Bookshelf speakers (front) placement, setup

[krisztoforo]

My living room is going through a makeover and the end result is that I will have to use bookshelf speakers for the fronts (Infinity Kappa 200), moreover they will have to sit in a shelf unit. Now I have some flexibility in designing the bookshelf system itself, I'd appreciate any advice, links as to what's the best way to do this without losing too much due to the fact that they will be somewhat enclosed within the boundaries of the shelf unit.
What are the major do's and do not's?
Thanks!

 

[Jack Hammer]

My living room is going through a makeover and the end result is that I will have to use bookshelf speakers for the fronts (Infinity Kappa 200), moreover they will have to sit in a shelf unit. Now I have some flexibility in designing the bookshelf system itself, I'd appreciate any advice, links as to what's the best way to do this without losing too much due to the fact that they will be somewhat enclosed within the boundaries of the shelf unit.
What are the major do's and do not's?
Thanks!

Not my forte', but I know you want to make sure the speaker itself sticks out past the edge of the shelf to avoid reflections.

Jack

 

[Jacksmyname]

Take a look at the Mirage HDT-F-MKII:
http://www.miragespeakers.com/v2/product_page.php?open=lines&subid=429&id=430

Jack

 

[krisztoforo]

Take a look at the Mirage HDT-F-MKII:
http://www.miragespeakers.com/v2/product_page.php?open=lines&subid=429&id=430

Jack

Thanks Guys, great tip. So both replies mention to move the front of the speaker flush or stick out a bit from the cabinet. Anything else to watch for?

 

[Nick250]

Thanks Guys, great tip. So both replies mention to move the front of the speaker flush or stick out a bit from the cabinet. Anything else to watch for?

You probably don't want a rear ported speaker.

Nick

 

[krisztoforo]

You probably don't want a rear ported speaker.

Nick

Really? What's the reason for that? It's pretty hard to find front ported bookshelf speakers, isn't it?

 

[MDS]

Any speaker with a rear port ideally should be placed at least 1-2 feet from a wall so that the speaker can breathe; otherwise the force of the air expelled from the port may change the character of the sound as it bounces around in the enclosed space of a cabinet.

Many moons ago I had bookshelf sized speakers placed on their sides on the shelves of a wall unit and I didn't think it sounded bad at all but like Nick was saying it isn't necessarily the best way. You may be able to find front ported or sealed bookshelves but if you end up with rear ported bookshelves it will probably be ok anyway.

 

[Nick250]

Really? What's the reason for that? It's pretty hard to find front ported bookshelf speakers, isn't it?

Fortunately we have MDS to help. He is much better at putting this sort of thing in a perspective than myself. I have a pair of Paradigm Studio 20 v2 that are rear ported and I just ran downstairs and did a one minute test. Right against the wall they sound compressed and the sound level was lower. As I moved them away from the wall they gained clarity and volume. That happened in the first foot, beyond that there was no difference in my very unscientific, seat of the pants observations. Other rear ported speakers might react differently. Food for thought.

Nick

 

[krisztoforo]

Fortunately we have MDS to help. He is much better at putting this sort of thing in a perspective than myself. I have a pair of Paradigm Studio 20 v2 that are rear ported and I just ran downstairs and did a one minute test. Right against the wall they sound compressed and the sound level was lower. As I moved them away from the wall they gained clarity and volume. That happened in the first foot, beyond that there was no difference in my very unscientific, seat of the pants observations. Other rear ported speakers might react differently. Food for thought.
Nick

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I just have to try and hear it myself and worst case I need to find a pair of sealed speakers and that will solve my problems

 

[j_garcia]

Sealed speakers do not solve the problem. Proximity to walls and other surfaces will still give you boundary effects, though quite a bit less than with rear ported speakers. IMO, I would design the space for the speakers as large as possible, regardless of the size of the speaker. Built in wall cabinets are basically the worst choice for good sound IMO, but if that's what you want, it can be done; it may just take a bit more futzing with to get the sound just right.

 

[krisztoforo]

Sealed speakers do not solve the problem. Proximity to walls and other surfaces will still give you boundary effects, though quite a bit less than with rear ported speakers.

Even if it "sticks" out a bit from the shelf unit like it was suggested before? It's not gonna be recessed into the wall or anything, it will be a shelf/cabinet system.

IMO, I would design the space for the speakers as large as possible, regardless of the size of the speaker. Built in wall cabinets are basically the worst choice for good sound IMO, but if that's what you want, it can be done; it may just take a bit more futzing with to get the sound just right.

I can't change the fact that it has to be a shelf/cabinet system..I can definitely change dimensions/arrangements as it's still in the design phase.

 

[MDS]

If the cabinet in which the bookshelf speaker is placed has close to 1 foot of space behind the speaker for the rear port and you pull the front of the speaker flush or slightly beyond the edge of the shelf to minimize boundary effects, it will work out ok.

Actually there is a rule of thumb for distance from the rear wall but I forget what it is at the moment. I think it is 2-3 times the diameter of the largest driver. If that is right, 1 foot away from the rear of the cabinet would work fine for a bookshelf with a 6" woofer.

You have to work with what you've got. Just do the best you can. It's not like it is going to sound horrible - it just may not be ideal.

 

[krisztoforo]

If the cabinet in which the bookshelf speaker is placed has close to 1 foot of space behind the speaker for the rear port and you pull the front of the speaker flush or slightly beyond the edge of the shelf to minimize boundary effects, it will work out ok.

Actually there is a rule of thumb for distance from the rear wall but I forget what it is at the moment. I think it is 2-3 times the diameter of the largest driver. If that is right, 1 foot away from the rear of the cabinet would work fine for a bookshelf with a 6" woofer.

Yes, the woofer is 6.5" and I will have about 12" behind the rear of the speaker cabinet if I pull it out a bit. Also the speaker cabinet itself is quite deep (about 13"), I don't know if that matters or not.

 

[krisztoforo]

I've read this in a white-paper I found on Infinity's website (http://www.infinitysystems.com/homeaudio/technology/whitepapers/inf-rooms_1.pdf):

Page 13:
"Speakers surrounded by empty space in an overly large cavity will have their sound degraded by the acoustical resonances in the open spaces. To avoid this, fill the empty space with fiberglass wool or other fibrous material...Cover the filling or the entire opening with a porous, open weave grille cloth."

Is this something you guys recommend?

 

[j_garcia]

Basically what they are suggesting is some egg-crate type sound dampening material within the shelf area where the speaker is located, most notably behind the port. If you can get away with it aesthetically, I'd do it.

My friend built his cabinets into the wall, as you are doing, and he covered the speaker locations with doors covered with acoustically transparent material (speaker grille cloth) and it sounds decent. Not nearly as good as those same speakers sounded in my room on stands a few feet from the wall (Paradigm Studio 40s)

Make sure you make your gear accessible!!!! My friend had a laundry room on the opposite side of his wall, so he put in an access panel to get to the gear. If you can't do that, you might consider some kind of sliding rail system.