Where you are going to install your high-end hi-fi system is important. So choose your room or rather your ‘listening room’ from one of the rooms in your home. The size of the room will definitely affect the sound of your speakers. Here are some things you need to consider when choosing your ‘listening room’.
1. Size matters – You listening room should not be too small or too big for your speakers. If the speakers are small it will not fill the room properly with the sound and if they are too large there will be too much sound in the room.
2. Right dimensions – Choose a room where the dimensions, height, length and width are not the same. If the dimensions are the same then the sound waves will bounce off the roof and walls and converge in the center of the room at the same time. This will cause distortions in the sound, especially with the bass sounds.
3. Placing your speakers – Place your speakers in the optimal position in your room in regards to listening position and room boundaries. The right position will depend on the speakers but you will have to work with trial and error to get the right position for your listening room.
4. Room Furnishings – You will need to check what furnishing is in the room as this will affect the sound. Soft furnishing and carpets will reduce the bass and echo but too much carpets in the room will diminish the mid-band and treble.
5. Walls – Solid walls with pictures or wall ornaments will help in breaking up the standing waves and help in creating a better sound.
6. Loose items – If there are loose items in the room, it will vibrate and cause unpleasant sounds. So try to avoid keeping loose items in the listening room.
7. Comfort – One of the most important aspects of your listening room should be its comfort. Listening to music in a comfortable atmosphere is pleasurable, so make sure your room is comfortable.
Positioning the Speakers
After making sure your listening room is all set up correctly, you will need to start positioning your speakers. Taking some time to properly position your hi-fi speakers will help get your sound right. Here are some tips you can use.
1. Distance between Speakers – Place your speakers at least 1.5 meters away from each other (let’s call this D1); this of course depends on the size of the speakers. Depending on the size and type of speakers you have, you might need to have more space between them. D1 is the distance between the two speakers.
2. Listening Distance – Draw an imaginary horizontal line between the two speakers, and draw another imaginary vertical line from the horizontal line – D1 to your listening position D2 (like a ‘T’). The distance from the center of the horizontal line D1 to your listening position D2 should not be less than the distance between your two speakers.
3. Toed In– Speakers are normally designed to be placed in a ‘toed in” position. Place your speakers in an angle where they face toward your listening position. This is very important and can only be found by trial and error, so take some time and work with it till you get the best sound. Draw an imaginary line from each speaker and see if it converges in front of your listening position.
Positioning your Hi-Fi
Though properly positioning your hi-fi system is not as critical as positioning your speakers, yet you will need to take some care where you set it up. Basically you can place your hi-fi components anywhere in the room, provided you have sufficient cable length to connect them to the speakers. However, it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Cable Length – The longer the cables the lower will be the quality of the sound. So it would be best to keep the cables as short as possible. The optimal position for placing your hi-fi source component is in between the two speakers. If your speakers are positioned at a distance of 1.5 meters apart from each other, then the length of your cable should be just about a meter long. For safety reasons it is best not to run your cables in a straight line from your hi-fi source component. So take that into consideration and allow a little bit more slack in the cabling.
2. Positioning the Hi-Fi Components – You will need to make sure that the equipment is placed in a place where it is not affected by other vibrations.
3. Surround Sound – When connecting your surround sound speakers, you will obviously have to use more cables but you will need to make sure that they are not left hanging loose or in places where it could cause you to trip.
Once you have successfully set up your listening room, speaker and hi-fi source component, you can start enjoying your new high-end hi-fi system. As you use your hi-fi system, you might want to experiment and change things around in the room to get better sound.
About the Author:
Malcolm Stewart is the owner and manager of kensingtonav.com - an Audio Visual company specializing in High-End Hi-Fi Systems and Home Automation in London.
1. Size matters – You listening room should not be too small or too big for your speakers. If the speakers are small it will not fill the room properly with the sound and if they are too large there will be too much sound in the room.
2. Right dimensions – Choose a room where the dimensions, height, length and width are not the same. If the dimensions are the same then the sound waves will bounce off the roof and walls and converge in the center of the room at the same time. This will cause distortions in the sound, especially with the bass sounds.
3. Placing your speakers – Place your speakers in the optimal position in your room in regards to listening position and room boundaries. The right position will depend on the speakers but you will have to work with trial and error to get the right position for your listening room.
4. Room Furnishings – You will need to check what furnishing is in the room as this will affect the sound. Soft furnishing and carpets will reduce the bass and echo but too much carpets in the room will diminish the mid-band and treble.
5. Walls – Solid walls with pictures or wall ornaments will help in breaking up the standing waves and help in creating a better sound.
6. Loose items – If there are loose items in the room, it will vibrate and cause unpleasant sounds. So try to avoid keeping loose items in the listening room.
7. Comfort – One of the most important aspects of your listening room should be its comfort. Listening to music in a comfortable atmosphere is pleasurable, so make sure your room is comfortable.
After making sure your listening room is all set up correctly, you will need to start positioning your speakers. Taking some time to properly position your hi-fi speakers will help get your sound right. Here are some tips you can use.
1. Distance between Speakers – Place your speakers at least 1.5 meters away from each other (let’s call this D1); this of course depends on the size of the speakers. Depending on the size and type of speakers you have, you might need to have more space between them. D1 is the distance between the two speakers.
2. Listening Distance – Draw an imaginary horizontal line between the two speakers, and draw another imaginary vertical line from the horizontal line – D1 to your listening position D2 (like a ‘T’). The distance from the center of the horizontal line D1 to your listening position D2 should not be less than the distance between your two speakers.
3. Toed In– Speakers are normally designed to be placed in a ‘toed in” position. Place your speakers in an angle where they face toward your listening position. This is very important and can only be found by trial and error, so take some time and work with it till you get the best sound. Draw an imaginary line from each speaker and see if it converges in front of your listening position.
Positioning your Hi-Fi
Though properly positioning your hi-fi system is not as critical as positioning your speakers, yet you will need to take some care where you set it up. Basically you can place your hi-fi components anywhere in the room, provided you have sufficient cable length to connect them to the speakers. However, it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Cable Length – The longer the cables the lower will be the quality of the sound. So it would be best to keep the cables as short as possible. The optimal position for placing your hi-fi source component is in between the two speakers. If your speakers are positioned at a distance of 1.5 meters apart from each other, then the length of your cable should be just about a meter long. For safety reasons it is best not to run your cables in a straight line from your hi-fi source component. So take that into consideration and allow a little bit more slack in the cabling.
2. Positioning the Hi-Fi Components – You will need to make sure that the equipment is placed in a place where it is not affected by other vibrations.
3. Surround Sound – When connecting your surround sound speakers, you will obviously have to use more cables but you will need to make sure that they are not left hanging loose or in places where it could cause you to trip.
Once you have successfully set up your listening room, speaker and hi-fi source component, you can start enjoying your new high-end hi-fi system. As you use your hi-fi system, you might want to experiment and change things around in the room to get better sound.
About the Author:
Malcolm Stewart is the owner and manager of kensingtonav.com - an Audio Visual company specializing in High-End Hi-Fi Systems and Home Automation in London.
