Can someone help a non-technical gal with set-up? (1 Viewer)

[Terri M]

It all began a week ago when I decided it was time to get the Sony 46" LCD into it's own cabinet.

My question is not about the cabinet because I'm going to end up custom designing the cabinet.
My question is where do I begin to figure out what in the world I should be putting in the cabinet besides the LCD screen!

Apparently I've entered a very scary world of tech stuff that I just don't get.

I would love nice sound but nothing earth shaking and boomy. I just want to enhance the tv sound which I think is decent already.

I will put surround speakers in if I must but probably will do these at a later date because I will have to hire someone to do it for me. The wires have to go under the crawl space under the room.

Some details:
The room is 24 x 20 with 2-story high ceilings.
The tv is Sony XBR 1080p HDMi

I need:
Good bookshelf speakers. I'm looking at HSU research right now.
A receiver, center speaker, sub-woofer
HD DVD player and CD player.

I don't want to spend more than $1200 on the components.

When I start to read about the components I get really confused when they start talking about volts and hertz and all the abbreviations are so confusing.
I don't care how clueless I sound.
I'm just hoping someone will be able to get me started in the right direction.

Thanks
Terri

 

[Jean D]

$1200. after buying a hd-dvd player, you wont be left with much to spend elsewhere.

Personally, Id just get a 5.1 setup w/ either a used or refurbished receiver. if you don't get a 5.1 setup (5 speakers, 1 subwoofer), at least run the speaker wires ahead of time so you can always just add on afterward. Even if you get a 5.1 or just bookshelves, how big will the cabinet be? meaning, can it even hold the 3 front speakers as well as your components?

If hd-dvd is more important to you, Im not sure what I would do in your case. You can always get cheap but well built 5.1 speakers for 2-3 hundred bucks. and a decent refurbished reciever for 2-3 hundred bucks also.

 

[Mike_NW]

I would definitely wait on the HD DVD player. Wait a year or two, then see if you can find a reasonably priced player that reads both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs. There's no sense picking sides in a format war when you're on a tight budget. In the meantime, buy a 5.1 package system made by someone other than Bose. Make sure it has a real subwoofer. I would recommend KEF's KHT line because the sound is good and their speakers are easier on the eyes than most, but there are many others worth looking into. You can sometimes find these at a discount on eBay. Spend less than $1000 on those and get a receiver in the $500 range, then make sure you don't buy overpriced cables.

 

[bassman99floyd]

I agree with Mike. Stay away from HD DVD or Blu-Ray players for now. Just like when VHS & Beta players of yesteryear, were competing for the consumer dollar, these two new formats are battling it out right now. Wait until the market decides which will win. Also after R&D is paid for on these products, the prices will come down considerably.

You made an excellent choice in TV's. I have the same model. I hope you have an HD cable box or HD satellite dish, so you can receive an HD signal?

If you want/need to buy everything all at once, then a simple solution would be to buy HT in a box. I would highly recommend you NOT go this way, but if you want it all, in one shot, that's an easy solution. The reason I would say NOT to do it this way, is because you will end up with sub par components. It might break quicker, or just not sound that great.

A better idea would be to piece together a system on your own, or with the guidance of us, or a home theater store. By buying components separately, you can buy exactly what you want, and not settle on a package. Since it sounds like you can wait on putting up the rear speakers, then really take your time and do this the right way.

The right way means going out to different stores, and let the HT store, show you speakers that fit your need. Remember, the speakers are probably the most crucial part of your HT. You should spend as much $$ as you can on these. Start off with two speakers, and buy matching speakers as money permits, if your budget restricts you from spending more now. If you have enough $$, then at the same time pick up a surround sound receiver. Don't have the frame of mind that you want to spend $1200, and be done with it. Buy smart, and take your time picking out, what will look good and sound great in your home. Good speakers are not about being boomy, it's about clarity. I have B&W's which are a high end speaker, and let me tell you, I still get amazed when I play them. With a quality system, you can play a song you've heard a 1000 times, and then you play them thru great components, and you hear things that you never knew was in the song before.

You will need a subwoofer, especially if you want small speakers. Usually the speaker you choose, will have a matching sub. This sub should have an amplifier built in (active). A passive sub, doesn't have an amplifier, and it will put more of a strain on your receiver.

This will be a fun project, so take your time with it. Don't settle, and don't stress out. Do your research, then come back to this board and share what you've decided on. As far as hooking it all together, a stereo store, probably offers installation.

Good Luck...

Jimmy

 

[John Garcia]

For a room that big, you will need a decent sub, and on a budget of $1200 that is pushing it already. The offerings from HSU are good, however for a big room like that, the VT-12 system probably won't cut it. You would need to be looking at their bookshelf speakers. I read a review of them recently and it was quite positive and said they can handle fairly large rooms without trouble. You are going to need a decent sub to really fill that room as well. I'd start with the speakers & receiver as others have recommended also, then worry about HD-DVD or Blu Ray later. If you can't afford the whole package, consider going just 2.1 or 3.1 initially so that you can get better components for your available funds and then add the others down the road - don't sacrifice quality just to have it all now, because you will end up spending more in the long run when you find your gear doesn't live up to the expectation a year down the road. DEFINITELY get out there and listen to stuff in your price range.

Others to check out: www.av123.com, www.svsound.com and www.ascendacoustics.com

 

[Terri M]

It has taken me days to be able to log on to the forum.

I am going to start visiting stores and listening to speakers.
I just hate the big stores so I do have a few specialized stores in the area and I'll go there first. I'll come back when I think I have some selections and check in again for opinions.

I see that my budget is limited at this point.
I am going to invest in a good receiver and run the wires for the back speakers for later.

I'm designing a cabinet and getting quotes on that.

I've come to the conclusion that there isn't a pre-manufactured entertainment center that will hold all the equipment properly. If I used the Yahmaha surround speaker I found a great cabinet by Diamond Case but I don't think the Yahmaha YSP-1 will fill my room.

Here is what I've come up with for the best way to store all the equipment and still pass the wife test (me).

Center console: LCD stands on the cabinet, below is space for
center speaker and glass doors for components. (space for 5)
I could also have a shelf made to sit on the console then place the LCD on the shelf and put the center speaker below leaving storage for the cabinet below. I would have to bolt the tv to the shelf somehow don't you think?

Left and Right Piers: Two free-standing tall cabinets placed to the left and right of the center cabinet. These piers will have shelves above
and speaker cabinets below.
The bookshelf speakers will be placed on the shelf and the subwoofer below. I would place the sub-w in the "right" pier
because it would be almost in the corner of the room.

I would then run wires for future surround speakers for the back wall.
It's hard to envision this without a floor plan, but I think this would work well.

I'm going to look into the suggestions made on this post.
Thanks for the help.

Terri

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Terri,

Our apologies for the difficulty logging in over the past
few days. We were experiencing glitches due to a recent
server move. All should be working rather well right now.

 

[bassman99floyd]

TGIF!!!

Here's a pretty good site to search for entertainment centers. I chose this model, but they have a huge selection to look thru.

http://www.racksandstands.com/Laurie...91-LP1348.html

I hope that helps?


Jimmy

 

[CWiz]

i would recommend going to the specialty home/car audio places first. remember though, these guys are usually worse than used car dealers so trust about 10% of what they say and depend more on your own perception of the sound you are hearing. Paradigm is brand alot of audio stores carry and its a reasonable price for the performance.
never buy equipment on impulse. it can be real easy to get pressured into an $800 system by a salesman and be done with it but there are many options for your price range. an individual store will probably only have 2 or 3 set ups in your price range from one or two companies, but each store will have different brands. each place is going to tell you they'll give you the best deal and they have the best speakers for what you're looking for. I've been thru it w/ my car and my home theater. be patient and take it all in. in the end, you should buy the speakers YOU think sound good because you have to listen to them

 

[Mary M S]

Hi Terri,

Just some thoughts from another non-technical girl who wandered into HTF one day. I started my journey here because I wanted to make a quick purchase (last minute) of a subwoofer for my husband as a Christmas present one year.
I ended by building an entire HT system from scratch, without input from him (he had no time to be interested in the topic during those couple of years)....he just mentioned he wanted a sub!

Since you say you want to enhance your displays sound, I'm assuming that you want more of a cinematic experience when watching movies?

For this a subwoofer purchase and surround speakers will be a mandatory part of achieving your goal, but you can divide these purchases and add a portion at a time.

The subwoofer becomes very important in the 'movie' experience due to the large amount of Low Frequency effects which are heavily encoded into DVD's. Think "The Matrix" or "Pirates of the Caribbean" if action adventure is not your venue, a sub still plays a very important role during movies like "The Red Violin" or your favorite prime time show.

Having a sub (setup properly) allows your other speakers to handle their part of the frequency range more efficiently.
In fact, the more limited your price range, the more important a sub becomes, because it takes enormous 'stress' off of your mains and center channel, which regardless of what listed specifications state, are generally not capable (even very expensive speakers) of handling the wide range of frequencies we throw at them.

If you have spare hours to spend digging in the forum you will quickly find that your dollars can go so much further by buying brands you have never heard of or seen (when walking through a big Brick & Mortar store).

I notice you mention in your second post, you will start visiting stores to listen.
You have found the right place (HTF and the like) if 'better sound' is interesting enough a subject for you to grant some of your spare time researching.

Be very careful, especially as a woman whether shopping in the high end AV boutiques or a place like CircuitC. Looking back, I had the right idea (but not enough knowledge) when I decided to find a professional, (high end boutique) to advise me on my, had to buy quick, Christmas present. They talked me into a set of bookshelves with sub, which I was very unhappy with in under 6 months as I continued to spend time learning how to achieve the 'sound' I knew I wanted to get to, here at HTF.

As my learning curve increased I can't tell you the number of sales people who earnestly tried to convince me to purchase this or that, who did not even understand (regardless of their very authoritative tone) the basic capabilities of their own products.

An example: while on a waiting list at Outlaw Audio for a pre-pro, I was browsing at a large chain electronics store when a sales person started questioning me extensively, what was I looking for (answer, capibility to add-on for a future 7.1 setup) he tried very hard to sell me a receiver which fortunately, I had already researched here browsing in the forum. Although the box indicated it was fully capable of 7.1 (and he promoted it as such). I knew that that particular receiver had built-in amplifiers for only 5.1 channels (center/left/right/sub, SurroundL,SurroundR).
If I had not been armed (by HTF) and purchased it, thinking I could just add Back L&R surrounds (the 6&7th speakers) later, I would had a nasty surprise finding out there was no power in the receiver to add these! (for that receiver hooking up the extra two required the purchase of a separate amplifier to power rear channels).

The man got really really annoyed with me, when I pointed that out, did not believe me, started getting flustered and took me to the computer kiosk to show me via the web!
He was more than a little shocked when I was proved correct.
Yet, when he first approached me, his manner, speech, he knew the proper terms, - and I did not, would have engendered great trust in most confused customers that this salesperson knew what-of he spoke!

Interestingly enough, the only purchase I replaced was the one recommended by the specialized high end Audio Video boutique, all others (researched heavily here at HTF before I spent my dime) I have kept!

When your reading here, and see a 'term' or brand mentioned use that search feature, particularly as you narrow to couple of products, where the price seems right. Plug it into Google under "XXX' customer reviews, come back here and look more and ask. You'll be amazed at what you learn!

I suspect, you may be a bit like me, since you found HTF at all..... if so... you have just opened up a very satisfying can of worms.

#1 hint I will pass, whatever you purchase, look into the term 'calibration' and be sure to preform this on your own system. Many recievers/prepros come with a built-in ability to do this, if not ...one of your most important smaller supportive purchases will be an SoundPressureLevel (SPL) meter (radio shack).

By the way I almost killed my husband when he built my 'custom' cabinet for my new system. I really did not realize what I was getting into, but have loved most every moment along the road!
Be sure and pay attention on your custom cabinet build, to the height-of-shelf-from-floor the new display will rest on. If your custom builder is not also an av person, you don't want to end by forever having your head cocked at a strange angle (from your seating) after spending the money and time, and he might not think to mention that key consideration.

 

[bassman99floyd]

Mary, if you were a Newbie when you first found this forum, you are far from one now! I agree 100%. Go to high end HT stores, and let them show you different set ups, and take notes of the equipment, model#'s etc. Then come back to this forum. Share with us what you've learned. Do NOT be bullied into making a quick purchase while you're doing your research, because the 'special price' the salesman gave you won't last. 9 out of 10 times you can save hundreds of $$'s shopping thru the internet. The shopping search engine at www.yahoo.com is a great tool. When you do a search, you get the stores link, along with the price. Most other search engines just give you the stores, that you will need to click on individually, to get their price.

E-Bay is also a great way to save money. Another good place to look for components is www.audiogon.com. This is a place that people sell their high-end used components. When you have high-end equipment, there is a break-in period. Buying something that is broken in, can save you thousands, and you still can get quality.

A quality sub, really can transform an average sound, into impressive sound. I had a 10" 100W Valadine sub, which was Ok. I upgraded to a B&W Nautilus 1000W sub, and even my wife noticed how much better the system sounded.

Keep us posted...

 

[Terri M]

Mary: Great story! And yes, I think I have definitely opened up a can of worms. But, I'm patient and I have HTF now!

Let me get this straight:

I thought the receiver was the #1 priority.

Where should I start? The receiver or the subw?

If I'm not an afficianato or audiohaulic, how wonderful does the recieiver have to be? Here is where I get really confused. Anyone have some guidelines? I know I will only need a 5:1 system. There is no way I want speakers all over the room.

Here is a system a boutique store demonstrated to me and in the store it was nice to me. The receiver is a lot less money then some I've read reviews on.

Denon AVR-1507
Denon DVD-1730
Paradgm Center, subw, cinema speakers
Audioquest cable for subw
Other audioquest cables
$1180

Also: So many cabinet designs show the subw below the display close to the floor. I thought in a corner of the room was better.

Are there any guidelines posted anywhere on best speaker locations when placing them in cabinets?

Thanks all!
Terri

 

[Mary M S]

If you decide what you really want, is the sub/speaker/players now and within your 1200 budget, I would try to 'corner-load' the subw. That is not a tiny space with your ceiling height. It will help a sub immensely in that price range. (barring any weird acoustics in your room)
Before you have your cables installed, buy a very long cheap run of speaker wire (home depot, or something you have lying around). Move your sub around the room in any possible locations it could be placed till you get the best response, then you'll know where to have your underfloor installation run to.

Are you thinking of locating all speakers in the new cabinet?
If you really start thinking about how 5.1 works for a movie you realize you cannot place all your speakers in the display cabinet.
(after all, 2 of those speakers are labeled rear because they are supposed to be 'behind' your head)

It's hard, but if you want a cinema time at home you'd be surprised how quickly you can get used to speakers hanging on the side walls. (once up, - most rooms, people really don't notice them, part of life) It just seems like a big deal at first when viewing your unmarred walls and thinking of putting a hole/shelf on them.

If you have to place the speakers in your cabinet, be sure and get them as flush to the front edge as possible, otherwise your sending sound waves bouncing around in the 'box'. Another rule of thumb, speakers should be placed at ear level when at all possible (except for a sub which is non-directional (the ear cannot locate its position) due to the very long lenghts of LF sound waves).
It is not possible in my room due to shape and size. My center speaker is above the 60" display. My L&R mains are floorstanders. My surrounds hung at 8 feet, tilted down to listening. CALIBRATE whatever you get.

Really wanting/preferring better sound has changed (decorater me) very much. Honestly, you would probably die, if you saw my subwoofer.
I warped my own 'wife factor' as my fascination with sound grew and made compromises with myself for myself!

I have An SVS PC-Ultra, a giant black tube (I'm sure I'm hated for saying this in type...but as women think of home furniture ...it is ugly as sin).

But I determined I needed it, so I hid it. Behind the 60" display& cabinet which being cornered on two walls, gave me a nice small triangle hidy hole behind the cabinet stand. No one ever sees it!
It's almost 3 1/2 feet tall and over a foot round.

My current system if you are curious as to what I ended with myself:
Outlaw Audio 950 prepro
Outlaw Audio 770 7-channel amp
Panasonic DVD - RP91
SVS PC-Ultra Subwoofer
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven's (main left & right)
Vienna Acoustic Maestro (center speaker)
Tivo Direct-TV HD-STB

I bought a bookshelf set too, (first purchase) the one from the high end shop mentioned. I'm still using the SL/SR and BSL BSR from that purchase but replaced the 3 fronts and Subw with those listed above.

I hope any of the above helps and does not confuse?

 

[Terri M]

Hi!

I really enjoyed reading your comments Mary.
I guess I was hoping it could be done on $1200.

Right now I have so much furniture and equipment to buy it's hard to prioritize. I'm willing to switch around the priorities.

Anyway you answered some questions I had on the subw so thanks.

As I design the cabinet, I can see I've got the right idea on the left and right speakers. I'm going to put them just above ear level in a "pier cabinet".
Close to the front as you explained.

Question:

Does it matter where you put the center speaker and which way you place it meaning vertical or horizontal?
Should the center be on top of the display or under the display or it doesn't matter?

AND:
QUOTE: (I don't know how do do the blue box - sorry)
Before you have your cables installed, buy a very long cheap run of speaker wire (home depot, or something you have lying around). Move your sub around the room in any possible locations it could be placed till you get the best response, then you'll know where to have your underfloor installation run to.

^ Is how you conceal wires? I will have to experiment, but the way the room is set up I'll be able to put the sub in a corner and the entertainment cabinet is so big that I'll be able to conceal the wires behind it. Of course that is if the sub sounds right in that location.

I'm really going to have a problem with the rear speakers. If I do this right they belong on the back wall. This is the fireplace wall. My main focal point in the room. I don't think the guys on HTF will get my dismay on this point.
I'm really excited about my fireplace because I'm having a very talented craftsman carve a frieze with a pretty ornate design. If I put the rear speaker on the wall it's going to look sketchy.

I could put the speaker on the fireplace mantel but I think I'd have to point them down since the mantel is high. They would have to be pretty small.
Or I could place them very close to the corner but on the opposite wall.
I think you need a floor plan to understand my meaning. But this would keep them off the back fireplace wall which is a main focal point of the room and
still have them placed in the back of the room only on the side walls close to the corners of the room.

Thanks for listing your equipment, I was curious.

Terri

 

[bassman99floyd]

They do make speaker stands that can support rear speakers, as another solution. As Mary pointed out, the rear must be behind the listening area. If they were in front, you will not have surround sound. I would recommend living with exposed cables while you're trying to figure out the best spot for your SW. Bass, which is the deep notes the sub creates, is omni-directional. As long as the SW isn't being blocked by furniture, it should sound OK. I like having my sub next to the sitting area, as bass is as much fun to feel, as it is to hear.

To run wires, if you don't have a drop ceiling, or you can't drill thru the floor and run wires underneath, maybe you can lift the carpet along the walls, and tuck the cables in there? They make speaker wire that's flat, and easy to hide or cover up.
http://www.21st-century-goods.com/pa...t/CTGY/FWAUDIO

Jimmy

 

[Mary M S]

I get you on the wires.

The speaker wire for all the surrounds, SL SR BSL BSR in our home is run through the attic, One end of the wires all comes out through the wall behind the the cabinet, to connect to the receiver (or prepro)
other end of wires, of course, out the ceiling, right over that hole the base of the surround speaker mounts. Therefore you see no wire...just the speakers mounted.
The sub is behind my cabinet so its larger gauge wire is just laying on the floor hidden by the cabinet/display. But wire to a sub can be fished out from the wall it sits at, in the same manner as surround speakers. All the connections between the DVD/TV etc (just like you) are concealed behind the cabinet/display. You never see them

In your home (with those 2-story ceilings) you would have to use a wall mount on the side walls. (speakers hang on wall like a picture.)

As Jimmy points out, (I'm just repeating) you can buy stands for small to med surround speakers. You would either fish the wire out of a wall directly at the speaker height, or most commonly using stands, (what is your flooring? Hardwoods/tile your sunk!!!) run the wire under the carpet to the edges of the room where the speaker stand sit, then up from floor to back of speaker.
Or fish under the floor crawl space (if you are pier and beam) and drill up through the floor where you place the stand.

They also make (but none I have ever seen that look good) A sort of large shoe molding with a hollow space behind, - this way you can run your speaker wire around the edges of the room to the back or sides of a room hidden within the shoe molding.
I would come up with some two-molding design, which created a 'hollow' and make my own 'custom version, - if I went that route.

I understand completely about the fireplace. (congratulations on it!) Compromise!!!
Just aim to get your 4th & 5th speakers (SL and SR) somewhere behind your 'movie' seating on the side walls. That will give the effect you need spatially.

Also as Jimmy points out, due to 'acoustics,' that tall ceiling, hard/soft surfaces in the room which can both absorb or bounce back sound waves. Generally most people are safe - corner loading a sub near their entertainment center so not to 'fish' another long run of wire for a sub. -
but
Occasionally - due to the rooms shape or surfaces, you can get a very bad 'null' spot etc. (makes your sub ineffective)
If you purchase your speakers before you pay someone to run wires. Hook up your system and just lay the wires on top of your floor while you move speakers to find best sounding locations. Spend one night placing the sub in all the locations your furniture and particular room will allow it to be placed. Usually you will find that one spot really sounds 'best'. (could be left corner or right corner or a side wall) Then you know (if you have someone fishing wires) where to have them run the 'permanent and hidden' connection for speakers/ subw. If you do this, the subw manual (if it has control options) will have short instructions. Be sure to read it, and pay attention to any 'Phase knob' choices etc, while running this test and trying to find the best location for the sub.

Many people with smaller bookshelf systems do put the sub in a lower cabinet which will have a permeable door cover. (grate/black foam etc) If your going that route, before you choose this location however I would try the subw on the floor a few inches from the wall near enough to your cabinet to hide wires. The 'corner loading' effect 'might' help greatly with your ceilings.

Also by placing your speakers around your room, just setting them on any surface handy (table etc) is available to roughly locate them during a test run, (using bulk cheap wire) when you are putting money into mid-priced speaker wire, you will then know exactly what lengths of the more expensive stuff to purchase. Since I have a husband with odd ball rolls of this and that wire around, this is much easier for me to do, than perhaps some, who would rather purchase wire only once.

You really don't know with subs, till you move them around, what a difference the room makes.

Whichever route you go, don't forget 'calibration' at the end.
For calibration your receiver needs the ability to be able to adjust the individual speaker volumes separately.

Other than that, all you need is a receiver either with a built in calibration program (or) you will have to purchase a DVD made to do a calibration and a SPL meter. This one step can allow a inexpensive bookshelf system to 'sound' better than a several thousand dollar setup, uncalibrated.

 

[Terri M]

Wow. That's a lot of good info.

I think I'm just too tired because I still don't think I understand the center speaker issue. I thought I read somewhere to have two. One above and one below. I made sure the cabinet had space for that placement. I just don't see how I can get the center at ear level. I can achieve that with the left and right, but not the center.

I'm looking at HSU speakers right now. I'm going to do a search as suggested.
I sent them my room dimensions but didn't hear back yet.

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Terri

 

[bassman99floyd]

Terri, the norm for a center speaker is to only have one per surround system. Not many receivers that I know of even support multiple center channel outputs. Maybe HT in a box might use dual center speakers, but it's a rarity.

A center speaker, as the name implies should be in the center of the TV, either above or below it, as space permits. Creating HT in your home, is all about speaker placement.

As you're watching a movie, the sound fields speaker placement creates, makes you, the viewer, become part of the movie, part of the action. As a car drives by on screen from left to right, you'll hear it first in the left speaker, then the center speaker, then the right where the audio fades away. If you're watching Star Wars for example, when the light sword is swung around, you'll hear it move in your living room thru all your speakers, as if it was swung all around your head, and that is the way it should sound. In a gun battle, the shooter is on the right on screen, you'll hear the gun shot out the right speaker. He might miss his intended target, so you hear the bullet ricochet off the left rear speaker, etc.

 

[Mary M S]

Jimmy, I like the planes passing by.
First up front in the center and mains,
then screaming past - behind you - in the surrounds.

Terri, I would not attempt using two center channels, more likely to smear your information. One is the norm. [just IMO]

Ear level is important, but center channels being centered is also paramount, very few HT's have ideal placement for their center, due to that little issue of the increase in size of displays!

One of the few is to have a permeable screen in a home projector setup. Then the center can be placed behind it, ear level.

Have fun shopping...but take a break if it gets too much. Although I'm sure you can't wait to have the whole room and home theater 'finished'.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

For home theaters in which is is impractical to have the center speaker at ear level (most of them, outside of a sound transparent FP screen), the way to get the desired center speaker sound is to place it below or above the screen and then angle the speaker up or down to aim it at ear level. A cheap laser pointer can help with this and other speaker placement. Just lay the laser pointer on top of the speaker, pointed forward, and adjust the angle until the pointer intersects ear level at the sweet spot.