speaker position suggestions

[Trumpton_Rioter]

Hi,

I have a new dedicated listening room again so I can set up my speakers and amp after 4 years in storage but I would like some suggestions as to the best place to position the speakers so that I limit the amount of sound heard in the lounge.

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag373/gtaylor1st/listening_room_speaker_placement_suggestions_zps33 79ad59.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/gtaylor1st/media/listening_room_speaker_placement_suggestions_zps33 79ad59.jpg.html)

I know that the best thing to do is experinemt in each of the 3 positions but was just after some thoughts and advice really.

I plan to make and put up some acoustic panels to try to limit the sound that leaks into the lounge through the adjoining brick wall.

I have a headphone setup so can use that if I want to really rock out when SWMBO is watching the TV.

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions.

[Reffc]

Hi,

I have a new dedicated listening room again so I can set up my speakers and amp after 4 years in storage but I would like some suggestions as to the best place to position the speakers so that I limit the amount of sound heard in the lounge.

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag373/gtaylor1st/listening_room_speaker_placement_suggestions_zps33 79ad59.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/gtaylor1st/media/listening_room_speaker_placement_suggestions_zps33 79ad59.jpg.html)

I know that the best thing to do is experinemt in each of the 3 positions but was just after some thoughts and advice really.

I plan to make and put up some acoustic panels to try to limit the sound that leaks into the lounge through the adjoining brick wall.

I have a headphone setup so can use that if I want to really rock out when SWMBO is watching the TV.

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions.


For a modestly sized room, you won't be able to limit the low frequency information irrespective of placement as it's omni-directional and the same amount will be transferred as acoustic energy through the separating wall at a similar level for most positions (although tight up against the wall you will get more direct energy transmitted more efficiently which isn't what you want). HF is easier to attenuate and that will be absorbed by the wall. You can avoid the obvious direct radiated energy close up by doing the obvious and not placing the speakers close to the wall.

If it were me, I'd try a position that you haven't considered on your sketch...speakers either side of the radiator along the external wall by the window with the seating position on the other wall. This will keep them well away from side walls so they should sound better than if place along the narrow wall where you'll get more issues with sidewall reflections.

Try it and see for yourself is the only way really. You can limit noise transference but to do that effectively (assuming it's a concrete floor and not suspended), you'd need the whole wall lined with a broad-band absorbing panel (think minimum 150mm glass wool panels built into a new stud wall constructed against the old one and lined with flame retardant acoustic covering). There are commercial "hard" panels you can buy for limiting noise transfer but they are frighteningly expensive to do a whole wall...possibly a few grand for your wall.

Try Studio-Spares or one of the other pro-audio outlets as they have "booth kits" for sound proofing, and the panels I think can be bought separately.

[Trumpton_Rioter]

thanks for the suggestion - I will give that a try like each of them and see what is best

[Rothchild]

C and B are roughly equivalent apart from the ergonomics of having a speaker (on a stand?) right next to the door. For this reason C would be my preference, and because it's generally better to fire speakers along the long axis of the room, although if there's only 30cm in it then it may not make that much of an issue (and the benefit of more symmetry with the window might pay off. If you went for C). I would look at moving the listening position back and the speakers forward a bit as in an all but cuboid room the worst nodes are going to be in the centre of it.

Soundproofing is expensive and difficult, sound treatment is easier and better value for general listening, as you said you've got your cans if you need to keep the noise down!