place/aim my surrounds

[just-some-guy]

hello, folks.

i am new to the 5.1 crowd. where would you put those speakers ? i had BOSTON HD5's up in the corner under the ledge thingy. you can see half of the bracket. they were mounted sideways. sounded fine for P/L. pretty weak for 5.1 . so i have yamaha ns 6390's to replace the bostons. they used to be my garage speakers, so they should do just fine for the surrounds.... anyway, they are kinda big. so i am wondering where i should hang them, and where should they be aimed. i was going to hang them from the brackets and aim them at my ears. but i thought i should ask first.

tia

oh. there is about 4' behind the couch. and i sit in the left seat (as you see it in the pic). its actually in the centerline of the room.

 

[just-some-guy]

and, no. my walls are not yellow. just a digi cam thing.

 

[Brian_the_King]

Don't aim them directly at your ears.. like the invisible line of sound that comes straight out from the tweeters should cross beyond your head, in this case in front of you. Hopefully that makes sense..

as for where to hang them.. I honestly don't know what I would do in your case. Where the brackets are seems fine to me but tbh i'm not sure what's 'best'.

 

[just-some-guy]

Don't aim them directly at your ears.. like the invisible line of sound that comes straight out from the tweeters should cross beyond your head, in this case in front of you. Hopefully that makes sense..

no, that doesn't make sense... you say to aim them behind my head. then say to aim them in front of my head.

 

[Brian_the_King]

Aim them in front of your head a little bit.

 

[just-some-guy]

ok. aim to ear level, or above ear level ? (sitting down, of course)

oh wait, sorry. i misread. i though you said "behind", when you said "beyond". sometimes i read too fast.

 

[Brian_the_King]

I would say above ear level since they are surrounds.. usually when speakers are 'above' you ears a little you get a false sense of increased soundstage, which is good for the ambient channels surrounds are usually responsible for.

That's kinda up for debate I suppose.. but it's what I would do

 

[jamie2112]

Place them where you can here them

 

[just-some-guy]

ok. would everyone concour with what BtK has said ? (silence is not golden, in this case)

2112 (fine album, btw) you make it sound as if it doesn't matter. and i am sure it does make a difference.

 

[aberkowitz]

Place them where you can here them

That's actually the best advice!! I have mine on stands on the sides of my couch, set back about 18-24 inches, at a height that just above ear level. They were placed b/c that's where they sounded best. I will occasionally adjust the stands if I feel I'm not getting the full sound effect, but it's probably all in my head!

 

[jamie2112]

ok. would everyone concour with what BtK has said ? (silence is not golden, in this case)

2112 (fine album, btw) you make it sound as if it doesn't matter. and i am sure it does make a difference.

I am not saying it doesn't matter. I am saying you should aim them where they sound good to you.......

 

[Adam]

Will you have the ability to move them after you hang them up? If so, then experimentation (like Jamie suggested) is the best approach. If you need to decide on an angle before hand, then that's a different story.

 

[just-some-guy]

I am not saying it doesn't matter. I am saying you should aim them where they sound good to you.......

well, ok. i'm just tryin to get an idea before i start drillin and screwin. then i can tweek from there.

 

[just-some-guy]

Will you have the ability to move them after you hang them up? If so, then experimentation (like Jamie suggested) is the best approach. If you need to decide on an angle before hand, then that's a different story.

with planning, and some luck. i will be able to turn them 80-90deg. and tilt them some (from horizontal). depends on where i mount the other half of the bracket, on the speaker.....i'm not "locked in" to using that location (where the brackets are). but it would make things much easier.

 

[just-some-guy]

ok. here is the initial placement. i can turn 90deg, and tilt down a little. i will be listening to them in a few hours.

 

[A/VUSMCSGT]

That pic you posted looks good to me.

Like others have said, there's no "right" way to install them. A dedicated theater room may be critically placed, but my old HT and the one I'm using now have the speakers in the rear corners at ceiling height and they sound great to me. Some surround scenes make me look around!

Put them where they sound the best and most realistic.