Emotiva RPA-1 manual Speaker Placement Tips, Tips Before Beginning

Speaker Placement Tips

Tips Before Beginning

Read this section thoroughly. There are a number of ways in which it may seem aesthetically pleasing to place speakers in a room that will ultimately result in a sound quality compromise. The placement of speakers is equally as important as the room itself. While there may be very little you can do about the room where your home theater is installed, you can choose placement of speakers within that room to maximize the sound quality of the system. Ultimately, this will give a much better result when you are enjoying your home theater and your new Emotiva RSP-1.

Overall, the best placement for front speakers is where the sound is directed at ear level. This means that the speakers themselves can be in positions lower (like small floor standing speakers) or higher (like in-wall or in-ceiling speakers) as long as the sound is “pointed” toward the listeners and preferably around ear level. Ideally you will place the speakers so they create an imaginary triangle with the listening position. This is known as the “Stereo Triangle” among audiophiles. A little toe-in of the front speakers sometimes helps the perceived distance between the speakers as more intimate and reinforces a phantom center image. If you are doing a “2.1” system, a subwoofer can also be a little challenging to install depending on the room. In multiple subwoofer installations, the positioning of the woofers to the listener as well as to each other is critical because there can be problems with cancellation if optimum placement is not observed.

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