Surround

LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENT

•The loudspeaker arrangement for surround sound monitoring may comprise three front channels and two surround channels, each placed upright on stands an equal distance from the listening position.

•A sub-woofer is often used to improve the system’s low frequency response. A typical setup may consist of five HHB Circle 5 loudspeakers with a Circle 1 sub-woofer.

•Ensure that all five loudspeakers are positioned at the same height - ideally, this will be so that the tweeters are level with the listener’s ears.

•Due to the consistent sound quality of the HHB Circles, it is possible to mix Circle 5s and Circle 3s in the same surround setup. The front three speakers, left, centre and right, may be Circle 5s, with a pair of Circle 3s used for left surround and right surround.

•Widely used in films and pop music, extreme low frequency effects, as produced by the HHB Circle 1, are often felt rather than actually heard.

•Since the Circle 1 sub-woofer will only produce low frequencies, often with a wavelength of up to ten metres, it is often hard to localise, enabling the speaker to be placed on the floor or slightly to one side of the listening position without altering the overall spatial image.

•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.

•There are no hard and fast rules as to the exact placing of the left and right surround loudspeakers - this circular diagram is merely intended as a guide. In fact, many recording and mixing studios have their surround loudspeakers mounted on moveable trolleys, enabling each client to place them in their preferred position.

11Figure

Suggested surround

loudspeaker placement

SUB

30°

130° - 150°