Niles Audio AT8700 Speaker User Manual


 
speakers in an array around the listening
area, so that the music is always surround-
ing you, regardless of the direction you face.
The rule of thumb is to add one pair of
speakers for every 100 to 200 square feet of
listening area. Curiously, this is not so that
you can play the music louder, but so that
you can play it softer! When you have only
one pair of speakers in a large room you will
notice that when the sound is perfect in one
part of the room, it is too loud near the
speakers. By placing more than one pair in
the room you will avoid these “hot spots” of
loud sound and create more sonic
ambiance while maintaining clarity and rich
sound everywhere.
You can make listener position even less
critical by using mono rather than stereo.
This can be difficult to achieve with normal
stereo amplifiers. However, Niles manu-
factures Systems Integration Amplifiers
which enable one room to be wired in
stereo while other rooms are wired in
mono! Consult your local Niles dealer for
more information.
In smaller rooms or rooms that are infre-
quently used, you typically can’t justify the
expense of more than two speakers. Try to
bracket the room with the two speakers.
Diagonal placement is a very effective way
to stretch the coverage pattern of two
speakers. You can also compromise
between direct sound (for detail and clari-
ty) and reflected sound (the ambient or “all
around you” effect). By trying to place the
speakers so that they create as much
reflected sound as possible, you emphasize
the ambient effect. They can be up high in
Speaker Placement
7
Perforated Screen
AT8700
AT8700
AT8700 AT8700
Figure 4
For an AT8500 or AT8700 speaker placed below a projection screen, position the Midrange/Tweeter Array
horizontally with the tweeter facing down. For an AT speaker installed behind a perforated screen, the
Array should be positioned horizontally with the tweeter facing up if above ear level, or facing down if
below ear level. The speaker itself may be installed either horizontally or vertically.
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