spacing of speakers... - Blu-ray Forum

Erman_94 · 07-20-2009, 11:20 PM

how far apart should my towers be (ideally) and how far should my center be from my towers?

how much do you really lose in terms of sound quality when they are spaced closely together?

i am inquiring because my tv is located in a corner and i cant really separate my towers as much as i think i should (and unfortunately i cant place my tv anywhere else)

thanks in advance for your comments

Semp1 · 07-20-2009, 11:55 PM

Center channel should be directly below your tv, and towers should be about 6-10 feet apart from eachother on the sides of your tv.

crazyBLUE · 07-20-2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Semp1

Center channel should be directly below your tv, and towers should be about 6-10 feet apart from eachother on the sides of your tv.

I agree ! My towers are 8 feet apart !

Johnny Vinyl · 07-21-2009, 12:02 AM

That may be the toughest placement of all to properly balance.

Your center channel will be centered below or above your TV...easy. It's the fronts that will give you the most headache and I don't have a solution. I would suggest experimenting with placement options that are available, even if that means moving them in and out, back and forth for movie viewing or listening to music. Play around with placement and you'll discover the right spot for your situation.

John

DerrellB · 07-21-2009, 12:02 AM

The imaging is so much better when your speakers can breath. Also during movie viewing you can hear things go across the soundstage when you speakers are spaced apart correctly. My fronts are about 8 ft apart also with a slight toe in.

Johnny Vinyl · 07-21-2009, 12:04 AM

Remember guys........his HT is in a corner...he doesn't have as many options available to him.

John

crazyBLUE · 07-21-2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erman_94

how far apart should my towers be (ideally) and how far should my center be from my towers?

how much do you really lose in terms of sound quality when they are spaced closely together?

i am inquiring because my tv is located in a corner and i cant really separate my towers as much as i think i should (and unfortunately i cant place my tv anywhere else)

thanks in advance for your comments

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

Remember guys........his HT is in a corner...he doesn't have as many options available to him.

John

Is there the possibility of moving it out of the corner onto A wall !

Big Daddy · 07-21-2009, 12:16 AM

I stole this from Big Daddy's A Guide to Bipolr, Dipolar, & Direct Radiating Surround Speakers thread.

FRONT SPEAKERS SETUP

For front speakers, put the speakers at least 2 to 3 feet away from the rear wall.

The distance between the two speakers should be between 6 to 10 feet.
The distance between your main listening chair and the distance between the two speakers should be approximately the same. They should form approximately an equilateral triangle.

The tweeters should be about the same level as your ears when you are seated. For smaller speakers, use a stand. Slight tilting backward or forward of the speakers until the tweeters point toward your head may also work.
You can slightly angle (toe-in) the speakers toward the listening chair. You can use a string to make sure both speakers are angled exactly the same. Angling the speakers too much may have two disadvantages:
1. It may ruin the sound stage.
2. It will not be very effective for others who may be sitting elsewhere in the room. Don't be selfish.

Play a CD with good soundstaging and a singer in the middle.

If the soundstage is good and wide but the center stage is blurred, move the speakers closer together.
If the center stage is focused and sounds great, but the soundstage isn't very wide, angle the speakers away from the listening position a little at a time until the soundstage becomes wider without losing the center stage.
Many speakers may sound better if they are pointed at your shoulders rather than directly at your head.
Always use a string to make sure both speakers are angled the same way.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Rooms are not the same and interaction with room boundaries, furniture, carpets, etc. play an important role in the sound that you hear.
Many experts believe that in a small home theater room, you hear the room and not the speakers.

Audiophile_At_Birth · 07-21-2009, 12:21 AM

Check out my HT gallery. It might give you an idea to try. That's the way I had my setup for four years or so. It didn't sound half bad with freq curve correction. You could always use a variation, it's up to you, just an idea.

Johnny Vinyl · 07-21-2009, 12:21 AM

BD..I'm not sure he's able to implement this method with his current corner HT setup. Perhaps a picture from the OP to let us see what the space looks like would help.

John

crazyBLUE · 07-21-2009, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

BD..I'm not sure he's able to implement this method with his current corner HT setup. Perhaps a picture from the OP to let us see what the space looks like would help.

John

BD is funny !

John , I agree on seeing A pic if we can, to give help & idea's .

Johnny Vinyl · 07-21-2009, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

John , I agree on seeing A pic if we can, to give help & idea's .

What about it Erman? Is this possible?

John

DavePS3 · 07-21-2009, 12:43 AM

With toeing or aiming the front speakers, you should be able to play a regular CD and swear you hear sounds from directly in front of you. If not, play with the toeing until you do. Remember that acoustics in rooms are always a bit off depending on where you and the speakers are. You may find that one speaker needs to be aoimed slightly away from you moreso than the other if one is beside a wall and the other is not. If you do hear sounds from directly in front of you, the speakers are aimed correctly for music and will certainly add to home theater where as vice versa is not always true. That is why using a good CD source is always best when aiming for the sweet spot. Do that and even if your speakers are a little closer together than 8 or 10 feet, you'll get a very enveloping sound from music and movies and not feel like you are losing anything. That's my advice and this is what I do in my own set-up.

Erman_94 · 07-23-2009, 08:01 PM

yes. a picture of my setup is definately possible. unfortunately i am on vacation now and cant upload any. i wıll be back in about 10 days and can bring this thread back to life with a visual representation.

thank you guys for all the help/interest

any other suggestions in the mean time are surely welcome. i just wanted to get some ideas before i return

Twitch9 · 07-24-2009, 12:48 AM

For toeing speakers the rule of thumb is 2 feet directly behind your sweet spot is where you should aim your speakers, the easiest way to do this is have someone stand at that spot and take a laser pointer and place it on the side of the speaker that is closer to the TV and aim the speaker until the laser pointer is at the middle of the person, do this to both left and rights speakers and you should be set. If you aim your speakers directly at your sweet spot you will create a void in the sound and this can make your feel like your ears are plugged when listening to music or movies, if they are too wide you will not be able to tell the separation in the sound and this will end up sounding more like a concert and will not be as direct.

Erman_94 · 08-05-2009, 03:43 PM

alright guys, i just got back from vaca and am providing the visuals as promised to give this thread some life (the thread wont allow me to post the pics because they are too big so please look at my HT gallery for the visuals)

i measured the distance between my towers and they are about 4.5 ft away from each other. so i guess i am really shrinking the soundstage

any suggestions guys?

also on a side note...where should i place my surrounds? they are currently on the wall (as shown) just for display...but when i play a movie i move both the stands pretty much behind the couch and pointing towards the center seat on the couch...is this correct placement?

thanks in advance guys

Fors* · 08-05-2009, 03:54 PM

This is a tough call because of the short distance from the TV to the couch and the corner placement of the TV. Because your couch is squared, even placing the surrounds in the proper place is not easily done. Is there anyway you could have this set-up with the TV against the wall where your left front speaker is? This would help greatly with proper speaker distances and placement.

Erman_94 · 08-05-2009, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forsberg21

This is a tough call because of the short distance from the TV to the couch and the corner placement of the TV. Because your couch is squared, even placing the surrounds in the proper place is not easily done. Is there anyway you could have this set-up with the TV against the wall where your left front speaker is? This would help greatly with proper speaker distances and placement.

i thought about that setup but it would be quite problematic because of the square couch. because anyone sitting on the adjacent side of the couch to the wall would have to turn their head to see the screen.

trust me that setup would make my life much easier, but i am just wondering if there are any other alternatives as opposed to moving the tv...thanks for the help

Fors* · 08-05-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erman_94

i thought about that setup but it would be quite problematic because of the square couch. because anyone sitting on the adjacent side of the couch to the wall would have to turn their head to see the screen.

trust me that setup would make my life much easier, but i am just wondering if there are any other alternatives as opposed to moving the tv...thanks for the help

I think you would be surprised by how many people actually have their living room set-up just like that, with one part of the couch facing the TV, and the other end running down a side wall. It is simply the limitations of having a living room set-up IMO. I have that same issue with my 2 couches, with one going down the side wall, but that is all I have to work with in order to get the best out of my audio and video pleasure. I weighed the options and concluded that I wanted the best audio and video I could get from a primary seating position (mine) over the location of where others may sit and not get as good an experience. Ultimately, if you don't have a dedicated HT, you will more or less be facing this problem. I do think that over 50% of the living room set-ups just run a couch down the one side in this scenario, so I just wanted you to know that.

ALLIANCE68 · 08-05-2009, 04:53 PM

Looking at your pictures; how much room is there at the point you were taking the first picture from? Are you opposed to moving your fireplace? I would move the fireplace to the left wall and move the TV into there, move the table back if possible and turn your couch. Just an idea.

07-20-2009, 11:20 PM	#1
Erman_94 Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Canada 4K collection:31 Blu-ray collection:201	spacing of speakers... how far apart should my towers be (ideally) and how far should my center be from my towers? how much do you really lose in terms of sound quality when they are spaced closely together? i am inquiring because my tv is located in a corner and i cant really separate my towers as much as i think i should (and unfortunately i cant place my tv anywhere else) thanks in advance for your comments

07-21-2009, 12:16 AM	#8
Big Daddy Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Southern California Home Theater Gallery:79 Blu-ray collection:122 Trading Score:1	I stole this from Big Daddy's A Guide to Bipolr, Dipolar, & Direct Radiating Surround Speakers thread. FRONT SPEAKERS SETUP For front speakers, put the speakers at least 2 to 3 feet away from the rear wall. The distance between the two speakers should be between 6 to 10 feet. The distance between your main listening chair and the distance between the two speakers should be approximately the same. They should form approximately an equilateral triangle. The tweeters should be about the same level as your ears when you are seated. For smaller speakers, use a stand. Slight tilting backward or forward of the speakers until the tweeters point toward your head may also work. You can slightly angle (toe-in) the speakers toward the listening chair. You can use a string to make sure both speakers are angled exactly the same. Angling the speakers too much may have two disadvantages: It may ruin the sound stage. It will not be very effective for others who may be sitting elsewhere in the room. Don't be selfish. Play a CD with good soundstaging and a singer in the middle. If the soundstage is good and wide but the center stage is blurred, move the speakers closer together. If the center stage is focused and sounds great, but the soundstage isn't very wide, angle the speakers away from the listening position a little at a time until the soundstage becomes wider without losing the center stage. Many speakers may sound better if they are pointed at your shoulders rather than directly at your head. Always use a string to make sure both speakers are angled the same way. Don't be afraid to experiment. Rooms are not the same and interaction with room boundaries, furniture, carpets, etc. play an important role in the sound that you hear. Many experts believe that in a small home theater room, you hear the room and not the speakers.

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07-20-2009, 11:55 PM	#2
Semp1 Senior Member Member since:Jun 2007	Center channel should be directly below your tv, and towers should be about 6-10 feet apart from eachother on the sides of your tv.

07-21-2009, 12:02 AM	#4
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	That may be the toughest placement of all to properly balance. Your center channel will be centered below or above your TV...easy. It's the fronts that will give you the most headache and I don't have a solution. I would suggest experimenting with placement options that are available, even if that means moving them in and out, back and forth for movie viewing or listening to music. Play around with placement and you'll discover the right spot for your situation. John

07-21-2009, 12:02 AM	#5
DerrellB Power Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jan 2009 Home Theater Gallery:59 Trading Score:3	The imaging is so much better when your speakers can breath. Also during movie viewing you can hear things go across the soundstage when you speakers are spaced apart correctly. My fronts are about 8 ft apart also with a slight toe in.

07-21-2009, 12:04 AM	#6
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	Remember guys........his HT is in a corner...he doesn't have as many options available to him. John

07-21-2009, 12:21 AM	#9
Audiophile_At_Birth Special Member Member since:Nov 2008 Location:El Paso, TX Home Theater Gallery:31 4K collection:8 Blu-ray collection:235 Blu-ray reviews:1	Check out my HT gallery. It might give you an idea to try. That's the way I had my setup for four years or so. It didn't sound half bad with freq curve correction. You could always use a variation, it's up to you, just an idea.

07-21-2009, 12:43 AM	#13
DavePS3 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Toronto Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	With toeing or aiming the front speakers, you should be able to play a regular CD and swear you hear sounds from directly in front of you. If not, play with the toeing until you do. Remember that acoustics in rooms are always a bit off depending on where you and the speakers are. You may find that one speaker needs to be aoimed slightly away from you moreso than the other if one is beside a wall and the other is not. If you do hear sounds from directly in front of you, the speakers are aimed correctly for music and will certainly add to home theater where as vice versa is not always true. That is why using a good CD source is always best when aiming for the sweet spot. Do that and even if your speakers are a little closer together than 8 or 10 feet, you'll get a very enveloping sound from music and movies and not feel like you are losing anything. That's my advice and this is what I do in my own set-up.

07-23-2009, 08:01 PM	#14
Erman_94 Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Canada 4K collection:31 Blu-ray collection:201	yes. a picture of my setup is definately possible. unfortunately i am on vacation now and cant upload any. i wıll be back in about 10 days and can bring this thread back to life with a visual representation. thank you guys for all the help/interest any other suggestions in the mean time are surely welcome. i just wanted to get some ideas before i return

07-24-2009, 12:48 AM	#15
Twitch9 Expert Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:83 Blu-ray collection:49 Blu-ray reviews:16 Trading Score:2	For toeing speakers the rule of thumb is 2 feet directly behind your sweet spot is where you should aim your speakers, the easiest way to do this is have someone stand at that spot and take a laser pointer and place it on the side of the speaker that is closer to the TV and aim the speaker until the laser pointer is at the middle of the person, do this to both left and rights speakers and you should be set. If you aim your speakers directly at your sweet spot you will create a void in the sound and this can make your feel like your ears are plugged when listening to music or movies, if they are too wide you will not be able to tell the separation in the sound and this will end up sounding more like a concert and will not be as direct.

08-05-2009, 03:43 PM	#16
Erman_94 Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Canada 4K collection:31 Blu-ray collection:201	alright guys, i just got back from vaca and am providing the visuals as promised to give this thread some life (the thread wont allow me to post the pics because they are too big so please look at my HT gallery for the visuals) i measured the distance between my towers and they are about 4.5 ft away from each other. so i guess i am really shrinking the soundstage any suggestions guys? also on a side note...where should i place my surrounds? they are currently on the wall (as shown) just for display...but when i play a movie i move both the stands pretty much behind the couch and pointing towards the center seat on the couch...is this correct placement? thanks in advance guys

08-05-2009, 03:54 PM	#17
Fors* Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Pottstown, PA Home Theater Gallery:160 4K collection:12 Blu-ray collection:142 Trading Score:11	This is a tough call because of the short distance from the TV to the couch and the corner placement of the TV. Because your couch is squared, even placing the surrounds in the proper place is not easily done. Is there anyway you could have this set-up with the TV against the wall where your left front speaker is? This would help greatly with proper speaker distances and placement.

08-05-2009, 04:53 PM	#20
ALLIANCE68 Member Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Calgary, AB	Looking at your pictures; how much room is there at the point you were taking the first picture from? Are you opposed to moving your fireplace? I would move the fireplace to the left wall and move the TV into there, move the table back if possible and turn your couch. Just an idea.

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