PSB Speakers speakers quick start Positioning Surround Speakers, You in Relation to the Speakers

b)The combination of the three dimensions of your room generally will pro- duce at least three points in the room where the frequency response you experience related to a given position (of either the speaker or you) will either greatly increase or almost disappear. The most obvious effects are on low frequencies, but mid-frequency effects, while usually subtler, are also often present. Keep in mind, then, that very small changes in position- ing (of the speakers or you) may produce major or subtle changes.

c)Distances of speakers from the walls can make great differences in the number, strength, and particular frequencies of secondary reflections— changing frequency-balance, sonic spaciousness, and definition. Most lis- teners prefer their speakers at least a few inches from all walls, but the choice is yours to determine by listening.

2.You in Relation to the Speakers

Where you sit in relation to your speakers obviously makes a difference too. The proportions of the particular triangle formed by your speakers and you matter. (You may need to send more power to the more distant speaker to compensate if you get much further from one speaker than the other.) The overall distances involved also matter. As you get further from the speakers, more sound reflected from your room’s surfaces (in contrast to the sound coming directly from the speakers) reaches your ears, and the original spatial relationships in a recording are changed as your room “takes over.” Sometimes the result is a mellower, more “integrated” sound. Other times, it’s a more strident or annoyingly “echoey”—or other—quality. Once again, the particular dimensions of your room play a part. And depending on what seems more realistic and/or enjoyable to your ears, you may choose to sit at a great distance or have close-up, “near- field” sound.

Keep in mind that the right “toe-in,” the right speaker height, and a reasonably symmetrical distance from the speakers all tend to work together to deliver the best high-frequency definition and imaging.

3.You in Relation to Room Boundaries

Changing your own position with respect to a room’s boundaries may also bring a big effect, sometimes for a small change. Getting further from the wall behind you may make sound more precise and localized. Getting closer may make sound more “mellow” and integrated. Coming too close—to back wall, side wall, or (especially) a corner—may trigger a major sonic peak or cancellation of a certain band of frequencies. It depends on factors we can’t cover fully here but do get into on our web site.

Remember too, with respect to your own positioning, that it may—or may not— be easier to change your own seating location than to move your speakers. As with so much else in life, the one certain rule is that you shouldn’t fix, or worry about, what isn’t broken (audibly in this case), especially if it means moving heavy furniture.

As you consider the three relationships we have outlined, the idea is to manipulate whatever variable is easiest and most productive for improving your listening experience.

Be sure to base your judgements on listening to a good variety of recordings of vocals, and acoustic instruments, soloists, different movies and musical instruments to most easily recognize tonal balance shifts.

IV.	POSITIONING SURROUND SPEAKERS
	Your surround speakers and how they are positioned will determine the sonic realism of
	movies and multi-channel audio.
	Most surround sound is meant more to create greater depth and overall ambience than to
	localize effects as coming from a particular spot. This is especially true of Dolby Pro-Logic
	surround sound, in which both surround channels carry the same (monophonic) informa-
	tion and can’t be differentiated from each other. With Dolby Digital and DTS surround
	sound, there is very definite localization of some surround effects. How much you prefer
	these localized effects vs. overall sonic depth and diffusion is up to your listening prefer-
	ences. If you are listening to multi-channel music, you may want the maximum localization
	of instruments. But if your main concern is the surround effects in movies, they tend to
	depend more on front-to-back movement than on specific localization. You can locate and
	aim your surround speakers to produce the effects you prefer, whether precisely pinpointed
	or pleasantly diffused. Although some people prefer to have their surround speakers behind
	them on stands at ear height, most find it easiest and best to mount compact monitors on
	the walls, at least two feet above your ear height when you are seated. We offer matching
	speaker brackets to make wall-mounting convenient, and our Alpha A/V, Alpha Mini, Alpha
	Mite and Alpha Midi all have dimple marks on their rear panels to indicate the best place to
	drill for brackets. Image 1B, 2B, and 3LR and 10S speakers include a bracket mounting
	hole template in their owner’s kit. Image 3LR and 10S include flush mount wall brackets.
	If your listening room is small, aiming the speakers to diffuse their sound somewhat may
	produce the best overall surround illusion. They can be mounted, for instance, on the side
	walls and aimed to bounce sound off the rear walls, or vice versa. If you opt for localiza-
	tion of sound from the surrounds, the speakers should face your listening spot, aimed at or
	slightly above your seated position. Speakers mounted on the side walls generally will
	sound best when placed a foot or two behind your seating area. Our illustration shows
	some typical placement options. Image 10S Bipole provides diffuse sound. Position of
	front tweeters to ears can increase portion of direct sound.

Figure 3: Positioning Speakers for Music and Home Theatre