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Place speakers as far as possible from other furniture and room boundaries. Keeping the mids and
tweeters away from the floor is particularly important. For stereo use the Sapphire XLs are designed to
sound best when the optional Sound Anchors or Atlantis 24-26” stands are used. These stands can be
sand filled and are highly recommended.
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Use padded furniture and drapery when possible to cut down on reflections. Furniture has the added
bonus of helping to break up standing wave patterns in the bass.
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Use a symmetrical placement of the speakers in the room. Of course the distance between the
speakers is also important. In general, the further back your listening position, the farther apart should
be your speakers. In most rooms you will want the Sapphire XLs placed between five and eight feet
apart. Experiment! Too much distance will smear the image and it will seem like there is a hole in the
middle. Too small a distance will compress the image.
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Experiment with facing the speakers straight into the room or toed in slightly toward the listener. For
video applications the left and right speakers should be close to the edges of the screen.
Left – Right Speaker Placement:
Your Sapphire XLs are constructed in mirror-imaged pairs. Best stereo imaging and smoothest
response is usually attained with the speakers placed so the tweeters are mounted to the outside.
However, depending on your room setup and system, your Sapphire XLs may sound better with the
tweeters mounted to the inside. Try the Sapphire XLs both ways to determine which placement provides
the best response in your application.
Adding Subwoofers
Using subwoofers gives you some flexibility that you don’t have with an all in one system. But it
also requires some decisions.
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Choosing between the Force XL, Titan XL, or Maestro XL subs: All were designed to mate perfectly
with the Sapphire XLs. These are self-powered subwoofers, which makes them an ideal add-on.
Because the crossover frequency and output levels are adjustable they can be easily integrated with
the Sapphire XLs in any system. A single Titan mated with a pair of Sapphires has been one of our
biggest selling combos for years. Substituting a Maestro for the Titan will yield a system with superb
dynamic range even in very large rooms. For those who want stereo subs, all three subwoofer models
are suitable and your choice will depend on budget, room size, and how loud you like to play it. Check
the website for more information, email us at
or call us at (608) 784-4570 for help in
deciding the best subwoofer(s) for your needs.
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For the most coherent image the subwoofers should be relatively close to the main speakers. Because of
the electronic crossovers in the ACI subwoofers, the exact placement is not as critical as with most
subwoofers.
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Placing the subwoofers close to a wall will increase bass output. Moving the subwoofers into a corner will
increase bass output even further. Use the placement to fine-tune the amount of bass your system
produces.
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If you take time you can usually find a way to get the main speakers away from walls while optimizing the
placement of the subwoofers for the best bass.
