9
WHERE – Speaker Placement
WHERE - SPEAKER PLACEMENT
Placement can make all the difference in how your
Russound speaker system sounds. There are at least four
related considerations that factor into the speaker layout:
• The intended use: critical listening, home theater, or
background music
• The room’s physical characteristics: hard, reflective
surfaces or soft, absorbent textures
• The listening locations: a desired prime listening
spot or a need for sound throughout the room
• The available locations: unobstructed wall and ceiling
surfaces
It may happen that the ideal or desired locations for the
speakers may have to be modified for feasibility.
STEREO IMAGING
If your Russound In-wall Speakers are going to be your
primary listening source in a room, you need to consid-
er some other factors to insure proper imaging. The
term “stereo imaging” refers to a speaker system’s abili-
ty to project music so that it sounds like the performers
are in a three-dimensional space between the speakers.
It’s the whole point of having stereo instead of mono-
phonic sound.
To achieve good stereo imaging, the speakers are best
located 6 to 8 feet apart on the short wall of a rectangu-
lar room, if the prime listening location is opposite the
short wall. Optimally, tweeters should be located at ear
level when the listener is seated. Ceiling mounted
speakers are best located slightly forward of the listen-
ing position with the tweeter aimed toward the listener.
HOME THEATER
When setting up a home theater surround sound sys-
tem, it’s preferable to use wall mount rather than ceiling
speakers for the front three channels. The three front
speakers should be at close to equal heights, at ear
level when the listener is seated. The center channel
speaker should be located above the TV screen aligned
with the center of the screen, and the left and right
speakers should be about 3 or 4 feet to either side of
the screen. Left and right speakers placed too close
together or too far apart dissipate the illusion of being
“in the action” on the screen. (
continued on next page)
General Disclaimers – All rooms have different sound characteristics. Speaker location, listening loca-
tion, reflective and absorptive surfaces all have a dramatic impact on the sound you hear. The follow-
ing are only general recommendations and should not be considered the best or only solutions.
Best for serious listening.
Stereo pair in-wall or in-
ceiling. Six to 8 feet
apart, on the short wall of
a rectangular room, cen-
tered on the listening
area. In-wall speakers
should be at ear height
when seated, if possible.
Good for serious
listening. Stereo pair
in-wall or in-ceiling.
Six to 8 feet apart,
on the long wall of a
rectangular room,
centered on the lis-
tening area. In-wall
speakers should be
at ear height when
seated, if possible.
- Ceiling Speaker
LEGEND:
- Wall Speaker
Figure 3-A
Figure 3-B