Tannoy Proto-J Reference Manual page 9

3.2 Positioning
This is the monitor equivalent of a wheel alignment. Where do you aim the speakers to give you the
smoothest and most consistent sound, and how far apart do you place them to give you a good
stereo image? The basic rule is to follow the layout of an equilateral triangle. The distance between
the two monitors should be roughly the same as the distance between one monitor and your nose in
the listening position where you are leaning forward on the console armrest. See the following
diagram.
The furthest
The furthest
forward you lean
to the furthest
forward you lean
back you sit
to the furthest
back you sit
The speaker axis (shown on the diagram) should be aimed at the halfway point between your fur-
thest forward and the furthest back listening positions (as indicated by the two heads on the dia-
gram). This is typically a range of about 24" (600 mm). If you can, you also want to try to get your
ears lined up with the vertical speaker axis (half way between the woofer and the tweeter).
Remember the earlier drawings showing your ears and the speaker, these were to get your normal
listening position lined up in the best spot possible. If this would have you resting your chin on the
console, you could tilt the monitor back slightly. This keeps your head in the sweet spot whether
you're leaning forward adjusting level or EQ, or leaning back and listening to the mix. Don't go crazy
trying to get this exact to three decimal places, within a few inches will suffice. Your Tannoy monitors
have a wide sweet spot both horizontally and vertically to reduce the variations in sound quality as
you move around doing your recording engineer stuff. Turning the monitors in like this has an added
benefit of keeping the high frequencies from reflecting off the walls and outboard gear.
Equal
Equal
Distance
distance
Speaker Axis
Speaker axis