3. Speaker positioning
Speaker positioning in your listening room is a vital part of setting up your hi-fi system. There are
many guides (and opinions) on how to do this available on-line, along with more specialist advice
and products for advanced room treatment. This is a summary of the basic concepts and is not
intended to be used as a definitive guide or instructions. Rooms vary in terms of size, proportion and
surfaces, and the best set-up should be tailored to each room. Inevitably this will involve
compromise, especially in listening rooms that are also living spaces. Stack Audio AUVA Isolators are
designed to reduce the effects of speaker vibrations on the hi-fi system. They will help in all
situations and should be considered as part of setting up your listening room to get your hi-fi system
to sound as good as possible.
•Choose speakers that are appropriate for the size of the room. This is obvious but if you are
buying new speakers for an existing listening room, they should suit that space. Large full range
speakers in a small room will risk overwhelming the space and not have the space to breath and
create a realistic sound stage. Conversely using small (or bookshelf) speakers in a large room will
struggle to create meaningful listening levels and bass.
•The starting point for the relationship between the listening seat and the speakers is an
equilateral triangle with the speakers pointing towards the listener. Experiment with the amount
of ‘toe-in’ to achieve a coherent stereo soundstage that extends fully from left to right with no
hole in the middle. Loudspeaker designs differ in the amount of toe-in needed so refer to the
manufacturer's instructions for your starting point.
•In a rectangular listening room, it is better to have the speakers firing down the length of the
room. This will give more freedom for positioning both the speakers and listening seat from the
front and rear walls. However, in a normal domestic environment it will be necessary to
experiment with speaker positions that are different from this ideal. Rooms may be square or
irregularly proportioned. Practical considerations may mean that speakers need to be positioned
next to the long wall, and the listening seat may have to be closer to the back wall than ideal.
•Room furnishings help absorb sound waves and room reflections. Generally hard surfaces are
more reflective. Ideally a listening room should be carpeted and avoid large areas of glass. Use
of curtains rather than blinds in front of windows helps as does breaking up featureless walls
with bookshelves or record storage. If your room has a hard floor, try placing a rug between and
in front of the speakers. Room treatment is a complex field, and you may have to take advice
from specialist companies if your room is particularly problematic.
•The loudspeakers and seating position should be aligned with the tweeter in line with the ear.
Off-axis listening (whether horizontally or vertically) is a common situation particularly if there is
more than one listener. Loudspeakers differ in how critical they are to this. You should listen for
the effects when adjusting the position of your speakers
•The final point is to listen over time, with a variety of music and different sources. Get used to
the sound in one set-up before you make major changes. Try to avoid rapid A-B comparisons.
Sometimes what sounds “better” (often just different) at first becomes less impressive (or even
fatiguing) over prolonged listening. Also listen at different times of the day –factors such as
mains quality, outside noise, your own mood and tiredness will have an influence on what you
hear
