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Positioning Loudspeakers - Home TheaterPositioning Loudspeakers - Stereo
Never allow objects of furniture to impede the loudspeaker or place objects between the loudspeakers and
the listening position.
Stereo Positioning
The generally accepted norm is that
the loudspeakers should be as far
away from each other as they are
from the listener. This places the
listener and the loudspeakers at the
points of an equilateral triangle.
Well-designed horn loudspeakers
have “controlled directivity” - the dis-
persion pattern is tailored to provid-
ing the ideal image at the listener’s
ear. This is in contrast to conventional
speakers, where the sound tends to
re o in all directions.
It follows that when correctly sited,
the performance of a well designed horn loudspeaker signicantly exceeds that of conventional “direct radia-
tor” loudspeakers.
Because the bass drivers are in a tuned port enclosure, the loudspeakers must
be operated away from walls and, specically, corners. The distances in the
above diagram should be considered as minimum distances. Placing them too
close to the walls will cause the bass to become bloated, muddy and indistinct.
The angle at which the loudspeakers are placed relative to the rear wall is
called “toe-in”. Placing the loudspeakers with their backs parallel to the wall will
result in a poor stereo image with the so called ”hole in the wall” eect. Angling
the speakers inwardly too much will restrict the width of the listening seat and
also tend to narrow the stereo image.
In smaller rooms, it is better to place the loudspeakers more closely together
and sit relatively further back. This is preferable to placing the loudspeakers
further apart and sitting too close - the stereo eect will be signicantly degraded if you do.
The height of the loudspeaker is important. The midrange should appear to radiate from a point level with
the ears of a seated listener. As these loudspeakers are large, they will sound their best in large rooms, though
there are some adjustments that can be made to redress the position in smaller rooms. These will be discussed
in the section on nal positioning.
The above are our recommendations. Be prepared to experiment until the sound is exactly as you want!
8’ - 16’
>12”
>8”
5
º
- 40
º
6’ - 16’
LFE 2 LFE 1
CENTER
The same general positioning rules as for stereo apply but these are some variations.
• The loudspeakers can be placed closer together. Remember that the closer the speakers are to one another,
the less spacious the sound will be in stereo.
• The “toe-in” can be lessened. This will broaden the sound image for more than one listener, but the pinpoint
localization of the speakers will be lessened.
• The fronts of the speakers should be in line with the screen and with the front of the center loudspeaker as
far as possible. Placing the TV screen on the wall (and center channel directly above or below) with the main
loudspeakers protruding signicantly is not ideal.
• The TV should be placed centrally between the loudspeakers.
The above are our recommendations. Be prepared to experiment until the sound is exactly as you want!
General Observations
• Set the size of the speakers on your AV processor to “large.”
• For stereo listening (if your processor oers the option) set the subwoofers to “o.” Alternatively, set the sub
woofer lowpass crossover point such that it covers only the lowest octave; ~ 50 Hz.