What speaker setup looks best? - Updated

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Rudee
I'd get a proper flat panel TV mount and ditch that thing you have it sitting on. Looks rather tacky IMHO.

Yeah, I'd second that one.

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Rudee
I'd get a proper flat panel TV mount and ditch that thing you have it sitting on. Looks rather tacky IMHO.

Yeah, I'd second that one.

Hmm... maybe it's how the camera makes it look, but I like the entertainment center.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I like 3 the best now. You may need to move the mains just a bit farther away from the wall to minimize reflections, and I don't think you need quite so much toe-in (but I don't know how close you're sitting). The entertainment center is fine, I don't know why people would have a problem with that.

 

[destrekor]

3 is the best, but I'd prefer the grilles on, not naked speakers.

Having the speakers angled towards the listener is a good idea, but it seems your seating may be further away than the toe-in indicates, so lessen it a little, or move the speakers out from the center a little bit.

I'm not sure if there's an impact or not by having the forward-firing sub angled in like that... diagrams I normally see show the sub facing down the length of the wall. It isn't really necessary to have it angled toward you because you cannot locate sounds that low, and it may have an effect upon the way the waves propagate around the room.

 

[zoiks]

Nice setup. I think the center speaker shouldn't hide the tv like that but that's my opinion.

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: zoiks
Nice setup. I think the center speaker shouldn't hide the tv like that but that's my opinion.

Yeah, only way to do it without drilling holes in the wall (wife wouldn't like that). It is pretty much the right height though so as it doesn't hide the bottom of the picture.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Better but I'd still move the speakers out a little further.

 

[Howard]

Toe the speakers in so that the axes intersect in front of the main listening position.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Originally posted by: Howard
Toe the speakers in so that the axes intersect in front of the main listening position.

No. At MOST you want the speakers toed-in so that the axes intersect right at the listening position or behind it, but never in front of it; this collapses the soundstage and leads to soundwave interference before the sound even reaches the listener. As for the toe-in angle, it varies depending on manufacturer, but I've found that when using a center channel, significantly less toe angle is needed because the center of the soundstage is already compensated for. Experiment with different positions, keeping in mind whether you want sound that will sound great from one specific location, or sound that will sound good over a wider area (ie do you usually watch alone from a single position, or do you watch from multiple places/have friends over frequently).

 

[Taejin]

Originally posted by: cpals
http://www.baacktech.net/Speakers1.jpg

http://www.baacktech.net/Speakers2.jpg

http://www.baacktech.net/Speakers3.jpg

Also, to give an idea of the wall it's on, http://www.baacktech.net/Speakers_Full.jpg

Updated with third new look.

Yes, I know the cables/stuff behind the entertainment center need cleaned up.

Thanks!

Shouldn't your concern be, what SOUNDS the best?

Or did you buy speakers for ornamentation? >_>

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy

Originally posted by: Howard
Toe the speakers in so that the axes intersect in front of the main listening position.

No. At MOST you want the speakers toed-in so that the axes intersect right at the listening position or behind it, but never in front of it; this collapses the soundstage and leads to soundwave interference before the sound even reaches the listener.

I'm sorry, but unless you can prove this, this is completely false.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Better but I'd still move the speakers out a little further.

Agreed...still a little too close but it can take a LOT of time to properly place speakers. You just have to listen, move an inch, listen, repeat.

 

[Howard]

Basic guidelines:

- set up speakers such that they and the listening position form the vertices of an equilateral triangle (all side lengths equal)
- try to keep speakers at least 3 feet from front and side walls (excepting good bookshelf speakers; their baffle step compensation usually includes a near wall to reinforce the bass)
- toe the speakers in so that their axes cross in front of the listening position - this lowers the amplitude of the earliest reflections which can be detrimental to sound quality and imaging (depends on the room shape and dimensions though)
- keep the tweeters around or higher than ear level in listening position

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: Howard
Basic guidelines:

- set up speakers such that they and the listening position form the vertices of an equilateral triangle (all side lengths equal)
- try to keep speakers at least 3 feet from front and side walls (excepting good bookshelf speakers; their baffle step compensation usually includes a near wall to reinforce the bass)
- toe the speakers in so that their axes cross in front of the listening position - this lowers the amplitude of the earliest reflections which can be detrimental to sound quality and imaging (depends on the room shape and dimensions though)
- keep the tweeters around or higher than ear level in listening position

Thanks all for the great tips... not sure if I can go out 3 ft and all since the room is only 16ft in width - It would definitely look weird.

Given me some good ideas though! Thanks.

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Better but I'd still move the speakers out a little further.

Agreed...still a little too close but it can take a LOT of time to properly place speakers. You just have to listen, move an inch, listen, repeat.

 

[yhelothar]

I'd go with 3..
1 and 2 looks too close together for that setup. You'd be missing out on a lot of the sound seperation.
I personally think it looks nicer without the grill too. Plus it just looks cool to see the speakers pounding away.

 

[Journer]

move that fucking center speaker somewhere besides right in front of the tv. put it on the wall above or below somewhere

 

[OpenThirdEye]

Follow Howard's advice...and also do something with that center channel. Can you mount it on the wall/make a shelf for it and hide the cable behind the wall? Not only would it look better, but it'll sound a bit better as well!

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: destrekor
3 is the best, but I'd prefer the grilles on, not naked speakers.

Having the speakers angled towards the listener is a good idea, but it seems your seating may be further away than the toe-in indicates, so lessen it a little, or move the speakers out from the center a little bit.

I'm not sure if there's an impact or not by having the forward-firing sub angled in like that... diagrams I normally see show the sub facing down the length of the wall. It isn't really necessary to have it angled toward you because you cannot locate sounds that low, and it may have an effect upon the way the waves propagate around the room.

Originally posted by: Howard
Basic guidelines:

- set up speakers such that they and the listening position form the vertices of an equilateral triangle (all side lengths equal)
- try to keep speakers at least 3 feet from front and side walls (excepting good bookshelf speakers; their baffle step compensation usually includes a near wall to reinforce the bass)
- toe the speakers in so that their axes cross in front of the listening position - this lowers the amplitude of the earliest reflections which can be detrimental to sound quality and imaging (depends on the room shape and dimensions though)- keep the tweeters around or higher than ear level in listening position

Both of these guys beat me to it. The bolded statement Howard made is generally true, but it depends on the room as he said. Sometimes it sounds better if the toe in is behind the listener.

I voted for 3 because it *most likely* sounds better. That being said that seems to be too much toe in, but depends on distance from the couch/seating position. I think it looks better with grilles on the towers though. Either all with or without. Since they have different colors, use grilles. Also move them off the wall as close to ~3 ft off the walls and out from the entertainment center (so the speakers don't have anything between them).

 

[sdifox]

Your toe in looks asymmetric, but other than that I think 3 works better. But I would move it as far out as room allows. Maybe another 6 inches? How far in front of the back wall can you put them? Even a few inches away from the back wall can do wonders. Experiment a bit.

In my setup, I have 2 feet to the side and about 4 feet to the back.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Taejin
Shouldn't your concern be, what SOUNDS the best?

Or did you buy speakers for ornamentation? >_>

You'll be surprised by how many people buy form over function. Just ask Bose.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
I do not like your speakers covers. I don't really like the covers on my Interludes, either, but generally I use mine, so don't feel too bad. The towers covers on yours that wrap around the base look really tacky, and I would ditch the covers on those. And the placement is bad on the towers as others have said. But I would leave the cover on the anemic 2 way center channel and flip it upside down and place it behind the TV offset a little on one side or the other so the tweeter isn't totally blocked by the base, and move the TV forwards. Just up the volume a little on the center channel to compensate for being behind the TV. I placed my center behind my TV in my bedroom HT and above the TV in the living room HT.

Seriously though, I would consider buying a matching step up 3 way center channel, if it's available. 2 way center channels generally are just really weak on the crisp dialoge you want a center channel for. But you could use that 2 way for a center behind you in a 6.1 configuration, and the fact it don't match wouldn't even be an issue. Or mount the center just above the TV on a small shelf, or on a large one if you want to put other stuff on it.

And the HD-DVD player is ROCKIN! :thumbsup:

Please explain why you think a 3-way would do better than a 2 way in this application. Also, why would you use a mismatched rear centre? Whole point to a middle centre is to provide smoother rear panning, yet you don't want it timbre matched to the rear speakers?

 

[IronWing]

Since you asked:

In my tasteful opinion:

The speaker wood looks okay, the fronts are ugly w/ or w/o the grills so turn the speakers outward to cut down on the front exposure. The cabinet looks like it was stolen out of the Boys from Brazil's infirmary. Painting the cabinet white or sage might help or cover it with cool stickers. Hide the center channel behind the TV as it is one big box of ugly.

$0.02

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: abracadabra1
1

I have nearly those identical speakers (plus the sub), except I have an earlier model. You need to get some proper spacing between your speakers and your listening point. Placing the speakers right next to the media station is not the way to go (at least when we're talking about optimizing sound quality and overall performance).

P.S. Who makes that TV stand? Design is clean and appears very nicely made.

We got it at Rooms to Go when we first got married (yes, bring on the Rooms to Go sucks comments now. )

It wasn't exactly cheap (at least to me): http://www.roomstogo.com/index...showItem&ipac_id=11261

 

[Vehemence]

Step 1 still looks way better.