Adjusting Your Room or Speakers for best performance
Room acoustics have just as much effect on sound quality as the speakers
themselves. In order to obtain the best sound, the way the recording
engineers and movie-producers intended, you may need to make just
a few minor adjustments to your room set-up. Small adjustments can
yield big results in accurate sound performance.
Some equipment and room adjustments are listed below
:
1. Speaker balance for Front L and R
. The front L and R should be
equidistant from the listening position, and at the same height. Also
check the speaker set-up on you AVR to ensure the speakers are
programmed for the same distance from the listening position.
2. Speaker balance for center and rear L and rear R
. Check the
AVR’s set-up menu and adjust the dB output of each speaker to meet
your needs. To increase localization and sound output of the center
and/or surrounds try toeing-in the speakers towards the listening
position. To decrease the localization and sound output of the center
and surround speakers, try aiming them slightly off-axis from the
listening position.
3. Tonal balance of individual satellites
. If the sound seems heavy
in the mid-range and low-mids, try pulling the speakers away from
the wall more. The closer they are to the wall, the more resonant
the low frequencies become. Conversely if the sound is too bright,
place them closer to a wall. Or try dampening the wall space around
the speaker, and on the wall opposite the speaker’s face. Using wall
hangings, drapes, or pillows can help this.
4. Tonal balance of subwoofer
. If the subwoofer sounds heavy or
muddy, moving it away from the corners and walls will help. Also
experiment with the gain, or volume control. It may be set too high.
5. Crossover/Volume of subwoofer.
If certain bass notes stick out
more than others, corrective adjustments can be made to either the
crossover and volume settings, the position of the subwoofer, or
both. If certain upper bass notes seem too prevalent, turn the
crossover down a few degrees. Also try turning down the volume
slightly. If that doesn’t help then try turning the crossover up. This
may even out the bass response. If it’s still not quite right then
change the position of the subwoofer - pull it away from walls,
corners, anything that resonates. Try using the feet to raise it up off
the floor as this decreases the floor vibrations from the sub. A little
patience will be rewarded greatly, so take your time with the subwoofer.
It’s usually the hardest to calibrate to your room.
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