KLH Model Five Manual page 7

LOUDSPEAKER POSITIONING AND ROOM ACOUSTICS
The primary goal is that you want the sound to predominate from the loudspeaker pair, with a lessor amount of sound
(reverberation) contributed by the listening room itself.
An ideal listening space is one that is neutral; meaning a room that has characteristics of both a "live" and "dead" environment.
One absorbent boundary (usually a carpeted floor) is enough to make the listening space not "too bright," and therefore, an
example of a good, basic listening room is one characterized by hard walls, carpet (w/pad) and plush furniture. If the room has
wood or tile floors, then it is generally recommended to utilize a large area carpet.
Even rooms with a relatively neutral acoustic behavior can still exhibit large differences in the perceived acoustics simply due to
the listening room dimensions and the precise location of the loudspeakers within the space. This is especially true with respect
to the boundary condition immediate to the loudspeaker's position. The less distance to a back wall, and/or proximity to the
corner of the listening room will generally enhance the low & middle bass characteristics. This is useful to keep in mind during
the listening evaluation and positioning of the loudspeaker. The KLH Model Five loudspeaker is tuned for 6 to 24 inches off the
back wall and at least 24 inches from the corner of the listening room. For an otherwise neutral listening room, this should be
considered the best starting position when first setting up the loudspeakers. See illustration above.
NOTE: KLH provides the user with the ability to control the loudspeaker's tonal balance to compliment the room acoustics for a
listening space that may not be ideal.
Model Five Manual 12 pages rev 1.indd 7 Model Five Manual 12 pages rev 1.indd 7
Room acoustics play a major role in
the sound reproduction characteristics
of your Model Five loudspeakers.
Experimenting with loudspeaker
placement is an important step for
optimum acoustic performance and
ensuring the customer gets exactly
what they pay for. Fortunately, the
Model Five is very placement friendly,
and only a couple of factors need to be
kept in mind:
1. Low frequencies (below 400Hz) are
heavily influenced by the loudspeakers
position relative to the boundaries of the
room.
2. Mid & High frequencies (above 400Hz)
are mostly influenced by the reflectivity
("live" or "dead" quality) of the listening
room boundaries and the type of
furnishings.
Hard surfaces, such as bare walls
or wood floors will generally reflect
sound, whereas carpet and upholstered
furniture generally absorb it. Too dead,
and the listening space will sound dull
and lifeless. But a highly reflective room
will result in room reflections and echoes
which generally result in the room being
too bright. Overly bright listening rooms
are particularly problematic!
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