Speaker no go Zones

Where you place your sound system speakers in your home can have a big influence on the quality of sound they produce. Here are four common errors people make when placing their loudspeakers.

Installing in-wall speakers on side walls

When you face the speakers toward each other, you cancel out most of mid-range. The speakers will sound like they were placed in a metal garbage can because the sound waves will crash into each other, a significant problem in smaller rooms.

Not considering 'Sweet Spot' when distancing speakers

The left and right speakers should form an equilateral triangle with a 'sweet spot', which is the area where you sit the most. Speakers should be the same distance apart from each other as they are from your listening area.

By not placing the stereo speakers apart by equal distance, you will not get true stereo imaging. The listener's ears will not be able to vector where the true sound is emitting. The worst case is when you place a speaker in one corner and the other in the opposite corner. The result is that you have left and right, but not stereo.

Installing loudspeakers over bed

When installing speakers in a bedroom, do not install over the bed. This will result in the loss of stereo imaging. They should be installed at the foot of the bed area.

By placing the speakers overhead above the bed you lose spatial depth of field compared to having formed a 'sweet spot' where your ears are pointing. Also your ears become off axis.  To understand the difference for yourself, try standing directly under a ceiling speaker then move two steps away from the spot.

Placing subwoofers in rear next to furniture

If you place the subwoofer too close to the listening area, the listener will feel like he or she is being pounded with a pillow. Place the subwoofer on the same plane as the stereo speakers in the front. By placing it in a corner area, it will give you added bass.

Article sourced from cepro.com
Author, Rich Apgar, CTO of Current Audio, a loudspeaker manufacturer based in California, USA.