Snyder81

This was originally written as a reply to a thread about using towers as rear speakers, but that thread was deleted while I was typing this:
How should I position my rear tower speakers for optimal sound? In my HT room I am going to have 4 JBL S310's for fronts and rears, but I am not sure how to place the rear speakers. How far in front of the rear speakers do I need to move the couch to get good sound from behind? The reason I ask is because the room is only so big, so I only have a few feet to play with. Here is what it will look like.
_________18_feet________
-----RRS---------LRS-----|1
----------COUCH---------|2
-------------------------|f
-------------------------|e
SUB---------CS----------|e
____RFS____TV___LFS___|t

Key:
RRS=Right Rear Speaker(S310)
LRS=Left Rear Speaker(S310)
SUB=Subwoofer (PSW-D115)
RFS=Right Front Speaker(S310)
LFS=Left Front Speaker(S310)
CS=Center Channel Speaker(S-Center)
TV=(Ok, it's already painfully obvious what all these stand for)

How many feet in front of the rear speakers should I place the couch for optimum sound? Keep in mind it needs to be near the back wall because I have a 55" TV. Thanks!
-Scott

p.s. Also, any suggestions for best places to position a sub are needed. Will a 15" be way too boomy in the corner?

p.p.s. I also need advice on what speaker connectors to buy for 12-gauge wire. I have 12-gauge Phoenix Gold wire and I want gold-plated banana plug connectors that are affordably priced and good quality. I looked at Monster Cable and they were really expensive. I will be wanting 10 pairs of these, so cost is a consideration. Thanks!

[This message has been edited by Snyder81 (edited June 01, 2000).]

Snyder81

^ Can anyone help me?

shaun3000

If they are direct-radiating speakers (which I think they are, if they're the same ones I'm thinking of.), the best sound I've got is if you put them in the corners and angle them intowards the center of the room. This gives you a wide surround field, so you don't have to be sitting right-smack-dab between them to get good sound. BUT, if they're di/bi/tri-pole speakers, they should go on the wall, above and slightly behind your primary listening position.

tdamico

AR not only sells speakers, but accessories as well. I picked up some really inexpensive gold plated Banana plugs through an online cable company, but a few weeks ago I was in a Home Depot. Yep, a Home Depot. And they had a section for cables and audio components. And they had the exact AR plugs that I purchased via the net. Work great. They are compression types, and were easy to connect to my 12 gauge speaker cable.

Put the rear speakers as far back as you can, on stands, at ear level and point them to the sweet spot. Use Video Essentials to level the sound coming from both front and rear. Sub in the corner should be OK, just make suere it is far enough away from the walls.

tdamico

Sorry, didn't read the part about towers, so don't put them on stands! But still as far back and as far apart as you can. And calibrating with Video Essentials is key to getting the sound balanced with the rest of your speakers.

InsaniT

Since they're not bi/di-poles, I'd fire them at the side wall for a more diffused sound field. I like this sound better than pointing the rears straight at the listening position with monopolar speakers. Try both and see which you like better.

------------------
InsaniT
My DVD Library

daledude

According to an article by stereoreview, direct radiating speakers are best placed directly to the sides and high up on the wall.

Try directly to the sides of the couch and pointed at the listening postion. Then try reflecting the sound against the back wall at various angles. Use what sounds best to you.

For the sub, start in a corner and inch it out till the bass response smoothes out. It often takes days of experimenting to get the best placement for a sub, but a good test disc and radio shack spl meter can give you a good approximation relatively quickly.

As far as the speaker wire, unless there's a good reason for the bannana plugs, the best connection method would be to connect the wire directly to the terminals. The less components in the audio path means less chances of coloring the sound.

Snyder81

quote:<HR>As far as the speaker wire, unless there's a good reason for the bannana plugs, the best connection method would be to connect the wire directly to the terminals. The less components in the audio path means less chances of coloring the sound.[/B]<HR>

Dale,
I have also read that that plugs make sure that there is termination in the wire's current. Now I am confused as to what to use... Thanks for your help guys!
-Scott