Audio System Design Fundamentals – Sweetspot Speaker Placement
Speaker placement can dramatically impact your listening experience. Poor placement can leave sounds muddy, and the bass can become so amplified that it overwhelms everything else. On the other hand, well-placed speakers can transport you to the performance hall. In the optimal situation, you can actually feel the sound moving around you and the physical distance between the musicians, as if you are sitting on the stage with them. Professional design and installation of an audio visual system is always the best way to get optimal results, but the following steps will help even the do-it-yourselfer with a two speaker system improve the listening experience.
1. Start with the room:
Think back to high school science. Sound reflects off some surfaces and is absorbed by others. The listening experience outside is completely different than in a room filled with hard surfaces or a room with carpets, draperies and other soft surfaces. If your room doesn’t have enough materials to absorb sound, add in draperies, wall tapestries, upholstery or other soft furnishings to help absorb some the sound. It will make your listening experience better.
2. Distance from the side walls
The golden rectangle rule is used in art to help create pleasing proportions. It is also used in acoustics to calculate the best distance from the side wall for your speakers. The rule states that a speaker should be placed 1.6 times the distance from the wall behind it to the side walls. In other words, if your speakers are 3’ from the back wall, they should be 4.8’ from the side walls (3 x 1.6).
3. Distance from the wall behind
If you can, place your speakers with an approximate 3’ separation between the wall behind and the back of the speaker itself. If you place the speakers too close to the wall, it will amplify the bass and it could be too loud or leave your room feeling like a car with a too-loud stereo is parked on your sofa.
4. The listening sweet spot
In general, the sweet spot in a two-speaker system is equidistant between the two speakers. The speakers should be tilted toward the listener.
5. Placement in the room as a whole
Divide your room in thirds using the wall behind the speakers as the starting spot. Try placing the speakers at the one-third mark. Alternatively, divide the room in fifths and place them at the one-fifth mark. Placing the speakers at either of these locations should prevent the room itself from adding undesirable resonance and degrading sound quality.
6. Experiment
Each room is different in shape, construction and furnishing. All of the details and your own personal tastes can influence your listening experience. Use these guidelines as starting place, but experiment to find the best speaker placement for your room as well as the sweet spot position.
About The Author
Thomas Wenzel has been in the audio visual business for over 17 years, and is an owner of http://www.californiagkdesign.com a Southern California audio visual design and installation company.
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