The easiest way to change the sound of your speakers

 

Silver Member
Username: Nency

Post Number: 142
Registered: May-09
Hi....

The easiest way to change the sound of your speakers is to change where you put them. Ideally, stereo speakers (and the front two speakers in a home theater set up) should be located at ear level, in front of the listening position, and equidistant from that position. It's then a matter of fiddling with:
• the angles (some speakers are 'beamy' at high frequencies on axis (toe out or in a bit) others should be directly facing the listening position)
• the distance apart (you ears and brain require some separation, but not too much, so they can integrate the information coming from both speakers)
• the distance from the listening position (too far away and all you can hear is what is called the reverberant field -- not recommended)
• the distance from the wall (this affects low frequencies).
 

Platinum Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 16025
Registered: May-04
.

An even easier way to change what you hear is to just change where you sit in relation to the speakers. Moving closer to the speakers will place you in the "near field" at anything less than 7' away from the speakers. This will provide more direct information from the speakers and less reflected sound from the room itself. This is even more true when you toe the speakers in toward your new listening position. Drivers become directional as frequency rises and tweeters are the most common driver which will "beam" its highest frequencies. Toe the speakers in toward your listening position until you see only the front baffles of both speakers, no sides. This will place you directly "on axis" with the drivers and will have the best chance of providing the measured frequency response of the speaker system within your room. After you've become accustomed to the sound of the speakers pointing directly at you, try changing the toe in by having the speakers' axis cross slightly in front of your head or slightly behind your head. A laser pointer centered and mounted on top of the speaker does a good job of aligning the speakers to equal positions. Use a bit of masking tape on the rear wall marked off in inches and toe the speakers in and out by checking that the laser beam is hitting the same mark on each side of the rear wall. Occasionally, speakers such as Thiels will prefer no toe in and want to be placed firing directly into the room which means you will be listening slightly off axis.

Changing your listening position by moving closer toward the plane of the speakers' front baffles should also move you away from the rear wall which will minimize the reflections coming from behind your head. These reflections tend to add harshness and serve to destroy the soundstage so, if you can't add some diffusion panels behind you, this is the cheapest way to get better sound by taking those reflections down in level. If you haven't walked the room to locate the peaks and dips in room response, then you should do this first. If you place your chair or your speakers - or both - in a null zone for the room, there is nothing you can do that will bring that bass response back up short of severely treating the room with absorption traps. Too much absorption will kill the dynamics and too often deaden the mid and high frequencies. Intelligent set up and placement can make for a room that requires far less treatment to sound good. No matter what your speakers sounded like in the store or what the reviewer said, what you hear from your system is 90% set up and placement within your own room.



If you're using bookshelf speakers, try Mapleshade's technique of low mounting rather than plopping the speakers on a tall stand; http://mapleshadestore.com/feedback_bedrockstands.php No need to spend money for the Mapleshade stands unless you feel like it. Try the placement first using a few books to prop the speakers up and to tilt them upwards towards your listening position. Start with the tweeters aimed right at or slightly above your ear level.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/waspe.html


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