4 Keys to Perfect Speaker Placement

Consumers have sought, for decades, the Holy Grail of sound, encouraged by an endless list of manufacturers promising audio perfection.

The reality is that perfect sound is a myth created by the over-zealous audiophile market to drive consumer interest.

But it is possible for CE pros to create an audio experience that eliminates some of the inherent problems typically associated with consumer audio.

Today, installers have access to the finest speakers ever produced, modern tools and installation aids and educational resources that are backed by countless research projects that have examined the factors that affect home audio reproduction.

While some of this information is old-hat to experienced integrators, new technicians should remember these 4 important rules to consider that affect the pursuit of perfect sound.

Room Shape

Audiophiles have overlooked what is arguably the biggest variable in the home audio quality equation: the room environment.

Kary Wawrzyniak, product development expert for TruAudio, says installers must find out specific details about their clients' homes before the system is installed to ensure the best possible performance.

“First thing is to make sure you understand, completely, the how the room will be used,” asserts Wawrzyniak. “A dedicated home theater will need a much different speaker system than a room used mostly to listen to music or a room that will be used mostly for gaming, which might require a completely different speaker set up. Again, if it's a family room environment with a pool table and plasma, yet another totally different speaker setup will be needed."

Wawrzyniak advises integrators to make sure to ask the end user to explain his or her expectations. "So many times this is overlooked, and the dealer puts in what they think would be best," Wawrzyniak says. "Next, the dealer needs to take into consideration the shape and size of the room, including window and door location as well as furniture. After all that, it should be easy to decide what kind of speaker setup is needed.”

One factor Wawrzyniak is emphatic about is the role the room shape plays in affecting sound. He points out that, if possible, dealers should avoid square rooms and rooms that have dimensions exactly twice one another, like 10-feet x 20-feet, for example.

He also adds that installers need to be cognizant of intersecting room surfaces like room corners and how they affect low-frequencies.

Listener Position

Listener position plays a role in how listeners hear music, Wawrzyniak contends.

“The seating location will also affect where and how speakers are positioned,” he says. “The ‘sweet spot’ should be at ear level and centered with the center channel. It should also be located 25- to 30-degrees off axis of the left and right speakers and centered between the surround sound speakers.”

Room Acoustics

Unlike the early days of custom installation when freestanding speakers clearly outperformed architectural products, in-wall and in-ceiling manufacturers have greatly narrowed the performance gap.

Wawrzyniak says it really doesn’t make a difference what type of speaker is used in a home environment; the rules of acoustics apply to all types of speakers.

He does add that installers have a number of ways to deal with room acoustics, providing some flexibility for CE pros to accommodate their clients’ budget and equipment requirements.

“There are many ways to increase low frequency in a sound system,” Wawrzyniak explains. “Depending on the room size and shape, multiple subwoofers can sometime help balance low frequencies.

"Sometimes, something as simple as how close the subwoofer sits to the wall or corner can significantly increase or decrease the amount of bass in the room, and if the budget allows, there are several companies that specialize in acoustical treatments. Room treatments can help enhance and/or absorb low frequencies, but you must be careful because acoustic treatments can also affect high frequencies.”

Fine-tuning

Wawrzyniak notes that installers have other tools at their disposal to fine-tune their installations. “TruAudio highly recommends using enclosures and backboxes in every installation possible,” he advises.

Backboxes offers several benefits:

• Eliminating variable wall volume. When an enclosure or backbox is used, you get the same amount of air space
• Maintaining vapor barriers for building codes
• Controlling sound bleeding from the room where the speaker is located to other rooms
• Preventing insulation and other debris from getting to the back of the speaker.

Wawrzyniak also recommends installers use specialized tools like real-time analyzers (RTAs), sound-pressure level (SPL) meters and computer software design aids to dial in their systems during the final stages of installation.

“Specialized tools like SPL and RTA meters as well as software have become so much more affordable in the past few years. We highly recommend installers invest in this kind of equipment to not only fine-tune and maximize speaker system but it’s a great way to add a profit center and set you apart from other CI [custom installation] guys.”