Speaker Positioning
The purpose of speaker positioning is to encourage imaging. Imaging is the sonic three-dimensional effect we seek in a home theater system. You can spend a fortune on speakers and without proper positioning end up with one-dimensional sound that fails to involve the audience.
Keep speakers out of corners and a few feet from walls to prevent boom that will distort imaging. Boom, sometimes called "boominess" or "low frequency reflection" robs your speakers of their ability to present tight response to low-frequency detail.
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Bass reflex speakers are speakers with ports or vents usually found on the back and are very susceptible to boom. Acoustic suspension speakers are sealed and less susceptible to boom. Acoustic suspension and electrostatic speakers sometimes sound better when placed closer to walls. For narrow rooms where speakers are likely to be placed near corners, acoustic suspension or electrostatic designs probably make a better choice. For small rooms, small speakers have the definite advantage.
Experimentation with positioning is the only way to find a compromise. Sometimes moving a speaker just a few inches makes a big difference. You may find you even like a certain amount of boom for some soundtracks.
Audio snobs may shudder, but maybe they've never been a student in a house full of cheap audio gear and performed acoustic reflex experiments with a closet, a 12" driver and some hard rock music. You can actually squeeze a few extra decibels from about the 80 Hz range at the expense of frequency response.
Tip
Loud action movie soundtrack? Try experimenting with putting your subwoofer closer to the walls or in a corner, port facing a wall. A great way to augment rumble, just move it away again if you switch to music.
Loud action movie soundtrack? Try experimenting with putting your subwoofer closer to the walls or in a corner, port facing a wall. A great way to augment rumble, just move it away again if you switch to music.
