(NEWB) help speaker placement (1 Viewer)

[mrhtguy]

i know the room dimensions greatly affect speaker placement and you cannot help with thatbut aside from that, what are some good general rules to go by??

any good novice level books or guide you recommend?

here is what i know so far(which may or may not be accurate):

-place subs in corners for bass enhancement

-try to keep center in-line with the fronts

-point speakers directly at listening area

-try to keep speakers symmetrical(i.e. surround 1 4 feet from listening area and surround 2 4 feet from listening area)

my reciever: pioneer elite vsx-91 txh

my speakers:

2 pioneer elite f700's
1 pioneer elite c700
4 pioneer elite s700's
2 rbh 12" 300 watt subs

questions:

surround speakers what would be a preferred height?
same goes for subs
same goes for center

recommended placement for subs? usually i see they are in front with the towers/center but my towers have subs built into them. what would be a good place to put the other 2 subs? downward some but still in front of listening area? to the sides with the middle surrounds? behind the listening area? 1 in front and 1 behind?

what specific equiptment should i buy to help me? describe how the equipment will help me and how it works plz.

my can reciever already produce test tones and it can use a calibration mic(when i buy it) with it's MCACC, whatever that is. so i may not need a sound calibration dvd right?

input, have any? it is welcome.

 

[Robert_J]

My Pioneer VSX-1014 uses MCACC calibratio as well. I have checked it with the audio calibration portion of Video Essentials and it was accurate enough that I didn't make any changes except to bump up the sub output by 3db (I like to run my sub a little hot).

Sub placement is very tricky. Most put them in the corner or the front because it is easy. That's what I did. Then I plotted the response using test tones, an SPL meter and a spreadsheet. When I was done, I saw a 14db hump at 55hz. This was graphical representation of what I had been hearing - boomy bass. This was caused by not only the room but a high inductance voice coil on the subs. Using the parametric EQ portion of the Behringer Feedback Destroyer, I flattened the response from 80hz down to 17hz, + or - 3db.

-Robert

 

[mrhtguy]

ok, so basically stick to the general rules listed above, buy a calibration mic and let the MCACC do it's thing?

what spl meter did you use? they say the radioshack ones are not accurate below 50hz and above 600.

is there a general rule to go by for height? i think i heard somewhere that the surrounds should be x inches above the listeners head. any idea what x was?

on the center and subs, any idea on how high they should be?

i have no odea on the center but if i had to guess, i would think to keep inline with the user's ears if possible. but as you know the options in most theater setups are either above the tv or below it, which do you recommend?

i do not really know on the subs either but if i had to speculate, i would think to keep them as low as possible, what do you say?

what is the "parametric EQ portion of the Behringer Feedback Destroyer"?

 

[Robert_J]

Your receiver didn't come with a mic? And I thought you got the Elite model.

Radio Shack analog SPL meter and a spreadsheet with correction values. It is not accurate but we do how how not accurate it is. We adjust for the inaccuracy.

Check the Dolby Labs web site for a set of general rules on speaker height and placement. My center is at the bottom of my screen because I don't have room to place it behind the screen at ear level nor above pointing down.

Subs will normally be on the ground because of sheer weight. My 15" drivers alone weigh 50 pounds each. But if I install my IB subs, they will be in the attic firing into my theater room.

The Feedback Destroyer is just that - a piece of pro gear from Behringer that monitors the signal for feedback and squashes it before it hits the speakers. Great for live performances. But someone found out that it has a great parametric EQ function as well. It has been used for years to flatten the frequency response of subs with tremendous success. Elemental Designs has a 2 band analog, parametric EQ for a little cheaper. I prefer Behringer though. Full digital with 12 bands of EQ as well as about 6 different memories. I can set up different curves for different applications. A bass heavy curve for demos and action movies. A flat curve for normal listening. A curve with a bump in the upper bass for music.

-Robert

 

[mrhtguy]

i didn't buy it new. it didn't have the manual or the mic. i dled the manual and it seems i will buy the mic.

will do on the rest. thx.

 

[mrhtguy]

recieved the new dvd player and the calibration mic yesterday.

the dvd player difference was like night and day. i haven't tweaked it out yet but picture-wise there was a slight improvement.

the big improvement was the sound quality. the dv-58 was 100% better than the HTIB dvd player.

also the calibration mic was a help too, seems it is alot more accurate than my eardrums.

thx peeps

 

[Alan Pummill]

This article should answer all of your questions:

Speaker Placement for Home Theater

 

[mrhtguy]

hey thx, that guide is pretty nice.

 

[Alan Pummill]

No problem....good luck!!