Speaker placement is crucial, especially if you care about the sound experience you get in your home listening or entertainment. Of course, you do! However, finding the exact spot that works pretty well for your speakers may be a painful experience. This guide shows you how to use the speaker placement calculator.
The Golden Ratio
Placing your speakers the right way can open a whole new dimension to your listening experience. The golden ratio has become the standard method for speaker placement in the audio industry.
The method is a standardized listening room and is the model of math applied in the system and works with any box speaker placed in any reasonably sized rectangular room. You can also use the ear and the method to make the placement less erratic.
Also, when placing speakers in a rectangular room, the active nodes form the primary concern. Usually, the node where speakers and parallel walls interact is proportional to the distance between the speaker and the wall.
Generally, the three key nodes are proportional to the distance between the speaker and:
- The sidewall that is closer to the speaker
- The rear wall
- The sidewall across from the speaker
The speaker-to-speaker is a secondary factor. And, when you use this method to set up your room, they should be placed in a manner that the three nodes either progress or differ from one another in Golden Ratio.
As a result, any form of unison or near unison resonance is eliminated from the nodes.
Guideline For Speaker Placement
Generally, the sound is a longitudinal wave that travels through media and bounces back when it hits an obstacle. The ear can perceive both the original sound and the reflected one.
If you change your sitting position or the position of speakers in a room, you will quickly realize the difference in sound.
For the best listening experience, follow the guidelines below.
Step 1: Keep The Distance Between Sidewalls And Two Speakers The Same
To ensure the audio from one speaker behaves similarly to the audio from the other speaker, keep the distance between the back walls to two speakers the same.
If your speakers are rear-ported, they must be placed away from the walls to perform better.
However, front-ported speakers are much more flexible, so the audio quality will not be highly affected if they are placed close to the walls.
Step 2: Use The 1/3 Rd Rule
With this rule, assume you have a rectangular room. Divide the room into three equal parts. In the first and last 1/3 rds, put your speakers. This speaker placement method helps reduce standing waves together with sound reflections.
Step 3: Adjust The Speakers
Now toe-in the speakers inwards such that they create an equilateral triangle between the two speakers and the listener in a way that they meet at a point that goes behind the listener. Adjust the angle to get a spot where the audio delivers the best soundstage and imaging.
Stereo imaging refers to a situation where the sound comes from different places. Therefore, the sound should come out so that the listener feels that they are standing in front of him as the vocals come from various points.
Step 4: Place Speakers At Ear Level
Make sure you place the speakers at your ear level. For instance, if you use bookshelf speakers, pace them on a tall height to align the tweeters with your ears properly.
Step 5: Place An Object Between The Speakers
Placing a large or small object between the speakers and listeners, such as a DVD stack, helps to reduce sound reflection.
Step 6: The Golden Ratio
Rectangular Room
If your room is rectangular, then based on the Golden Ratio Formula:
- The distance from the center of the woofer to the sidewall equals Room width (RW) x 0.276
- The distance between the center of the woofer to the rear wall equals Room width (RW) x 0.447.
Stereo Speaker Placement Calculator
A stereo speaker placement calculator is a simple tool that you can use to compute the most commonly used speaker placement metrics and recommendations.
When using any rules such as the Golden Rule, remember that the speakers should be placed along the most extended dimension of a rectangular room.
Also, it is essential to note that the calculators are theoretical approximations to help you place speakers in an ideal way. You should, therefore, only use the calculator as starting point before you move and then adjust the speakers appropriately to fit your listening needs.
Therefore, the speaker placement calculator helps you calculate the ideal position, also called sweet spot, to place your speaker. The method only uses the dimensions of your room to identify the best placement.
The calculations are based on proportions. You should therefore use any unit of measurement that you are comfortable with. Besides, all the measurements are done from the front center of the speaker.
To use the calculator;
Step 1: Key in the length of your room.
Step 2: Key in the breadth of your room.
Step 3: The calculator automatically computes the ideal distance between speakers, the correct speaker placement from the front wall, and the sweet spot from the front wall.
Real Trap 38% Option 1
This option is designed to offer the flattest bass response in some rooms. The method was initially intended for near-field monitoring environments and worked well with some desktop setups.
When you enter the length and breadth measurements, this calculator automatically returns results for:
- The space between speakers
- Head to main wall distance
- Speaker from the main wall
- Speaker from sidewall
Real Trap 38% Option 2
This option is quite similar to option 1. It, however, moves back to the rear 38% mark of the room, mainly to doge the room modes.
The calculator will work well if you do recordings in the room in front of the monitoring station.
Rule Of Thirds (29% Version)
This is yet another placement method you can use to calculate stereo speaker placement. Suitable for a start and then backing up the speakers to achieve an enhanced listening experience.
Cardas
Cardas works pretty well for classical, and any other listening needs. It’s, however, disadvantageous as the speakers may end up taking the entire room.
Cardas Option 2
This Cardas is beneficial for speaker placement if you have a square room. The method returns similar results as the methods we already described.