Speaker placement rules of thumb

[blind bruce]

My system is in my basement. It is fully carped, acoustic tile ceiling, several cabinets and pictures on the walls, and measures 20X30 feet. Due to supporting pillars, my Paradigm 95s are along the center of the long wall. I have them 12 inches away from the wall and spaced 10 feet apart with a 12 inch subwoofer in between. I normally sit back 10 feet from the sub woofer.
Should I space the 95s closer and listen from further back, or what?

 

[Modlin]

this is in 95F manual
for 10ft spa. you should be ~13.5ft away

 

[dostrye]

Experiment. Placement, distance, toe-in etc. So many variables, so little time!

 

[audiotemp]

https://www.google.com/search?q=speaker+"rule+of+thirds"

 

[JoeESP9]

Although some posters here set speakers up as an equilateral triangle with the listening position I prefer dimensions more like what Paradigm suggests. A speaker width of 70% of the listening distance is what I usually suggest.

 

[blind bruce]

OK so far but what about toe in, that is important as well is it not.

 

[Modlin]

OK so far but what about toe in, that is important as well is it not.

yes...look at the diagram...units are toed in

 

[parman]

Get a chair and move it around between your speakers, you'll know when you hit the sweet spot

 

[chef free]

OK so far but what about toe in, that is important as well is it not.

I've found that toe-in depends on the tweeter design, some sound best pointing right at you or pointing to a spot just behind you, but some tweeters get "phasey" unless the speakers are flat in line with the wall.

I've said many times "Moving your speakers around is the cheapest upgrade!" Fun too!

 

[JoeESP9]

OK so far but what about toe in, that is important as well is it not.

Toe in depends on the speaker the room and personal preference. You have to sit down and listen to determine the best position and toe in angle for your speakers in your room.

FWIW: My current Maggie 1.7's are toed in so that the tweeter sections point directly at the listening position.

 

[audiotemp]

High frequency response is usually maximized by pointing the speaker directly at you. That's good, unless the speakers are already too bright. Toe-in also reduces somewhat the strength of side-wall room reflections. That can improve imaging. Harmonic distortion, on the other hand, can be lower off-axis than it is directly on-axis.

Tilt of the speaker away from vertical and/or the height of your ears, which affect the phase alignment of the drivers, can also be very important.

Not sure there are any general rules for those things, though.

 

[JoeESP9]

Unless the manufacturer recommends tilting speakers I prefer to use stands that place the tweeters at ear height when seated. As for speakers that are to bright, I wouldn't buy them in the first place.

 

[Grenadeslio]

It's very dependent on listener preference, room acoustics, speaker design, etc. Trial and error are your friends here, it can take multiple listening sessions over an extended period of time to get to that place.

 

[E-Stat]

I have them 12 inches away from the wall and spaced 10 feet apart with a 12 inch subwoofer in between. I normally sit back 10 feet from the sub woofer.

I would suggest starting with the Cardas recommendations and experimenting from there. Preferably using measurements to quantify the results. You can do that with free downloadable tones and phone apps. The first thing is to get them much further away from the front wall.

Cardas Speaker Placement

 

[Drugolf]

Agreed with above. Start with an arrangement like the diagram and go from there. Sub placement is the goofy one. Move it around too. Play with distance from wall too with the speakers.

 

[1970's Fan]

I’m thinking of shifting my subwoofer to hear if it’ll make much of a difference. At the moment, my room is 150” X 150”.
I have the speakers 30” from the rear wall and 70” apart to allow access to the door to the left of the left speaker. My ears are 110” from the speakers which are toed in so that I can’t see the sides of the speakers. My subwoofer is next to the left speaker and between the two. I shut my eyes and the sound, when the tv is on, sounds like it’s coming fron the tv. It sounds like the speakers are not working and yet there is sound, so no speaker is dominant (tv speakers are definitely off). I looked at the article on placement and I don’t agree with the rule of thirds thing. It would mean I have my speakers 50” from the rear wall and me sitting 50” from the wall behind me. I put my ears where that would be and it’s too near. I think I’m spot on with my placement . Maybe that’s why ocasionally, there appears to be a sound coming from the side of the room where there is no speaker? Usually when watching a movie with good sound.

 

[willyrover]

The first thing is to get them much further away from the front wall.

This, absolutely. Pulling them into the room will have a huge effect on the sound. You'll have to be the judge whether you like it more or less.

Give them as much space to breathe all the way around that your room allows.

 

[Old Guy8]

If your sitting in exact center of room, try moving chair forward and back. Just experiment with speaker and chair positions.

 

[E-Stat]

I looked at the article on placement and I don’t agree with the rule of thirds thing. It would mean I have my speakers 50” from the rear wall and me sitting 50” from the wall behind me. I put my ears where that would be and it’s too near.

It does achieve reduced effects of room modes. Small, squarish rooms like yours present other challenges. Unless you're using a full range design like a Quad 57, driver blending can be compromised if listening distance is short.

It works quite well, both measurably and image-wise in my 25x16 space.

 

[1970's Fan]

I really really don’t perceive the sound coming from the actual speakers. It’s strange in a way, but it’s as though it’s coming from the tv between them, so I’m no longer bothered about measurements, just enjoying the sound.
I can’t see what, if anything more I can do with my sound, apart from upgrading the speakers if I’m fortunate enough to come into an ample windfall .