3
Instruction Manual
Speaker Placement
Important Considerations Before
Installation
Recommended Wire Sizes
The longer the wire run, the heavier the wire should be. Use the following
recommendations as a guide for your installation. And if you’re in doubt,
remember that it never hurts to get the next heavier grade of wire. Also note
that lower gauge numbers equal heavier wire sizes.
Wire Run Wire Gauge:
<15 ft. 16 ga.
15 to 30 ft. 14 ga.
>30 to 50 ft. 12 ga.
Location Considerations
A major determinant of any speaker’s sound quality is its location in the
room. With in-wall speakers there are fewer placement options than with
free-standing speakers, so giving some thought to location can really pay
off. Our In-Wall Theater Systems have been designed to minimize the det-
rimental effects wall mounting can have on sound, so they sound better
than conventional in-wall speakers.
Room Acoustics
Hard surfaces create lots of sound reflections in the room while soft surfaces
tend to absorb sound. Note the speakers’ location in terms of proximity to
glass and other highly sound reflective or absorptive surfaces. A simple set
of curtains or an area rug can make a major difference in sound quality and
intelligibility by reducing excessive reflections.
The more similar the speaker’s surroundings, the more consistent the sound
will be. So placing one speaker directly adjacent to a glass wall, with the
other speaker by an open archway, will make for two dramatically differ-
ent sounding speakers.
Note that as bass frequencies reflect within the room, some locations may
be bass heavy while other areas may be bass shy. With an external sub-
woofer, changing its placement within the room may reduce these effects.
But when in-wall speakers are utilized full range, the only real option is to
change the listening position, if you end up in a difficult bass area.
Speaker Placement
For all the following situations, it’s recommended that you first place small
box speakers in the proposed locations, just to get a good idea of how
that location will sound. In-wall speakers are tough to move once they’re
installed!
Stereo Music Listening
For stereo music reproduction the speakers are best located at approxi-
mately ear level when seated, both on the same wall, facing the prime lis-
tening location. A separation of approximately six to eight feet between the
left and right speakers is usually good. Ideally, the distance between the
two speakers will be the same as the distance from the speakers to the lis-
tening position. The speakers and the listening position will then form an
equilateral triangle. There is a benefit to mounting the speakers approxi-
mately the same distance from the side walls, so they both create the same
reflective patterns.
