Energy Speaker Systems Audissey Series owner manual Room Acoustics And Speaker Placement

o w n e r s m a n u a l A u d i s s e y S e r i e s

ROOM ACOUSTICS AND SPEAKER PLACEMENT

Energy loudspeakers have been designed to provide high performance in a wide vari- ety of domestic settings. It is important to note however, that building structure, dimen- sions and furnishings all play a part in the quality of sound you will ultimately achieve.

Where possible the following should be taken into consideration when placing Energy speakers in your listening room:

1.Low frequency performance (below 100 Hz) can be affected by the structure of the room. A solid floor is preferred to avoid exaggeration of low frequencies.

2.Rooms with different height, width and length are preferable for best low frequency performance.

3.Mid and high frequencies are affected by the mix of soft and hard furnishings in the room. An excess of soft items such as curtains, carpets, sofas and wall coverings can produce a dull, lifeless reproduction. The same room without any soft furnishings will produce a brighter, harder sound, so a balance of soft and hard furniture, floor and wall coverings should be your goal for optimum sonic performance.

4.Most of the sound heard from a loudspeaker has been reflected from one or more walls of the room. Usually, less than half the sound is heard directly from the loudspeaker. The remaining information you hear has been reflected from the surfaces of your room.

Reflective surfaces have individual sound absorption characteristics, and it is important for good stereo perception that frequency response be the same from both left and right channels. It is therefore important that consideration be paid to the left and right reflecting walls. First, they should be symmetrical, equally spaced from the speakers and the listeners. Secondly, they should have the same, or very similar reflective properties. Example: A curtain on one wall and a painted surface on the opposite wall will result in unbalanced reflections, which in turn affect the stereo image. Experiment with toe-in/toe-out positioning of your speakers until best results are achieved.

5.Audissey Bipolar loudspeakers are designed to be free standing. They should therefore be positioned with an open space between the loudspeakers and the walls of the listening room.

6.The distance from the left and right speaker to the side walls should be equal. For best results, placement distance from the rear wall should not be the same as from the side walls. (see figure 1).

3