POSITIONING THE SPEAKERS
Because of their unipolar radiation pattern, the CS2.7s will provide good results when placed in a variety
of room locations. However, speaker placement will affect the accuracy of timbre, spatial performance,
and bass performance. Here are some guidelines to help you achieve the best sound from your
speakers. (The pointed metal stabilizer pins should not be installed until the final positioning has been
determined.)
All aspects of speaker placement are dependent on the particulars of the room. Since every room is
different, no hard rules can be given, and experimentation is necessary to achieve the best results.
Distance from walls
The CS2.7s, like most speakers, sound best if
they are placed well away from all walls. Such
placement optimizes imaging characteristics,
and musical timbres are reproduced with
the least coloration because the initial sound
coming from the speaker is distinctly separated
in time from the secondary sound of wall
reflections. If reflections are heard too soon after
the primary sound, the brain tends to interpret
them as part of the initial sound, causing the
perceived timbre to be altered and the spatial
characteristics to be confused.
Figure 1
illustrates the problems caused by
early side wall reflections. When the speaker is
placed too close to side walls, the difference in
arrival times between the primary sound waves
and the reflected sound waves is too short for
the brain to discriminate between them.
Figure 2
illustrates the advantages of placing
the loudspeakers farther from side walls. The
arrival times of the primary, forward radiating
sound waves and the secondary, reflected sound
waves are well separated, providing the proper
delay needed for faithful tonal and spatial
reproduction.
There will also be a noticeable improvement
in openness when the speakers are even
two feet from the rear wall instead of one. If
possible, we prefer the speakers three feet or
more from the rear wall and five feet or more
from the side walls. Also, it is not desirable
for large objects to be placed very near the
speakers since these will also be a source of unwanted early reflections that reduce imaging accuracy.
Direct sound
Reflected sound
Difference in arrival times
Figure 1. Early reflection problems caused by speakers placed too close to side
walls
Direct sound
Reflected sound
Difference in
arrival times
Figure 2. Optimum placement for reducing reflection problems
3
