Practice Of Sound / Installing And Placing Tips - XTZ 99.25 LCR Owner's Manual

IN WHICH ROOM DO YOU
ACHIEVE THE BEST SOUND?
REFLECTIONS
AMPLIFICATION OF BASS
FREQUENCIES
FURNITURE
ROOM DIMENSIONS
PLACING THE
LOUDSPEAKERS
THE FRONT SPEAKERS
ANGLING?
THE CORRECT HEIGHT

PRACTICE OF SOUND / INSTALLING AND PLACING TIPS

This chapter contains common information on loudspeaker placement
and installation.
No matter how good the equipment is, in the wrong listening
environment it will inevitably sound bad. There are some basic rules
concerning a proper loudspeaker installation.
Carpets, curtains and soft furniture absorb midrange and high frequency
sound, and this is preferable. A large empty area, on the contrary,
reflects it and produces a hard sound that may lead to a blurry dialogue.
Apart from coloring the sound, also the perspective of the sound will
deteriorate.
A loudspeaker that is placed near a wall, ceiling or floor will be amplified
in the lower frequencies in a sometimes not desirable way (since it may
lead to an indistinct sound recreation). This amplification becomes
even more obvious if the loudspeaker is placed near a corner. Thus, for
a sound as clear as possible, the loudspeaker should be placed about
30 cm (about 12 inches) away from the wall.
However, there are exceptions from this rule. For some type of walls /
rooms it may be advantageous to place the loudspeaker closer to the
wall.
Be aware that furniture may vibrate and thus create bad low frequency
sound.
Quadratic rooms or rooms where the length is exactly twice as long
as the width should be avoided, since they may create unwanted res-
onance.
How the loudspeakers are placed towards the listener is of great im-
portance.
For stereo listening the loudspeakers should be placed symmetrically in
front of the listener. The distance between the loudspeakers should be
about 80% of the distance between the listener and one loudspeaker, or
put in another way: the angle between the loudspeakers, as seen from
the listener, should be about 45 degrees. This means for example that if
the distance between the loudspeakers is 2 meters, the listener should
be placed 2.5 meters from the loudspeakers.
Either you can have the loudspeakers angled in towards the listener or
you can have them directed straight ahead. Some loudspeakers sound
better when angled, but this may also depend on reflections from the
side walls. By angling the loudspeakers inwards, you decrease unwanted
reflections and thus you get a better stereo perspective.
If the loudspeakers are small, they should be placed on stands or tilted
so that they are on the same level as the ears.
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