How far away should front mains be from center speaker? (1 Viewer)

[Niel_JL]

I have 2 cabinets on either side of the TV. So the question is, do I place the front mains right next to the TV on each side or do I spread out the fronts and place them 6 feet away from the center channel, on the other side of the cabinets? Which would produce the best sound? I cannot place the speakers on the cabinets because they are of different heights. BTW, I use them 70%movie, 30%music.

 

[Mark Tranchant]

The "classic" suggestion is that for home cinema use, the mains should be wider spaced than the typical stereo spacing. I'd suggest trying them outside first.

You'll probably want to experiment with toe-in (angling the speakers inward) for music. Find a good piano solo recording, sit in your listening position, and gradually turn the speakers inwards until the piano "image" resolves. You'll hear what I mean.

If you can't get it to sound satisfactory, try inside. There's no hard and fast rules in this game.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

From Dolby Labs website: 3. Speaker placement
3.1 Front speaker placement
The left and right speakers should include an angle of from 45 to 60 degrees with the center-most viewer, as shown in Figure 6. An angle nearer to 45 degrees is preferred if you use your system mostly to watch movies, as it approximates the circumstances under which film soundtracks are mixed and monitored. A wider angle, with the left and right speakers further apart, is recommended if you use your system for music listening more often than watching movies.

Figure 6: Use the narrower angle if you mostly watch movies, and the wider angle if you mostly listen to music.
Click the above link to read the entire section.
Phil

 

[John Garcia]

The "rule of thumb", relative to what Phil is saying, is that they should be about as far apart as you are sitting from them, and possibly a little more, based on your personal taste.

 

[Albert M]

Another good question would be, how far apart should your mains be from each sidewall?

 

[John Garcia]

And how far from the wall behind them... Placement is very important, and is not quite as simple as it seems.