HHB Circle 5 Operating Instructions Manual page 6

Basic Surround Sound Speaker Location
• Distance from the listening position to each of the loudspeakers should always be the
same. If the listener is at the centre point of an imaginary circle, the speakers should all lie
on the circle's circumference. The Circle 1 active subwoofer will be available in early 1999
to complement the Circle 5 in surround sound applications.
Effect Of The Room On Sound Quality
• The Circle 5 loudspeakers should not be placed too close to the wall - less than one metre
away (approximately three feet) - as this will augment the bass frequencies. At these low
frequencies, the sound from the loudspeakers radiates in all directions, and reflects off
any hard surfaces to combine with the direct sound. At higher frequencies, sound from
the loudspeakers is more directional, causing less of a problem with interference.
• Avoid positioning the loudspeakers in corners, since there may be unwanted interference
patterns caused by the reflections of the signal from the walls, which will colour the low
frequencies, giving the impression of extreme bass warmth.
Effect Of Placing Speakers On Or Near The Mixing Console
• Avoid placing the HHB Circle 5 studio monitors on top of a mixing console, since this will
adversely affect the frequency response. Some of the sound output will reflect off the
surface of the console, interfering with the direct sound from the loudspeakers.
• Position the speakers on stands slightly behind and above the console.
Ported Cabinets
• Ported cabinets, if carefully designed, allow greater bass output. The HHB Circle 5's port
utilises the rear sound radiation of the bass unit effectively to augment bass response.
• Damping inside the cabinet is critical with ported loudspeakers - too much damping will
reduce the low frequency output and too little damping may result in a peak at the
resonant frequency. The HHB Circle 5 studio monitors are designed with a flat frequency
response from 48Hz up to 20kHz.
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