Positioning towers - Blu-ray Forum

Automission · 01-23-2009, 11:19 AM

Tell me, as more a matter of opinion. When placing your towers, do you place them facing straight forward, or do you angle them to point to the seating area?
Which works better for sound too?

Geezer00003 · 01-23-2009, 11:24 AM

Try experimenting as to what sounds best to you.
I have mine angled in abit.

$.02

petenad · 01-23-2009, 11:38 AM

Mine are at an angle and away from the wall about 2feet. Room size may play a factor in positioning I'm guessing?

crazyBLUE · 01-23-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geezer00003

Try experimenting as to what sounds best to you.
I have mine angled in abit.

$.02

This is what I did ! See what sounds best to you . Mine are out 2-3 feet from display , 18" from wall , angled in to center listening position .

VinnAY · 01-23-2009, 12:14 PM

Mine are angled to point at the center of my couch. I also placed mine in an equilateral triangle with my seating.

Rob J in WNY · 01-23-2009, 12:30 PM

I have all of my speakers angled toward the listening area.

Due to the highly directional nature of high frequency audio, angling your speakers toward your primary listening position will improve the clarity and detail of those frequencies – sometimes dramatically, and this can be critical given how resolute Blu-ray audio can be. Most speakers of quality will utilize “high dispertion” tweeters in an effort to widen the effective listening area, but angling the speakers inward to face you is still your most effective manner for optimal quality.

It’s one of the easiest things you can do (just a quick adjustment of the speakers) to ratchet up the quality of your system. Certainly inexpensive! Let your ears tell you what you like by comparing the two different speaker positions (angled or straight).

Geezer00003 · 01-23-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VinnAY

Mine are angled to point at the center of my couch. I also placed mine in an equilateral triangle with my seating.

Yeah, I should've mentioned setting up as an equilateral triangle also.

Big Daddy · 01-23-2009, 01:05 PM

For full-range floor-standing 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.

Automission · 01-23-2009, 01:13 PM

Yeah, I've tried that best as I can, only problem is my room is tiny. Got about 8 foot from the speakers to my chair, and the speakers are only 4.5 foot apart at their furthest.
I've straightened them up a bit, seems a bit clearer.

naturephoto1 · 01-23-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

For full-range floor-standing speakers, put the speakers at least 2 to 3 feet away from the rear wall.
[LIST][*]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.

If you are going to use a great big projection screen and have all of your components on the same wall (boy do I have a lot with 5 power amps, Turntable, etc.) with 6' tall (30" wide) L & R towers, the speakers (at least in the center) may be greater than 10' apart; they could be over 13 or 14' apart center to center. I would expect to have my front seating at about 10' from the screen. I expect that I would have an isosceles rather than an equilateral triangle. Do you think that that will cause an imaging and soundstage problem?

Rich

solarrdadd · 01-23-2009, 01:33 PM

i keep mine point straight out. they are at the sides of my sony and since we all know that in movies (which is the primary reason i have a home theatre) more than (at times) 80% of all dialouge is from the center channel. I've got a monster sized center channel too! I do listen to music sometimes and it sounds great to me just like it is. i did try pointing them in slightly a while ago but it just sounds better facing straight IMO!

Yeha-Noha · 01-23-2009, 05:21 PM

I don't toe in mine at all. I follow Energy's recommendations in the manual to place the towers at least 6 to 8 feet apart and 1.5 times that distance to the couch. My speakers are 7 feet apart and the couch is 10 feet away. My towers make an isosceles triangle wrt the couch instead of an equilateral. The manual mentions that if there are issues with imaging then move them closer together or toe them in slightly. I tried toeing them in just to hear how it sounded. I didn't care for the collapsed sound stage with them toed in. Pointed straight out they have a wider sound stage, fuller more spacious sounding, and just seem to disappear in the room.

I suppose that if you like sitting closer to the screen and you hear the left and right speakers individually instead of one composite sound, then either move them closer together and/or toe them in some.

Gohanto · 01-23-2009, 05:31 PM

I keep mine pointed straight out as most speakers have very good off-axis response. Plus when someone has their speaker's toed-in it tends to make it look like the sound will only be good in that seat.

bigpapy · 01-23-2009, 07:15 PM

Mine are angled to point at the center of my couch I think they sound better that way.

kingofgrills · 01-23-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

For full-range floor-standing 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.

Big Daddy's advice is spot on. I've highlighted the biggest problem I see when looking at some gallery pictures, which is aggressive toe-in on the front speakers. If you angle speakers in too much, your sound stage will collapse and you'll lose depth and separation in the sound field.

Big Daddy · 01-23-2009, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturephoto1

If you are going to use a great big projection screen and have all of your components on the same wall (boy do I have a lot with 5 power amps, Turntable, etc.) with 6' tall (30" wide) L & R towers, the speakers (at least in the center) may be greater than 10' apart; they could be over 13 or 14' apart center to center. I would expect to have my front seating at about 10' from the screen. I expect that I would have an isosceles rather than an equilateral triangle. Do you think that that will cause an imaging and soundstage problem?

Rich

When your front speakers are too far apart, you definitely can lose some of that center stage for two-channel music. You really have to experiment and see. Try and toe them in slightly or move your chair back and forth and see what the effect will be. For movies, the center speaker can help.

naturephoto1 · 01-23-2009, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

When your front speakers are too far apart, you definitely can lose some of that center stage for two-channel music. You really have to experiment and see. Try and toe them in slightly or move your chair back and forth and see what the effect will be.

Thanks. This is for the future once I move and either build a listening room or buy a house and add an extension for a listening room. I am just fighting with the number of components to be placed on the wall, the size of the main speakers that I may get (something that I know about in Prototype form), and trying to use as short a run of these expensive (or relatively expensive) IC and speaker cables and power cords as possible.

Rich

Johnny Vinyl · 01-23-2009, 09:50 PM

Like many of you, I have experimented with my speaker placement several times and I think that is key. You have to experiment. My speaker placement at the moment is exactly 7.5' from the centre of each speaker and I have them firing in a straight line. The soundstage is spot-on and I'd like to go beyond, but I'm limited by my room configuration. So for now this will have to do until I move.

Just for the record...I measure everything from a 2-channel perspective as that is my primary (80%-90%) interest.

John

Gremal · 01-23-2009, 10:56 PM

I think there is far too much handwaving and rule-giving going on here. Each setup is unique to the room, listening position and speakers. Some speakers perform better when not toed in at all, others are designed to be toed in aggressively.

Unless you are sitting in the room and listening, it is impossible to judge someone's setup. The fact is that speaker position and toe-in will have an enormous impact on sound quality, imaging and stereophonics. Rules go out the window when you break them (the rules, not the window) and find it sounds better. The beauty and the horror of it is that you can spend hours moving your speakers until you find the best setup FOR YOU.

ozzman · 01-23-2009, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

For full-range floor-standing 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.

Its really hard to beat this

.Ummm, what BigDaddy says

01-23-2009, 11:19 AM	#1
Automission Active Member Member since:Jul 2008 Location:England	Positioning towers Tell me, as more a matter of opinion. When placing your towers, do you place them facing straight forward, or do you angle them to point to the seating area? Which works better for sound too?

01-23-2009, 12:30 PM	#6
Rob J in WNY Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:'Western' N.Y. State (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:24 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:486 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 15	I have all of my speakers angled toward the listening area. Due to the highly directional nature of high frequency audio, angling your speakers toward your primary listening position will improve the clarity and detail of those frequencies – sometimes dramatically, and this can be critical given how resolute Blu-ray audio can be. Most speakers of quality will utilize “high dispertion” tweeters in an effort to widen the effective listening area, but angling the speakers inward to face you is still your most effective manner for optimal quality. It’s one of the easiest things you can do (just a quick adjustment of the speakers) to ratchet up the quality of your system. Certainly inexpensive! Let your ears tell you what you like by comparing the two different speaker positions (angled or straight). Last edited by Rob J in WNY; 01-23-2009 at 09:54 PM.

01-23-2009, 01:05 PM	#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	For full-range floor-standing 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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01-23-2009, 11:24 AM	#2
Geezer00003 Senior Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Dec 2008 Location:GTA Ontario, Canada Home Theater Gallery:12 4K collection:207 Blu-ray collection:669	Try experimenting as to what sounds best to you. I have mine angled in abit. $.02

01-23-2009, 11:38 AM	#3
petenad Active Member Member since:Mar 2008 Location:N.S. Blu-ray collection:106 DVD collection:1	Mine are at an angle and away from the wall about 2feet. Room size may play a factor in positioning I'm guessing?

01-23-2009, 12:14 PM	#5
VinnAY Banned Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray reviews:1	Mine are angled to point at the center of my couch. I also placed mine in an equilateral triangle with my seating.

01-23-2009, 01:13 PM	#9
Automission Active Member Member since:Jul 2008 Location:England	Yeah, I've tried that best as I can, only problem is my room is tiny. Got about 8 foot from the speakers to my chair, and the speakers are only 4.5 foot apart at their furthest. I've straightened them up a bit, seems a bit clearer.

01-23-2009, 01:33 PM	#11
solarrdadd Blu-ray Prince Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2008 Location:Virginia Home Theater Gallery:255 4K collection:209 Blu-ray collection:1344 DVD collection:4 Blu-ray reviews: 42 Trading Score:316	i keep mine point straight out. they are at the sides of my sony and since we all know that in movies (which is the primary reason i have a home theatre) more than (at times) 80% of all dialouge is from the center channel. I've got a monster sized center channel too! I do listen to music sometimes and it sounds great to me just like it is. i did try pointing them in slightly a while ago but it just sounds better facing straight IMO!

01-23-2009, 05:21 PM	#12
Yeha-Noha Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Blu-ray reviews: 43	I don't toe in mine at all. I follow Energy's recommendations in the manual to place the towers at least 6 to 8 feet apart and 1.5 times that distance to the couch. My speakers are 7 feet apart and the couch is 10 feet away. My towers make an isosceles triangle wrt the couch instead of an equilateral. The manual mentions that if there are issues with imaging then move them closer together or toe them in slightly. I tried toeing them in just to hear how it sounded. I didn't care for the collapsed sound stage with them toed in. Pointed straight out they have a wider sound stage, fuller more spacious sounding, and just seem to disappear in the room. I suppose that if you like sitting closer to the screen and you hear the left and right speakers individually instead of one composite sound, then either move them closer together and/or toe them in some.

01-23-2009, 05:31 PM	#13
Gohanto Member Member since:Jan 2009 Blu-ray collection:9	I keep mine pointed straight out as most speakers have very good off-axis response. Plus when someone has their speaker's toed-in it tends to make it look like the sound will only be good in that seat.

01-23-2009, 07:15 PM	#14
bigpapy Special Member Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Houston,Tx Blu-ray collection:303 Trading Score:26	Mine are angled to point at the center of my couch I think they sound better that way.

01-23-2009, 09:50 PM	#18
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	Like many of you, I have experimented with my speaker placement several times and I think that is key. You have to experiment. My speaker placement at the moment is exactly 7.5' from the centre of each speaker and I have them firing in a straight line. The soundstage is spot-on and I'd like to go beyond, but I'm limited by my room configuration. So for now this will have to do until I move. Just for the record...I measure everything from a 2-channel perspective as that is my primary (80%-90%) interest. John

01-23-2009, 10:56 PM	#19
Gremal Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Feb 2007 Location:Daddyland Home Theater Gallery:49 Blu-ray collection:184	I think there is far too much handwaving and rule-giving going on here. Each setup is unique to the room, listening position and speakers. Some speakers perform better when not toed in at all, others are designed to be toed in aggressively. Unless you are sitting in the room and listening, it is impossible to judge someone's setup. The fact is that speaker position and toe-in will have an enormous impact on sound quality, imaging and stereophonics. Rules go out the window when you break them (the rules, not the window) and find it sounds better. The beauty and the horror of it is that you can spend hours moving your speakers until you find the best setup FOR YOU.

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