It is also preferred that the speakers be equidistant from the listening position. Equidistant usually means that when the center speaker is on top of the television, the left and right speakers will sit in front of the set (they will be farther from the wall behind the TV than the center speaker). Ideally, the speakers should be at the same height as the screen, but it is much more important that all three speakers be at as close to each other's height as possible. If the center is much higher or lower than the other speakers, the effect can be distracting. Angling, or
When using a Center channel speaker, you have extra flexibility in placing the left and right speakers, as the Center channel speaker will tie most dialog and effects directly to the screen.
SURROUND CHANNELS
You can achieve good performance with your surround speakers placed in a wide variety of room locations. In general, they should be either adjacent to (Figure 4) or behind the main listening position (Figure 5), located higher than the listeners’ heads. They can be mounted on the side walls or on the back wall, flush to the wall, on shelves, on brackets, etc.
The goal is to achieve an enveloping sound. The surround channels should seem to come from all around you, rather than seeming to come from behind you only or directly from a speaker.
We recommend starting with speakers on the side walls of the room, two to three feet above the listeners' heads, either directly adjacent to the listening position or behind it. You can aim the speakers to fire towards each other (across the listening area), or you can aim them to fire towards the back wall at an angle. The surround speakers should not be in front of the main listening position if possible.
If you mount the surrounds on the side wall behind the listening position, they can be aimed towards each other or angled towards the back wall or the side wall surface directly behind them. By reflecting sound behind the listening position, you may increase the sense of envelopment in the sound.
If you want or need to mount speakers on the back wall of the room, there are several options. You can aim them so that they fire towards each other (along the back wall); you can aim them towards the front wall of the room; or you can angle them so they fire toward the side walls. Symmetrical arrangements work best.
FIGURE 4
Left | Center | Right |
Left |
| Right |
Surround |
| Surround |
FIGURE 5
Left | Center | Right |
Left | Right |
Surround | Surround |
The speakers should be a minimum of a few feet away from the nearest listener. If the speaker is located too close to a listener, its sound can become too directional and may distract that listener. Ideally, the surround speakers should not call attention to themselves and should not be audible as separate sources of sound.
If the surrounds must be located close to the listeners, aiming them at the room walls or even the ceiling can help to reduce any directional effect. As described above, this can produce a desirable result even in rooms where the surround speakers are an adequate distance from the listeners' heads.
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