P/SP-1500 Owner's Manual 3
Setting Up Your Home Theater System
Refer to Diagram on Page 4
Speaker Placement
Proper speaker placement is essential for optimum performance of your home theater system. Improper
placement of speakers can produce an unnatural sound and greatly diminish the home theater
experience. Here are some basic guidelines for speaker placement based upon idealized conditions.
However, it may be necessary to make compromises for furniture, windows, doorways, and other
aesthetic reasons.
Front Speakers
Try to locate your front left and right speakers an equal distance from your television monitor or
projection screen. Ideally, your viewing/listening position should be at the point of an equilateral
triangle with the left and right speakers at the other points.
Center Speaker
The center speaker’s main function is to reproduce dialog and to join the sonic image from the speakers
with the visual image on the screen. It is best to place your center speaker directly above or below the
television monitor for a more realistic effect. The distance from your listening position to the center
channel speaker should be the same distance as from your listening position to the left and right
speakers. This necessitates placing the center speaker somewhat behind the left and right speakers. This
placement assures the sound from all three front speakers will arrive at your listening position at
precisely the same time. If you are using a direct view television with a picture tube, we strongly
recommend a shielded center channel speaker if you intend to locate it near the monitor. The magnetic
field of an unshielded speaker will cause an extreme discoloration of most direct view TV screens. If
you are placing your front speakers behind a high-quality perforated projection screen, locate your center
speaker at the same height as your left and right speakers.
Conventional Surround Speakers
Surround speaker placement is a little more flexible than the front speakers. In the Dolby Pro Logic and
even Dolby Digital (AC-3) mode surround speakers are intended to create a more diffuse ambient effect
rather than a precise sonic image. To avoid drawing your attention away from the action on the screen,
you should not be able to localize the sound coming from your surround speakers. Therefore, you
should try to avoid pointing the surround speakers directly toward your listening position and place them
behind you and at least three feet above your ear level when you are seated. You may even want to try
aiming them at the wall or ceiling for a greater ratio of reflected to direct sound to help reduce
localization. Experimentation with surround speaker placement is often required to yield optimum
results.
THX Dipole Surround Speakers
THX certified dipole surround speakers are designed for superior surround channel performance. If you
are using THX Home Cinema front and rear firing dipole surround speakers, locate them at least two
feet above and to the sides of your listening area. This places you in the “null” of the dipole speakers to
minimize localization of the surround speakers.
Subwoofer
The best way to position your subwoofer is to first hook it up and place it close to your listening
position. Next, stand in various spots within your room and find the location that will give you the
strongest and most balanced bass without excessive boominess. Once you have found the optimum
location, simply relocate the subwoofer to that spot.
