Minimum space between wall and speakers?? (1 Viewer)

[Levesque]

I have to use a big wood cabinet for the TV (wife matter). So my Paradigms Studio-40 will be 6 inches in front of the cabinet (then 3 feets from the back wall). Is 6 inches enough for those air intake on the back of the speakers? I don't seem to hear any difference from when the wood cabinet is not behind. Will it affect the sound in any way??

Thanx.

 

[John Garcia]

6" is not enough, IMO. I would recommend a minimum of 12". The "air intake", or rather tuned port, could cause some muddiness or boominess in the lower midrange by being that close.

 

[BrianWoerndle]

As long as the speaker is in front of the cabinet, it should be alright, especially if you can't hear a difference. Just don't put the speakers in the cabinet. That is very bad.

 

[Levesque]

So I got 2 different opinion here. I know everything is always grey, never black or white...

Is there a "recommend" distance or standard somewhere, or is it only trial and error?

 

[BrianWoerndle]

I agree with John, but that doesn't mean your setup is wrong.

A recommended distance is probably about 12"-18". But that is not always possibe. John is right that you may get a boomyness from the port. But if you don't hear a difference, and it sounds good to you, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

 

[John Garcia]

A wall is a little different from a cabinet, with respect to room modes, so the effect is likely not the same. That means (and we are going to go a little in circles now because I agree with Brian's statement) that if you don't hear a serious problem, go with that setup.

 

[Mike_Ch]

Levesque,
If you do find the Paradigms are still too boomy, experiment with different port bung materials (starting off with something like a sock, and then using some foam cylinders) to change the bass tuning- it will result in less extension and output, but this will probably be negated by the boundary effects of the cabinet.
Since you've already said you can't hear a difference, leave it there.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

8" spacing measured fine to me though I space my speakers about 15" from the front wall to make room for some acoustic panels.

I think 6" would sound ok because it is a cabinet that's behind the speakers so it may affect the sound differently than if it were a wall.

I think the best solution would be to ABA test it and listen closely to the amount of bass, or perhaps use an SPL meter and test tones.