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INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS
19
Installation and Connections
Speaker Selection
No matter which type or brand of speakers is
used, the same model or brand of speaker
should be used for the front-left, center and
front-right speakers. This creates a seamless
front soundstage and eliminates the possibility
of distracting sonic disturbances that occur when
a sound moves across mismatched front-channel
speakers.
Speaker Placement
The placement of speakers in a multichannel
home-theater system can have a noticeable
impact on the quality of sound reproduced.
Depending on the type of center-channel
speaker in use and your viewing device, place
the center speaker either directly above or below
your TV, or in the center behind a perforated
front-projection screen.
Once the center-channel speaker is installed,
position the left-front and right-front speakers so
that they are as far away from one another as
the center-channel speaker is from the preferred
listening position. Ideally, the front-channel
speakers should be placed so that their tweeters
are no more than 60 cm above or below the
tweeter in the center-channel speaker.
They should also be at least 0.5 meter from your
TV set unless the speakers are magnetically
shielded to avoid colourings on the TV screen.
Note that most speakers are not shielded, even
with complete surround sets only the Center
speaker may be.
Depending on the specifics of your room
acoustics and the type of speakers in use, you
may find that imaging is improved by moving the
front-left and front-right speakers slightly
forward of the center-channel speaker. If
possible, adjust all front loudspeakers so that
they are aimed at ear height when you are
seated in the listening position.
Using these guidelines, you’ll find that it takes
some experimentation to find the correct
location for the front speakers in your particular
installation. Don’t be afraid to move things
around until the system sounds correct. Optimize
your speakers so that audio transitions across
the front of the room sound smooth.
When the AVR is used in 5.1-channel operation,
the preferred location for surround speakers is
on the side walls of the room, at or slightly
behind the listening position. In a 6.1-channel
system, a back surround speaker is required, ide-
ally placed at the center of the room's rear wall,
pointing directly towards the front center chan-
nel speaker. The center of the speaker should
face you (see below).
In a 7.1-channel system, both side surround and
back surround speakers are required. The center
of the speaker should face you (see below).
Rear surround speakers are required when a full
7.1-channel system is installed, and they may
also be used in 5.1 channel mode as an alterna-
tive mounting position when it is not practical to
place the main surround speakers at the sides of
the room. Speakers may be placed on a rear
wall, behind the listening position. As with the
side speakers, the center of the rear surrounds
should face you. The speakers should be no more
than 2 meters behind the rear of the seating
area.
It is appropriate to configure the AVR 255/
AVR 355 for either 5.1- or 7.1-channel opera-
tion, but not for 6.1 channels. When 6.1-channel
program material or a 6.1-channel processing
mode is in use, material for the surround back
channel will be outputted simultaneously
through both the
Surround Back Left
and
Right Speaker Outputs
. Connecting only
one loudspeaker to these speaker terminals will
not only deprive you of the benefits of 7.1-chan-
nel surround modes, such as Logic 7, but will
also interfere with the functioning of EzSet/EQ
speaker setup and calibration, as described on
page 22. It may also put undesirable strain on
the surround back amplifier circuits and power
supplies.
A) Front Channel Speaker Installation with
Direct-View TV Sets or Rear-Screen Projectors.
At least 15 cm from celling
At least 60 cm
5.1-Channel System
6.1-Channel System
7.1-Channel System
Center Front Speaker
No more
than 24"
Front Right
Speaker
Front Left
Speaker
