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S-125/S-125C/S-85/S-85C
page 9
When using a Center channel speaker, you have extra flexibility in placing the left and right speakers, as the Center
channel speaker will tie most dialog and effects directly to the screen.
SURROUND CHANNELS
The Surround channel speakers can be placed in a wide variety of locations in the room to give good performance.
In general, the surround speakers should be either adjacent to or behind the main listening position, and located higher
than the listener's heads. They can be mounted on either the side walls or on the back wall, flush to the wall, on shelves,
on brackets, etc.
The goal is to achieve an enveloping sound. The surround channels should seem to come from all around you,
rather than seeming to come from behind you only or directly from a speaker.
This section discusses non-THX surround speakers. THX system requirements call for dipolar surround
speakers mounted to the sides of the listening position above the listeners' heads. See M&K's THX surround speaker
instruction manual and the THX Installation Guide for detailed instructions.
For non-THX surrounds, we recommend starting with speakers on the side walls of the room, two to three feet
above the listeners' heads, either directly adjacent to the listening position or behind it. You can aim the speakers to
fire towards each other (across the listening area), or you can aim them to fire towards the back wall at an angle. The
surround speakers should not be in front of the main listening position if possible.
If you mount the surrounds on the side wall behind the listening position, they can be aimed towards each other
or angled towards the back wall or the side wall surface directly behind them. By reflecting sound behind the listening
position, you may increase the sense of envelopment in the sound.
If you want or need to mount speakers on the back wall of the room, there are several options. You can aim them
so that they fire towards each other (so they fire along the back wall); you can aim them towards the front wall of the
room; or you can angle them so they fire toward the side walls. Symmetrical arrangements work best.
The speakers should be a minimum of a few feet away from the nearest listener. If the speaker is located too close
to a listener, its sound will become too directional and may distract that listener. Ideally, the surround speakers should
not call attention to themselves and should not be audible as separate sources of sound.
If the surrounds must be located close to the listeners, aiming them at the room walls or even the ceiling can help
to reduce any directional effect. As described above, this can produce a desirable result even in rooms where the
surround speakers are an adequate distance from the listeners' heads.
If the surrounds cannot be placed on a wall, try placement on tables or the floor to the sides of the main listening
position, firing up towards the ceiling. This can work very well in environments that do not allow permanent attachment
of speakers to the walls.
Some listeners prefer to use multiple pairs of surround speakers. While this is not necessary, it can provide a
broader and deeper surround effect, with better coverage in very large rooms. When using multiple pairs of surround
speakers, a symmetrical installation pattern works best. For example, if you are using two pairs of S-80 or S-85
Satellites for the surround channel, one pair could be mounted on the back wall of the room, mounted equidistant from
the back corners, with the other pair mounted on the side walls of the room, equidistant from the same back corners.
The surround channels can be installed in a wide variety of locations, but because they are usually mounted on
the walls of the room, they can be a challenge to successfully install. If you have further questions, please call us at
the M&K factory, and we will be happy to discuss them with you in detail.
SUBWOOFER
Subwoofer location for Home Theatre systems is essentially the same as for music systems. See our Subwoofer
operation manual for more details. Remember to leave 2 - 3 feet of clearance between any television and subwoofer,
unless the subwoofer is magnetically shielded.
The preferred connection for the subwoofer is a subwoofer output from the amplifier or controller. This insures
that a full bass signal is being fed to the subwoofer. If you do not have such a subwoofer output jack, connect the
subwoofer to the front Left and Right channel amplifier outputs (do not use the Center channel).
VERY IMPORTANT: When the Subwoofer is connected to the Left and Right amplifier outputs, and the controller
is in Pro-Logic mode, the switch on the Pro-Logic control unit labelled Center channel WIDE/NORMAL must be set to
the NORMAL mode. If the switch is set to the WIDE mode, the bass content of the Center channel will not be fed to
the Subwoofer, and you will lose a significant amount of bass.