Behringer B2031P manual Speaker placement suggestions, Truth about speaker cables, 2 Amp

TRUTH B2030P/B2031P

3.1.1 The truth about speaker cables

Carefully approach the choice of what cables you use. Which cables you use can have a major influence on your sound. Cables of various lengths and diameters affect the resistance value—causing a loss in power.

On the other hand, that doesn’t mean that you should be buying high-end cables that cost as much as your speakers. Simply use the following rule of thumb: Whenever possible, use cables with large diameters (gauge) and keep the cable length to a minimum. The screw clamps on your TRUTH can accept cable thickness of up to 7 mm² (9 AWG).

3.1.2 Amp

The power rating of the amp you use should be roughly twice the load capacity of your TRUTH. Consequently, the B2030P should be operated with an amp with a load capacity of 2 x 200 Watts, and the B2031P with an amp with a load capacity of 2 x 300 Watts.

Also, you should keep in mind the impedance of your TRUTH in order to guarantee optimal power delivery. The B2031P’s impedance is 4 Ω, whereas the B2030P’s is 8 Ω. Use an amp whose power rating roughly corresponds to the values recommended in the table. The impedance should correspond to the values listed in the table:

TRUTH	Amp power rating
B2030P	200 W into 8 Ohm
B2031P	300 W into 4 Ohm

Tab. 3.1: Recommended amp power ratings

Of course, you can use amps with higher power ratings. However, make sure not to exceed the load capacity of your TRUTH. Damage to speaker components caused by exceeding their load capacity is not covered by the warranty.

3.1.3 Protecting your TRUTH

To ensure that your B2030P/B2031P last for years to come, you should definitely keep the following in mind:

sAlways turn the volume down on your amp before switching it on or off.

sWhen powering your equipment up/down, the amp should always be the last one to be powered up and the first one to be powered down. This way, you avoid loud crackling noise that occurs when you turn studio equipment on or off.

sAlways make sure your audio signal level is optimally set. Avoid overdriving your amp.

sDo not push your studio monitors beyond their physical limitations. Even though your TRUTH has sufficient power overhead, you can still damage it if you drive it too much or crank the volume all the way up for longer periods of time.

3.2 Speaker placement suggestions

Since the sound of a speaker depends to a great extent from its surroundings, placing your TRUTH correctly is very important. Please try to follow these suggestions through. Your efforts will be rewarded with better sound and higher resolution.

Both speakers are built identically. There is no need to concern yourself with which speaker should be placed left and which speaker should be placed right. Place the TRUTHs on a flat and stable surface, if possible use a dedicated speaker stand. In this way, the speaker is acoustically decoupled and won’t induce vibrations in nearby objects, which would affect the bass response. If you cannot use a stand, put the TRUTHs on spikes or damping foam material. Another aspect is the distance between speaker and wall: keep the speaker away from the wall, as this would emphasize the bass response, particularly in corners, where two walls form an angle.

The BEHRINGER TRUTH B2030P/B2031P is a so-called near- field monitor, which means that the impact of the room acoustics on the sound will be reduced considerably owing to the short distance between speaker and listener.

Fig. 3.2: Incorrect speaker setup

This illustration shows how you shouldn’t do it: you can clearly see that a portion of the sound bounces back from the walls before it reaches the listener’s ears. Thus, direct and reflected sound waves overlap which results in a coloration of the sound.

Fig. 3.3: Correct speaker setup

This effect can be reduced by turning the speakers towards the listener. To make reflections from ceiling or floor less likely, the tweeters should be on the same height as your ears. Please note that the TRUTH should be operated vertically. Where this is impossible, place it horizontally as shown in the illustration (i.e. woofers closer to each other), to allow for an improved stereo image.

Fig. 3.4: TRUTH setup horizontally

Not only the physical location of speakers but also the acoustic characteristics of the room have a substantial effect on the way your TRUTH sounds. Make sure that the room neither sounds too hall-like nor too dull—basically, neither like a bathroom nor totally without an echo. You can alter the room acoustics easily by installing or removing carpets, curtains or furniture. Fabric covering on the wall opposite the speakers might be a good idea if the room is too reflective. The next chapter describes how to adapt the TRUTH to the room acoustics, once it has been set up properly.

6 3. APPLICATION