ideal 5.1 speaker placement, please suggest
- Thread starter virtueso
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Rockfella
Active Member
Hi Virtueso,
Congrats! Please reply to the PM.
Congrats! Please reply to the PM.
I would start by mounting the surrounds in the back corners of the room, at least a couple of feet above ear level. If you can mount them in the back tri-corners (where the back corners meet the ceiling), then that would be even better: the multiple reflective surfaces will give you a more diffuse sound for better envelopment, the wide spread will maintain excellent left-vs-right separation in the surround field.sigh..the best possible placement with space available has been done, but im not happy with itsurround l and r are at same height as front l and r, although not directly opposite each other, and all 4 are point straight ahead,at no angle whatsoever .
From the pic you posted, it looks like you have an opportunity to improve dialogue clarity from your centre speaker. The large flat surface in front of your centre speaker will result in reflections that muddy up the sound. I would move that away (maybe put the gear under the TV table?) and pull the centre speaker forward so that it is just past the edge of the table.
Down the road, if you can put a thick absorbent rug on the floor, that will help as well. Sit in your main listening position and have someome move a hand mirror around the floor until you see the reflection of your centre speaker. Do this from both seats. Put a rug over those reflection points. Again, you can add the rug later on, but I would definitely move any reflective surface away from the centre speaker as soon as possible.
Finally, don't forget to calibrate (dial in speaker levels and speaker distances). Without doing that, your system won't sound cohesive.
Oh, i did not know that about the center speaker. I shall move it to the edge right away.
The system is a bit too large for the slot under the table, i'm going to have it altered,which will also include space so that the system stays ventilated.
I do have a large carpet that i can use, but it gets too hot in summers. I will try it out anyway. I thought the laminated wood panelling on the floor was good for acoustics ..
I calibrated the speakers, both speaker distance as well as sound level from each speaker but then i reverted back to adjusting only the distance from speakers, and the sound level remains the same. Will try this out for a few days and then tweak the individual speaker volume level to see what is required.
Any more suggestions are most welcomed
Quick rule of thumb for any of the front speakers: if I were to attach a 2-foot diameter propeller to the front of your speaker and give it a spin, would it spin freely or would it hit something? If the latter, move the obstruction out of the way. Like I said, this is something to check for all 3 front speakers.
Can you put it on the floor temporarily?
What other aspects of your system are you disappointed with?
i can place it on the floor, but since i live in a corner house, the house gets hugee amounts of dust, and dust will kill the system if left exposed to long. I cover it with a cloth at night anyway, but even while using it,there's some amount of dust always.
If i clean the dust in the afternoon, its back again in the evening !
I'm liking the sound and the experience, but the way the speakers are now placed,(on the nail on the wall) they can't be put at an angle, to point towards me.
I think i will try this arrangement for a few days, and then will take them off the wall and place them at ear level on tables etc and point them towards me.
angynagpal
New Member
If you ask me, I do have some reservations over the distance between those front speakers
. I maybe wrong (am not expert) but I do feel you are limiting the listening area by having them so close to each other. Maybe, if it is possible with your room dimensions, you could have kept the TV table where (almost) the PC is (am assuming that there is still some wall left after the PC area), and arrange your seating accordingly.If, however, you cannot go wider with those speakers, I really dont think you need to point the front speakers towards you, with that distance. Ideally the front speakers, when tilted in, should form a triangle with the listening sweet spot.....in your case, if you tilt your speakers, that sweet spot will almost be right in front of the tv, which is not feasible at all.
That table in front of the center speaker 'is' a problem. If you cant remove it from the front of the center speaker, then maybe you can mount the center as well on the wall and tilt it down towards your ears.
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If you ask me, I do have some reservations over the distance between those front speakers
If, however, you cannot go wider with those speakers, I really dont think you need to point the front speakers towards you, with that distance. Ideally the front speakers, when tilted in, should form a triangle with the listening sweet spot.....in your case, if you tilt your speakers, that sweet spot will almost be right in front of the tv, which is not feasible at all.
That table in front of the center speaker 'is' a problem. If you cant remove it from the front of the center speaker, then maybe you can mount the center as well on the wall and tilt it down towards your ears.
To mount it, basically it's a nail that holds the speaker up. there is absolutely no space to move the speakers to any angle
i was thinking i'd take it off,and put right speaker on the computer table, and left speaker on either tv table,or infront of the window thing, that you see to the immediate left of tv..I think then the speakers will almost exactly be at ear level too,which they clearly are not currently
angynagpal
New Member
To mount it, basically it's a nail that holds the speaker up. there is absolutely no space to move the speakers to any angle
I think then the speakers will almost exactly be at ear level too,which they clearly are not currently
If you are sure that the speakers, when placed on the computer table and window, would be at ear level or even lightly higher (but never lower), then use that placement only. It would be better than the current placement. With the current placement, I feel there would be a lot of localization for the front channels and there would not be any sense of width in the soundstage in front of you, which you can achieve with a better placement, like the one mentioned by you.
But then, even the surrounds would need to go wider (they should go wider anyways even with the current placement of fronts). I would suggest you try this placement (I think you already had this placement when you posted the opening post of this thread) and compare it with the current setup. See what you like.
As for the center speaker, for now, just move that front table to a side when watching a movie. That should be fine. I think sdurani mentioned it beautifully when he stated the rule of thumb for any of the front speakers. You may use that advice to see how far the front table needs to be moved to the sides.
Please do calibrate your system with as much accuracy as you can. Calibration is the 'most' important aspect of a HT setup.....even more important than the placement.
When i created the post, i had just unboxed and randomly placed the speakers. They were nailed up only yesterday
I wish there were profiles for calibration, as 60% of the time i sit in one position(on the left) and 40% directly in the front.
Surrounds are placed well i think, as they are wider than the FL and FR and even slightly higher than them.
I'l calibrate them to the best i can, i realize now that it is an important aspect.
Tweaking these things is the best part of any new gadget !
angynagpal
New Member
The calibration process involves two steps (broadly speaking).
The first is to ensure that all the speakers output the 'same level of sound at the same time' when listening form the primary position. This is ensured by establishing the distance between each of the speakers and the primary listening position (ear level) + tweaking the speaker level for each speaker to ensure that the sound is heard at the same level at the primary position (can use a spl meter for this).
The second is to make adjustments to cater to the room acoustics. When you listen to a soundtrack in a perfect room (there is no room like that though
) with no reflections, then you would hear the sound exactly how the sound engineer intended you to. However, in the real world, there are tons of acoustic problems in a room. The reflections in a room causes the sound to deviate from their original measurements. These can be treated by using special acoustic products, but they can also be treated (to a limited extent though) by adjusting the eq. I dont know if the Onkyo 3500 has audyssey, as audyssey measures more than one listening positions for calibrating the system. However, even audyssey calculates the distance and levels for the speakers, based on the 'primary listening position', so you can do that manually. Its only the Dynamic EQ that is modified based on the other listening positions, thus limiting the impact of the acoustic problems in a room.
But are the surrounds placed wide enough so that when you move the front speakers wider (one on PC table, other near the window), the surrounds would still be wider, or atleast in line, with the fronts?
Yeah....its really the second best part (best being listening to the actual system
) of owing a HT setup. 
The calibration process involves two steps (broadly speaking).
The first is to ensure that all the speakers output the 'same level of sound at the same time' when listening form the primary position. This is ensured by establishing the distance between each of the speakers and the primary listening position (ear level) + tweaking the speaker level for each speaker to ensure that the sound is heard at the same level at the primary position (can use a spl meter for this).
The second is to make adjustments to cater to the room acoustics. When you listen to a soundtrack in a perfect room (there is no room like that though
I dont know if the Onkyo 3500 has audyssey, as audyssey measures more than one listening positions for calibrating the system. However, even audyssey calculates the distance and levels for the speakers, based on the 'primary listening position', so you can do that manually. Its only the Dynamic EQ that is modified based on the other listening positions, thus limiting the impact of the acoustic problems in a room.
But are the surrounds placed wide enough so that when you move the front speakers wider (one on PC table, other near the window), the surrounds would still be wider, or atleast in line, with the fronts?
Yeah....its really the second best part (best being listening to the actual system
3500 does not have audyssey, 3400 did though
Yes, if i place the speakers on the table etc,surrounds will still be slightly wider . I wont take them down immediately though, as when i checked,they were actually slightly below ear level..So is the center, but it points upwards, so its not a problem.
Removed the table, now the avr is just a few inches off the ground and the center speaker on the edge,with no reflective surface within 2 feet.
The sweet spot is definitely 3/4th of the distance between opposite walls,in the center of the room. The fore mentioned vertex of the triangle, which is good since this is where gaming will go down
Will try putting the speakers on the table after a few days, i'd like to test this now,after i just calibrated it by closing my eyes and listening to the sound
Will have my old carpet cleaned and put in, as suggested and see how it improves the acoustics as well !
Thanks for the detailed answers, lot of things i previously was unaware of have come to light :thumbsup:
Update ; The wall mounted speakers weren't very impressive. Took them down, placed them on ear level and wider than the earlier setup, sound is much better now
I see what you guys meant when you said calibration and speaker placement is really important.
I see what you guys meant when you said calibration and speaker placement is really important.
angynagpal
New Member
Update ; The wall mounted speakers weren't very impressive. Took them down, placed them on ear level and wider than the earlier setup, sound is much better now
I see what you guys meant when you said calibration and speaker placement is really important.
Good to know that :clapping:
Hi guys, back with a bit of experience with the system, wanted to ask one thing. A guy from onkyo had visited my place as i was having a small problem (solved in 2 minutes) , and i asked him the speaker placement setup. Regarding the surround speakers, I have often thought they should be to the left and the right of my sitting area, currently they are behind me on the wall.
Is it advisable to change the settings from behind the ears to to the either side of sitting area? Please see pic for clarity.
Thanks ! (Please see attached image)
Is it advisable to change the settings from behind the ears to to the either side of sitting area? Please see pic for clarity.
Thanks ! (Please see attached image)
Attachments
Your surrounds would sound better mounted high up in the back corner of the room (above the door). The multiple reflective nearby surfaces will improve envelopment while the wide spread will help maintain stereo separation in the surround field.
Second choice would be mounted on the side wall, a couple of feet above ear level, slightly behind the listening area (front edge of door).
Second choice would be mounted on the side wall, a couple of feet above ear level, slightly behind the listening area (front edge of door).
The surround aren't so powerful with the entry level set up, are you sure they will work best work the first option? Going to try second option for now, see how it sounds as from your comment I guess it can't be worse than current setup..
They will be barely a few inches behind ear level, but adequately above ear level and pointing towards each other
They will be barely a few inches behind ear level, but adequately above ear level and pointing towards each other
Are their levels max'd out in the speaker set-up menu? If not, increase their level until you feel they are powerful enough.
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