More than you probably want to know about Room Acous-
tics
Room acoustics have a major effect on sound quality. If your room has good
acoustical qualities, even inexpensive speaker systems can sound great. If your
room has poor acoustics, expensive speakers can sound lacking. The dimensions
of the room and the amount of sound-absorbing material in it determine the acous-
tics. Obviously, you can’t do a heck of a lot about the dimensions in your room. The
dimensions primarily affect the bass response. The absorptive material (which you
can do something about) in your room affects the middle and treble frequencies.
The materials that can absorb sound reflections include carpet, upholstered furni-
ture such as sofas, chairs and pillows, as well as drapes and wall treatments. A
room with poor acoustics can generally sound harsh, tinny or hollow. A solution
would be to add more absorptive materials. And, if you can’t do that, why not invite
a lot of friends over and tell them to wear thick jackets or heavy sweaters (could be
a problem if you live in a nudist colony).
There are several advantages to using the RSL Digital Fidelity One in this manner.
First, proper placement becomes easier. The angle between you and the left and
right speakers is usually close to optimum (somewhere between 60 and 90 de-
grees).
Due to the superior imaging qualities of the RSL Digital Fidelity One, the sat-
ellite speakers can be placed a bit further apart without the apparent “hole” in mid-
dle that most speakers leave. We recommend that you place both satellites at the
same height and not against the wall. Make sure they face the same
direction. The front of the grilles should be slightly in front of your monitor. Both
the satellites and subwoofer are magnetically shielded.
Using the RSL Digital Fidelity One speaker system in a near-field situation
such as with computers tends to minimize the acoustical problems of the room.
Optional Reading About
Room Acoustics
I really don’t know why we’re calling it “optional reading.” After all, isn’t this
entire owner’s manual optional? Nobody’s going to look over your shoulder to see
if you’re reading any of it. As a matter of fact, if you call us with a problem, we’re
not going to say, “Aha, you haven’t read your owner’s manual. Shame on you!”
7
