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Speaker Placement Considerations
Achieving the best performance from your AV123 ELT525 speakers
requires that you
follow several details when setting up your speakers in their new environment. Tips
and suggestions for the most desirable placement techniques are listed throughout this
section. At the end of this section you will also find more information on placement
alternatives in unique situations.
Front (Left and Right) Speaker Placement
Regardless of physical placement, always try to place your main speakers (LEFT and
RIGHT) with the tweeter positioned at the same elevation as or slightly above ear level.
This yields better detail in the upper vocal range, which is especially important for
understanding dialog in home theater systems. Physical placement of front speakers
should be along the same wall of your listening/viewing room. Although we’ve seen
successful installations that didn’t follow these guidelines, they’re generally more
problematic in terms of system response and accurate theater sound reproduction. Our
advice - why re-invent the wheel?
Use the “Rule of Thirds” whenever possible as
a starting guide. This suggests that the best
placement for your LEFT speaker is approximately
1/3 of the way along the wall behind your
speakers. Similarly, the best place for the RIGHT
speaker is usually 2/3 of the way across the same
wall. If at all possible, move the speakers out from
the back wall. Although all rooms are different, we
recommend a minimum wall-to-rear-of-speaker
distance of 3 inches. Whatever distance you finally select, use a tape measure to make
sure that each speaker is placed at the same distance from the back wall. With that
same tape measure, make sure the speaker-to-listening/viewing position is the same
for each speaker, too. If there’s a conflict here (as would happen with an irregular wall
behind the speakers), it is more important that the distance between you and each
speaker is the same. If that places one speaker closer to the wall behind it than the
other, don’t be too concerned.
Remember that the “Rule of Thirds” is a basic guideline only. Some acousticians
recommend placing the main (LEFT and RIGHT) speakers so that they form an
equilateral triangle with the prime listening/viewing position. This is close to ideal. Notice
different distances between speakers and left and right sidewalls. It’s worth trying for
this ideal, but don’t get overly concerned if your room doesn’t allow this precision.
Back Wall of Room
1/3
2/3
Primary Listening Position
Primary Listening Position
LEFT
RIGHT
Minimum of 3”
from Wall
