Emotiva Airmotiv 4s User Manual page 18

Positioning your airmotiv™ 4s monitors as satellite speakers in a
multi-channel mastering or surround sound system
Emotiva's airmotiv 4s powered monitors work great as satellite speakers in a high-quality
multi-channel playback or mastering system. When choosing optimum locations for speakers in
a multi-channel system, the goal is to optimize the frequency response and imaging. However,
because more speakers are required, you are more likely to encounter practical constraints on
where they can be located. Various surround-sound systems and standards also recommend
slightly different speaker placement for optimum performance.
When listening to most music, the surround speakers are primarily used for ambience
information. In most movies, important and highly localized information is present in the front
and side channels. It is therefore more critical that those speakers be placed in their optimum
locations.
A typical surround sound system may also use a mix of different models and types of satellite
speakers (possibly including bipole or dipole speakers for surrounds). For example, a superb
system could be built by using Emotiva's airmotiv 6s powered monitors for front speakers and
airmotiv 4s (or airmotiv 5s) powered monitors for surrounds. Since all airmotiv monitors share the
same basic technology, and are voiced similarly, they will work exceptionally well together in any
combination in a surround or multi-channel playback system.
Some systems may also use a mix of airmotiv powered monitors and traditional speakers and
amplifiers. For example, if you already own passive monitors and a stereo power amplifier,
you could upgrade to surround-sound by adding a pre-processor and three airmotiv powered
monitors (one front center and two surrounds). This way you would avoid the need for more
amplifier channels and minimize the number of additional connections.
Sound is subjective, and both room acoustics and personal preference play a big part in the
listening experience, so use these guidelines as a starting point, but feel free to experiment until
you achieve the sound you like best.
If possible, for best imaging and soundstage, mount all of your airmotiv 4s speakers upright
•
(with the high-frequency transducer on top), vertically (not angled upwards or downwards),
with the middle of the front baffle at approximately the same height as the listener's seated
head height.
• Place your left-front and right-front speakers flanking the video display (TV). The distance
between left-front and right-front speakers is a matter of preference; placing them close to
the display will tend to focus attention on the picture (especially with smaller displays), while
moving them further apart will tend to widen the soundstage. Whether to apply toe-in or not
is also a matter of preference.
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