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Correctly placing your speakers [message #86349] Fri, 20 October 2017 10:07 Go to next message
moss24 is currently offline  moss24
Messages: 107
Registered: May 2016
Viscount
I used not to follow the instructions in the manual and so a speaker labelled 'R' wouldn't necessarily be placed on the right wall. When I started closely following these instructions, the listening experience became much better. Are these speakers specifically modified to stay at a particular corner of the room?
Re: Correctly placing your speakers [message #86360 is a reply to message #86349] Fri, 20 October 2017 16:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18670
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Yes, properly designed speakers have specific placement instructions. Room interaction is profound.

Just do a little experiment to see what I mean. After you do this, you can search the "Room Acoustics" forum here to learn more about why you will hear what you are about to hear in this experiment.

Use any sound source that's easy to carry. A portable radio or handheld device is perfect.

First, take the music device outdoors or in a large open room and hold it up in the air, away from any walls or other boundaries. Turn it on and listen to it. Pay attention to its loudness and its bass.

Now walk towards a wall. While the device is making sound, position it near the wall. Move it away from the wall, and then back up against the wall. See if you can hear a difference.

Now move it to the ground, still against the wall. Put it in the junction of the wall and the floor. Listen to it. Move it out away from the wall and floor, up in the air again. Listen to the difference.

And finally, put the device in a corner, on the floor. Move it into the corner and then out of the corner. Listen to the difference.

The difference you hear is due to boundary loading conditions. It changes the volume level quite a bit, doesn't it? And it makes the bass more pronounced too.

Now do one more thing. Take the device into a small room, especially one with hard walls. A bathroom with tile walls is great. Listen to the sound. Now go outside the room. Even better if you can go clear outside to the outdoors. Listen again.

The difference you hear is due to the interactions of reflections on the sound. It changes its tonal character quite a bit, doesn't it? The bathroom sounded really hollow or nasal, didn't it? But it was louder. The outdoors sounded very clear, but it was less loud.

These are some of the things that influence sound after it leaves your loudspeakers. Truly, the room is the biggest sound modifier in the sound system.

Re: Correctly placing your speakers [message #87085 is a reply to message #86349] Fri, 19 January 2018 10:34 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Pique is currently offline  Pique
Messages: 47
Registered: November 2017
Baron
That is a really great explanation, Wayne. I didn't ask the question, but I learned so much. In future I, too will start paying more attention to the proper placement of my speakers.
Re: Correctly placing your speakers [message #88005 is a reply to message #86349] Fri, 11 May 2018 15:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Soundcheck12 is currently offline  Soundcheck12
Messages: 15
Registered: April 2018
Chancellor
I used to think the same thing about speakers and never really paid too much attention to the set up. Then I picked up a receiver that had a mic that was used for speaker set up to make sure the sound quality was at it's very best. The difference was amazing when I changed things around.
Re: Correctly placing your speakers [message #88027 is a reply to message #86349] Wed, 16 May 2018 10:54 Go to previous message
audiophil2 is currently offline  audiophil2
Messages: 15
Registered: April 2018
Chancellor
moss24 wrote on Fri, 20 October 2017 10:07
I used not to follow the instructions in the manual and so a speaker labelled 'R' wouldn't necessarily be placed on the right wall. When I started closely following these instructions, the listening experience became much better. Are these speakers specifically modified to stay at a particular corner of the room?


Have to admit that I used to be the same way. Never really paid attention until one day, I just decided to follow the instructions and I was truly amazed. The sound quality of the speakers improved so much. And the reason for looking the instructions? I rearranged my furniture and was trying to determine the best speaker placement.
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