Sherbourn Technologies PT-7010A Speaker Placement Tips, Tips Before You Begin, The Front Speakers

Speaker Placement Tips

Tips Before You Begin

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 Sherbourn PT-7010A.

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. This is not necessarily the case with the rear speakers or the side axis speakers. Read each of the sections carefully for the most appropriate positioning. A subwoofer is also 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.

The Front Speakers

You should closely follow the placement recommendations of your speaker manufacturer, with the addition of the following points:

•The left and right front speakers should be positioned so that your TV is exactly centered between them. This will help focus your attention towards the screen.

•For the best overall imaging, the left speaker should be set exactly the same distance and angle away from your listening position as the right speaker. It is recommended that you use a tape measure to set them up to be the same distance away within about half an inch tolerance.

If you have a smaller TV, the speakers should be no more than two feet away from the sides of the TV. If possible, have the center, left and right speakers at the same height (within two feet). This will help give a smooth transition when sound effects move from speaker to speaker.

Ideally, the speakers should be no closer than two feet from the rear and side walls, in order to reduce any reflections that might upset the imaging. If your speakers are closer than this, you can experiment by adding sound

deadening material such as drapes on the walls to reduce any unwanted reflections.

The Center Speaker

Most movie dialog will come from the center speaker, so careful positioning is an important part of a good home theater system. Your eyes and ears should focus your attention towards the center of the screen.

The center speaker can sit on top, or directly underneath the TV, as long as it is located on the centerline and not off to one side. Ideally you would try to maintain a deviation from the center line of the speakers of less than 12". This means the center speaker will not be lower or higher than 12" to the center measurement of the LEFT and RIGHT MAIN speaker center measurements.

Position the front face of the speaker close to the front edge of the TV cabinet. (The sound waves may otherwise reflect off the top of the TV cabinet and distort the center imaging).

In some systems, two center speakers are used; one on either side of the TV. As they are in mono, the result is a sound image that is positioned exactly at the screen center.

Side-Axis Speakers

The PT-7010A has two side-axis channels which are matrixed and derived from the left and right front channels, so they are available in stereo as well as surround modes. Use the OSD SPEAKER SIZE menu to turn the SIDE- AXIS channels ON or OFF (see page 38).

Wherever you position the side-axis speakers, place these speakers along the side walls, close to the fronts. You can also angle them in towards your listening position for better results. You should not use a surround or effect speaker (such as a dipole) for side axis speakers. Direct radiating speakers will give the best result without interfering with the clarity and presence of the main speakers in the front left, center, and right sides.

The Surround Speakers

Place each surround speaker to be an equal distance away from your central listening position and keep them at least one or two feet above ear level.

Dipole surround speakers are usually positioned to the side of your listening position. They radiate forwards and backwards and have a quiet null zone (the “apex” of the triangular shape) which should point towards the listener. The overall effect is that you cannot hear the direct sound from the surround speakers because they don’t directly radiate into the listening space. Most manufacturers of

46