Speaker Placement

[TKoP]

I'm sure this is posted someplace already, but I figured it might not be bad to have a refresher anyway...


If you have a set of speakers with no ports, how close can you put them next to a wall without material negative effects?
If you have a set of speakers with front firing ports, how close can you put them next to a wall without material negative effects?
If you have a set of speakers with back firing ports, how close can you put them next to a wall without material negative effects?

I had 3' in my brain, but I think that might have been referring to ports firing backwards. I would imagine there would be "something" for no or front firing ports as well since most speakers I would assume would be designed with the baffle step issue in mind... or maybe they assume the speaker WILL be against a wall...

And of course there is the monster load of data that I'm not even thinking about...

 

[Zing]

Assuming you mean the wall behind the speakers...

For rear-ported speakers, I believe it's at least twice the diameter of the port. So if it's a 2" port, you'd want no less than 4".

For sealed and front-ported, you could place them right up to the wall - in theory. I can't say there wouldn't be any negative effects though.


Assuming you mean an adjacent wall, I don't think any speaker (regardless of port orientation or whether it's sealed) should be closer than 2-3' without some sort of acoustic panel.

 

[Flint]

Do some research on the boundary effect. The distance from the baffle to the wall behind will determine at at which frequency, and its harmonics, there will be a null and below which there will be reinforcement. The further a speaker is from the wall behind, the lower the null and the lower the reinforcement starts impacting the output.

To address your specific questions, as Zing has already addressed:

If you have a set of speakers with no ports, how close can you put them next to a wall without material negative effects?
A: There are no issues in regards to blocking a port, but the bass could be strongly reinforced by the wall it the upper frequencies and make the bass seem boomy and muddy. You also have to consider the impact on midrange and treble from edge diffraction.

If you have a set of speakers with front firing ports, how close can you put them next to a wall without material negative effects?
A: Same rules as for no ports.

If you have a set of speakers with back firing ports, how close can you put them next to a wall without material negative effects?
A: This, as mentioned already, is a simple rule: No less than the diameter of the port, but even better if double the diameter of the port should be between the port and the wall.

In all cases, the boundary effect is more critical than the the mere port.

 

[Rope]

Every model speaker and the listening area they will interact with are different and will produce different sound results. Grab a case of beer, measuring tape, couple of friends, let musical speaker placement and fun begin.

A room with poor bass reponse will benefit from speakers being place closer to the back and side walls. Bipolar speakers will benefit from ample room from walls, where as Klipsch Kornerhorns will sound their best snuggled in a corner.

Rope

 

[Haywood]

I generally try to keep mine at least a good foot out from the wall or whatever is behind them (a row of bookcases with glass doors, which is less than ideal).

 

[Flint]

Well... for ideal stereo imaging, definition, and clarity, I like speakers at least 3 feet from any wall.

 

[Haywood]

Well... for ideal stereo imaging, definition, and clarity, I like speakers at least 3 feet from any wall.

I would SO love to be able to do that. Unfortunately, it just isn't practical in my smallish living room. That is why I really want to buy a house where I can put a dedicated room someday. Still, 12-18 inches out is better than 4 any day.

 

[heeman]

Well... for ideal stereo imaging, definition, and clarity, I like speakers at least 3 feet from any wall.

Is this 3' from wall to the drivers or to the back of the Speaker Enclosure in a sealed design? The speakers in my case have 16" deep enclosures.

 

[Flint]

Once you are more than, say, a foot away from a wall, it doesn't matter if the speaker is sealed or vented. It only matters if it is sealed or vented when you are talking about placing a speaker against a wall, or as close as possible up to about 6 to 12 inches away.

In general, you want the speaker drivers away from walls (unless the speaker is designed for wall mounting, like those narrow tall speakers for mounting next to your flat screen TV, or any of the Allison speakers from the olden days).

If you go for those longer distances, you want to experiment. Depending the bass extension, distance from other reflective surfaces (floor, the four room walls, and ceiling) and any issues with Baffle Step compensation, the ideal placement will vary from speaker and room. Even your listening position matters.

Your original question was specifically addressing the low bass issues associated with placement against a wall. The entire story changes once you move away from the wall more than a foot. But, in general, most of the time, you'll get the best results in terms of midrange imaging, accuracy, detail, resolution, etc. if the speakers are away from all walls, the listener is away from all walls, and the early reflections are dealt with using either (or both) absorbers and diffusors.

 

[Haywood]

Your original question was specifically addressing the low bass issues associated with placement against a wall. The entire story changes once you move away from the wall more than a foot. But, in general, most of the time, you'll get the best results in terms of midrange imaging, accuracy, detail, resolution, etc. if the speakers are away from all walls, the listener is away from all walls, and the early reflections are dealt with using either (or both) absorbers and diffusors.

And for that, you generally need either a large space or a dedicated room.

 

[Zing]

I think I've had better-than-average success in having my speakers only 10 inches away from side walls but I think that's due in large part to the fact that 6 of those 10 inches are comprised of Roxul-filled bass traps.

 

[Flint]

Your original question was specifically addressing the low bass issues associated with placement against a wall. The entire story changes once you move away from the wall more than a foot. But, in general, most of the time, you'll get the best results in terms of midrange imaging, accuracy, detail, resolution, etc. if the speakers are away from all walls, the listener is away from all walls, and the early reflections are dealt with using either (or both) absorbers and diffusors.

And for that, you generally need either a large space or a dedicated room.

Right, you don't have a dedicated large room. Sorry. I wasn't really speaking to you in my post, I was speaking directly to Heeman and addressing his specific questions.

The problem with this sort of advice is everyone is an exception. Most cannot do what ideal, so they don't, because they can't, and they find ways to get pretty damn good results with the limitations they are faced with. But, just because one can get good results from less ideal scenarios doesn't mean the advice given to someone who has more options is bad advice. Everyone who has had to compromise would benefit from changing the situation where compromise was required where the advice for ideal conditions can be followed.

It is all shades of heaven... some people get to have a more prefect result without hindering the good results others get.

 

[Haywood]

Your original question was specifically addressing the low bass issues associated with placement against a wall. The entire story changes once you move away from the wall more than a foot. But, in general, most of the time, you'll get the best results in terms of midrange imaging, accuracy, detail, resolution, etc. if the speakers are away from all walls, the listener is away from all walls, and the early reflections are dealt with using either (or both) absorbers and diffusors.

And for that, you generally need either a large space or a dedicated room.

Right, you don't have a dedicated large room. Sorry. I wasn't really speaking to you in my post, I was speaking directly to Heeman and addressing his specific questions.

The problem with this sort of advice is everyone is an exception. Most cannot do what ideal, so they don't, because they can't, and they find ways to get pretty damn good results with the limitations they are faced with. But, just because one can get good results from less ideal scenarios doesn't mean the advice given to someone who has more options is bad advice. Everyone who has had to compromise would benefit from changing the situation where compromise was required where the advice for ideal conditions can be followed.

It is all shades of heaven... some people get to have a more prefect result without hindering the good results others get.

I think you misunderstood my intent. I wasn't disagreeing with you. I was just saying that it all depends on room size and placement options, so don't freak out if you can't get three feet.

 

[TKoP]

This all pretty much confirms what I remembered.. even the 3' was something I thought I remembered.

The genesis for the question is that I've been thinking of getting a decent set of real speakers (e.g., Usher S-520's) for my office -- the only realistic place to put them is on a thigh high book shelf in front of my desk. As you might imagine, there isn't much clearance. Give their intended use, I'm not terribly concerned about imaging, but I hate boomy.

 

[Botch]

.. even the 3' was something I thought I remembered.

If they're European speakers, should they be 1 meter from the wall instead? :think:

 

[Randy]

.. even the 3' was something I thought I remembered.

If they're European speakers, should they be 1 meter from the wall instead? :think:

Well yes, I thought everyone knew that. If not they will take on an incredibly unsophisticated "American" tone.