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Practice of sound / Installation and placement tips
This chapter contains common information on
loudspeaker placement and installation.
This is general rules, so there are exceptions of
some rules
In which room do
you achieve the best
sound?
No matter how good the equipment is, in the wrong
listening environment it will inevitably sound bad.
There are some basic rules concerning a proper
loudspeaker installation:
Reflections
Carpets, curtains and soft furniture absorb mid
range and high frequency sound, and this is
preferable. Big empty area, on the contrary, reflects
it and produces hard reflections that may lead to
blurry dialogue. Apart from colouring the sound,
also the perspective of the sound will deteriorate.
Reflections in the room can roughly be compared to
the reflections that yield ghost pictures on a TV
screen.
Amplification of bass
frequencies
A loudspeaker that is placed near a wall, ceiling or
floor will amplify lower frequencies in a sometimes
not desirable way (since it may lead to an indistinct
sound recreation). This amplification becomes even
more obvious if the loudspeaker is placed near a
corner. Thus, for a sound as clear as possible, the
loudspeaker should be placed at least 30 cm (about
12 inch) away from the wall
Some constructions are made to be placed closed to
a wall.
Room dimensions
Quadratic rooms or rooms where the length is
exactly twice as long as the width should be
avoided, since they may create unwanted
resonance.
Furniture
Be aware that furniture may vibrate and thus create
bad sound at loud bass.
Front speakers
To get the best result the front speakers should be
placed symmetrical in front of the listener. The
distance between the front speakers should be
around 80% of the distance to the listener. In other
words, the recommended angle between the front
speakers should be 45°
Angling?
Either you can have the loudspeakers angled in
towards the listener or you can have them directed
straight ahead. Some loudspeakers sounds better
when angled, but this may also depend on
reflections from the side walls. By angling the
loudspeakers inwards, you decrease unwanted
reflections and thus you get a better stereo
perspective.
