the listeners’ ears.
The speakers should be no more than six feet
behind the rear of the seating area.
Subwoofers produce nondirectional sound, so
they may be placed almost anywhere in a
room. Actual placement should be based on
room size and shape and the type of subwoofer
used. One method of finding the optimal loca-
tion for a subwoofer is to begin by placing it in
the front of the room, about six inches from a
wall, or near the front corner of the room.
Another method is to temporarily place the
subwoofer at your normal listening position,
and then walk around the room until you find
a spot where the subwoofer sounds best. Place
the subwoofer in that spot. You should also
follow the instructions of the subwoofer’s man-
ufacturer, or you may wish to experiment with
the best location for a subwoofer in your lis-
tening room.
System Setup
Once the speakers have been placed in the
room and connected, the remaining steps
in the setup process are to program the
AVR 510’s bass management system for the
type of speakers used in your system, calibrate
the output levels, and set the delay times used
by the surround-sound processor.
You are now ready to power up the AVR 510 to
begin these final adjustments.
Right Front
Speaker
Left Front
Speaker
No more
than 24"
Center Front Speaker
At least 2 feet
At least 6 inches from ceiling
A) Front Channel Speaker Installation With
Direct-View TV Sets or Rear-Screen Projectors
Center Front
Speaker
Optional Rear-Wall Mounting
TV or Projection Screen
Right Front
Speaker
Left Front
Speaker
No more than 6 feet
when rear-mounted
speakers are used
B) The distance between the left and right
speakers should be equal to the distance
from the seating position to the viewing
screen. You may also experiment with plac-
ing the left and right speakers slightly for-
ward of the center speaker.