[ati]

I just got some new speakers and I was wondering what the proper placement should be for them. The slave speaker on the left has a pretty short cable and can barley reach both ends of my desk without being pulled taught. Maybe I can make a cable for it if needed. This is how they are currently setup:

They are about 42 inches apart and are angled inward slightly but not directly pointing to my head. My head is about 44 inches away.


This is how far apart they can go max:


How should I have them placed in regards to my listening position and the back wall?

[johan851]

Do they have a port on the back? If so, they should be a bit further from the wall. In general a bit of space between them and the wall is good.

Otherwise, the standard approach is a equilateral triangle. They should face straight out and be equidistant from each other and your head. This makes a difference on speakers that have been tested for phase interference between multiple drivers where direction and distance actually matter - it might not make much of a difference for your particular speakers.

[ati]

So toe in is not recommended with my setup?

[Sir Barton]

Originally Posted by ati

So toe in is not recommended with my setup?

That depends, how does it sound to you? Generally, you want your head and the speakers to form an equilateral triangle to get the proper stereo effect.

[pwnmachine]

I would place them on the far corners as you have them in the last pic, with them angled towards your seating position.

[johan851]

I wouldn't angle them in, but do whatever sounds best to you. That's what really matters.

[pwnmachine]

Originally Posted by johan851

I wouldn't angle them in, but do whatever sounds best to you. That's what really matters.

I can see why you would say that, I guess it depends on the speakers themselves...

I have a set of Logitechs and they sound best with angled placement.

[Railgun]

I've got the MM-1s, though I've not played with them in terms of angling, not angling...and they're used for rears.

You angle them depending on how well their imaging is off axis. If at, say, 3 deg certain response drops 3dB, then angle them to point to the listening position. But as /\ said, do what your ears tell you.

They do not have a port in the rear.

[PanteraGSTK]

Toeing in a pair of speakers can help the stereo image if the speakers don't create a good one when the aren't toed in. It all depends on the speaker system.

[johan851]

You angle them depending on how well their imaging is off axis. If at, say, 3 deg certain response drops 3dB, then angle them to point to the listening position. But as /\ said, do what your ears tell you.

Exactly. Mine have tweeters offset from center to help deal with interference on axis. They're designed to work well off axis, so I don't angle them at anything. They sound weird if I point them both right at my head.

[Pinky]

Originally Posted by PanteraGSTK

Toeing in a pair of speakers can help the stereo image if the speakers don't create a good one when the aren't toed in. It all depends on the speaker system.

Since nearly everything WE would buy aren't going to be the best at imaging (ie - not high end), it would seem sensible that he will need to angle them even if just slightly.

No subwoofer? How does sound without one?

[PanteraGSTK]

Originally Posted by Pinky

Since nearly everything WE would buy aren't going to be the best at imaging (ie - not high end), it would seem sensible that he will need to angle them even if just slightly.

No subwoofer? How does sound without one?

You'd be surprised at how good of a speaker you can get for not all that much money. Granted the DIY speakers are better than almost anything you can buy...but that's a whole other discussion.

[Pinky]

99% of the people on this forum are either using PC speakers or low/mid range retail solutions. Answers to questions should assume the level of the gear involved. People with higher end or more specialized gear would be on different forums asking input/advice. Us regulars that answer questions in this forum have most of the higher end stuff being use (although I would not consider my solution high end, it is compared to 99% of the forum membership's). We can argue about whether our speakers should be angled or not, but that would serve no purpose to most people here. While we're at it, should have some form of insulation under them so they don't resonate into the desk.

[PanteraGSTK]

Originally Posted by Pinky

99% of the people on this forum are either using PC speakers or low/mid range retail solutions. Answers to questions should assume the level of the gear involved. People with higher end or more specialized gear would be on different forums asking input/advice. Us regulars that answer questions in this forum have most of the higher end stuff being use (although I would not consider my solution high end, it is compared to 99% of the forum membership's). We can argue about whether our speakers should be angled or not, but that would serve no purpose to most people here. While we're at it, should have some form of insulation under them so they don't resonate into the desk.

Yeah, very true. Heck, I've got my little Cambridge Soundworks (Creative) speakers toed in and they sound great (for what they are). Didn't mean to go overboard...

[pwnmachine]

Pinky nailed it, I am running a pretty low end pair of speakers. I rarely use them and they aren't even plugged in, I primarily use headsets of which I have several hi-end sets...