Harman-Kardon HS 500 owner manual Speaker Placement, Subwoofer

Before you begin to connect cables, it is important to set up your speakers in their correct locations in the room.

Optimally, the speakers should be placed in a circle with the listening position at its center. The distance from the listening position to the video display forms the radius of the circle. See Figure 13.

The speakers should be angled so that they directly face the listening position.

The center speaker is placed either on top of, below or on a shelf below the video display screen.

The front left and right speakers are placed along the circle, about 30 degrees from the center speaker and angled toward the listener.

It is best to place the front left/right and center speakers as close to the same height as possible, preferably at about the same height as the listener’s ears. In any event the center speaker should be no more than two feet above or below the left/right speakers.

The side surround speakers should be placed 110 degrees from the center speaker, that is, slightly behind and angled toward the listener. If this isn’t feasible, place the surround speakers behind the listener, with each surround speaker facing the opposite-side front speaker. The surround speakers may be placed a little higher than the listener’s ears.

The subwoofer’s location is less critical, since low-frequency sounds are omnidirectional. Placing the subwoofer close to a wall or in a corner will reinforce the low frequencies, and may create a “boomy” sound. You may wish to experiment over time by placing the subwoofer where the listener normally sits and then walking around the room until the low frequencies sound best. Place the subwoofer in that spot.