5
the best image focus and widest sound stage. However, since your taste may vary, you may well prefer
the extra depth achieved with no toe in; i.e., the speakers parallel to the side walls.
ON SHORT WALL:
Placing the speakers on the short wall and sitting far back in the long end of the
room may give you a concert hall experience if your room is large. Long reverberation times due to
long distances from boundaries can impart a grand sense of scale with classical music, although
smaller rooms might curtail this effect somewhat. Also,
too
much boundary reflection will result in
echoes that may interfere with the direct sound and blur the sound stage focus. If you suspect this
condition, clap your hands while standing at the speaker position. If you hear distinct echoes, you will
have to treat the room with specialized tuning products from Echo Busters, RPG, ASC, and the like.
If decorating is a consideration, try using rugs hanging on the side walls at the first reflection point,
and behind the speakers, directly in the center. Your dealer can recommend tuning products that he
carries and may be able to install them. If your dealer does not offer this service, call the above
mentioned tuning companies for further information.
CUBIC ROOM DIAGONAL LOCATION:
Rooms with mathematically repeating dimensions (like 16
x 16 x 8', for instance) will have a midbass/lower midrange loading effect due to the similar ratios of
boundary distances. In this case, it will help to locate one speaker on each side of a corner and fire the
speakers diagonally into the room. Note that you will also need to place your listening chair at a
diagonal position as well, at an equilateral triangulated distance.
Diagonal placement is an extreme measure but may be necessary if you wish to achieve the ultimate
in accurate frequency response. Diagonal placement will prevent a portion of the standing wave
energy from boosting certain frequencies, since the reflection patterns are broken up in this
configuration. The distance to each side wall is critical, and experimentation will be required with
placement of not only the speakers themselves, but also your seating position and wall treatment. It
may be necessary to use absorptive or dispersive devices on the wall to ameliorate the wall reflections
which may cause tonal imbalances or imaging confusion. See your dealer.
FLOORING:
If you have a hardwood floor, (especially without carpeting), there is the possibility that
vibration and resonance will be transferred to the floor, which will then act as a passive radiator. The
floor resonance will sound like extra midbass is being added to the sound, and will smear the bass
notes as well, since the floor will vibrate long after the woofers stop moving. On bare hardwood
floors, it will be necessary to decouple the speakers with rubber decoupling feet, see your dealer.
In addition to the induced resonance, there will be upper frequency reflections which will affect the
midrange/tweeter balance, usually boosting the treble/upper midrange and destroying the image
solidity. Installing a small rug in between the speakers and the listening chair will normally correct
this problem.
In two story homes with wood floors on the second floor, we have noticed a tendency for the floor to
absorb deep bass due to sympathetic resonance. In this case, the speaker will sound like it does not
have bass, so the cure would be to either move the speakers closer to a boundary where the floor is not
flexing as much or to decouple the speaker completely from the floor. That can be accomplished by
making a platform from wood filled with sand or using a granite base several inches thick.
