Loudspeaker Placement & HT Layout - An Essential Guide

[ryanosaur]

When speaking of speaker placement I always wonder if there is ideal distance that one need to space the left and right front channels from the tv or screen? I often see pictures where the person have a lot of space on left and right of the tv and yet the front left and right ate right next to the screen!!

You can get into a conversation about diffraction effect of the TV screen and how audible it is… I’ve seen pros say that it is and may not be a problem.
Common recommendation for best practice is to have a minimum of 1’ from the baffle to the screen. Further would be better.
Truthfully, Center placement seems more the concern in that case than Mains, but for those trying to shoehorn a whole system into a tight space….
more commonly than worrying about the Screen, it is other furniture like a console or built in that also can provide serious obstacles to proper set up. Tucking any speaker into a cubby or in a shelf can be just as much a flaw to proper setup and radiation patterns as the question you ask.

Regardless, for Mains, especially Towers, getting them placed and properly spaced is key: this includes distance to front wall, side walls, from each other and the main Listening Position.
Every room poses its own unique challenges in terms of acoustics, and that is before we put our own stamp the room and begin discussing aesthetics! Sadly, proper set up doesn’t always look good… (seldom looks good)… or play nicely with the sensibilities of interior design.

In the end, worrying about potential diffraction effects ends up being pretty low on the list. It’s not that you shouldn’t think about it, but it is likely the least important part of the equation after making certain all other aspects of proper setup are met. (After the spacing concerns above, you still have to set tweeter height and toe-in angles for best sound, too.) of course, once you do get everything else adjusted, and if you do have the luxury of spacing your speakers from the screen after getting everything else, then do so!

 

[Oddball]

Dedicated and large HT rooms, especially with PJs and AT screens, have the luxury of being able to follow the proper speaker placement for the most part.

Once you are in the multi-purpose room, a smaller room with obstructions like doors etc, or in residential buildings/close by neighbours, it becomes challenging. That is when we come in and get it done compromising one thing at the time .

What I found most difficult in my large and irregularly shaped loft was to tame the bass modes, not in or around the MLP as with 4 subs and some EQ that is an easy task, but so that they don't disturb the neighbours and my family on upper floors. So basically to eliminate those +12 or more dB peaks that were lingering in the hallways, kitchen and the dinning room and that were not that audible to me (except occasional rattling) but were plague to the others. And all while still keeping decent performance of the subs at the MLP. That in turn required some other adjustments to placing L/R towers but ended all well.

Big TVs (aka 85-98") are also difficult to incorporate in a decent HT, but at the end of they day they are 50% (or so) of the experience, so some compromise is warranted. These setups might require a smaller soundstage and depending on the screen size around 2m/6.5feet listening distance to maintain "large" FOV and display immersion, at least for the LCR. At that point, your other speakers might have to follow to keep the bubble symmetrical. But the good news is the closer you are to the (right) speakers, less you worry about the room and reflections .