Speaker placement for small difficult rooms
Sep 17 '01 (Updated Oct 10 '01)
The Bottom Line Try different positions to see what works in your room. Get the main and sub speakers away from the walls. Innovate.
About 8 months ago I purchased new equipment and experienced problems finding the right position for my speakers. I was getting truly horrible boom from my sub when it was anywhere near a corner or wall. I have a small room 13x17x8 with odd spaces, wood furniture and floor. I read everything I could on the subject. I considered major acoustic purchases. Before I did that I took some good advice I read. I played with the speaker placement to see what I could get that way. First I took the speakers (on stands) and moved them into the room and away from the walls with toe-in. Next I took the sub put it on a three foot high movable wood file cabinet and put it directly between the two speakers. Because the room is small my listening position is about 6 to 8 feet from the speakers. I placed the center speaker on top of the sub and the satellites high and to the sides of the listening position (on the walls).
The results are nothing short of magical. The system is now giving me the beautiful experience I expected. It has
great separation, great imaging and sound stage. The highs, lows and mids are strong and balanced. I could not be happier. Home theater effects are awesome. I have never read about getting the sub off the floor and away from the walls but it worked for me. No boom, clean and satisfying. I live in an apartment and getting it off the floor allows me to not disturb the neighbors ( I often play at high volumes).
My conclusions are that this speaker placement:
1) gives direct sound avoiding many of the reflection problems
2) getting the sub in the middle of a small room enables a clear sound while still yielding plenty of bass
3) the sweet spot is surprisingly large
I hope this helps those with similar problems. Good luck.
UPDATE:
Many people have read my article and I would love to hear some feedback. Has this helped you? Write in and tell of your experiences with this or other configurations.
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Epinions.com ID:
richmtn
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Location: new york, ny usa
Reviews written: 15
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About Me:
Old hippie computer programmer. Ski, scuba, golf, music, movies, outdoors, food, news junky.
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