How Wide?

[icehockeyboy]

Always had the front left and right speakers more or less in line with the edges of the screen, so they are approx 45 inches apart, but now have the opportunity to place them wider but is approximately 19 feet apart too wide?

Thinking about it that's how far the rear speakers are apart anyway.........

[Barry]

Always had the front left and right speakers more or less in line with the edges of the screen, so they are approx 45 inches apart, but now have the opportunity to place them wider but is approximately 19 feet apart too wide?

Thinking about it that's how far the rear speakers are apart anyway.........

Ideally the front speakers ought to be close to the edge of the screen, otherwise the brain has to struggle with the difference between the visual image width, as seen by the eyes, with the audio image width, as heard by the ears. This is especially apparent when live music concerts are broadcast.

[icehockeyboy]

Ideally the front speakers ought to be close to the edge of the screen, otherwise the brain has to struggle with the difference between the visual image width, as seen by the eyes, with the audio image width, as heard by the ears. This is especially apparent when live music concerts are broadcast.

Cheers Barry.

Anyone else care to comment?

[Macca]

Nineteen feet sounds like a bit much! As aways though you have to try it and see. I find that as your watching an image your brain tends to dwell less on all the hi-fi things such as soundstage and micro dynamics etc blah blah so they matter a lot less. Best advice I can give is if you are using a centre speaker get rid and rely on your front L & R, works much better especially with music programme.

[Spectral Morn]

A few feet to either side of the screen would be the very max one should go, but ideally just to either side of the screen is spot on with the centre speaker under the screen but placed just to the right of the screen centre line. In regards to rear spacing draw imaginary lines out from the front speakers to the rear wall and place rear speakers within that square or rectangle one at each corner and one in the centre if its a 6.1 set up.

The mistake many make is to take the speakers outside of that and place them further apart than is ideal. Keeping it symmetrical is a good idea too.

Good article here http://www.boyceaudio.com/technotes/HTLayoutPart2.html and here http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-ent...peaker-set-up/


Regards Neil

[icehockeyboy]

A few feet to either side of the screen would be the very max one should go, but ideally just to either side of the screen is spot on with the centre speaker under the screen but placed just to the right of the screen centre line. In regards to rear spacing draw imaginary lines out from the front speakers to the rear wall and place rear speakers within that square or rectangle one at each corner and one in the centre if its a 6.1 set up.

The mistake many make is to take the speakers outside of that and place them further apart than is ideal. Keeping it symmetrical is a good

Good article here http://www.boyceaudio.com/technotes/HTLayoutPart2.html and here http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-ent...peaker-set-up/


Regards Neil

Never ever heard of putting the centre speaker anywhere else other than dead centre........?

[Spectral Morn]

Never ever heard of putting the centre speaker anywhere else other than dead centre........?

Its a THX thing if I recall right and its only a smidge off centre. So place Centre speaker dead centre of screen then move it a smidge to the right so its just off centre.


Regards Neil

[nat8808]

Wouldn't it be ideal to have a very wide (and large in general) screen and a wide soundstage via widely spaced speakers?

By having your speakers next to or close to the edge of a screen which isn't of the ideal size, you end up compromising both audio AND visual.

You can achieve the ideal soundstage width to your taste and then just live with the visual compromise. That's how I would do it - I'm only two channel but am perfectly happy to have wide speaker placement with a small screen, sometimes even just with a laptop screen.

It doesn't bother me the mismatch but I do very much enjoy the wider stereo.

Theory should go out the window for a matter of personal taste - kind of what Macca says above.

[icehockeyboy]

Cheers gents!

Some of you mention stereo, but I don't use the AV stuff for music, and I was thinking the effects of an airplane or similar sound effect would be more convincing if it swept from one side of my room to the other, and not just right side of the 46" screen to the left side of it. Or vice versa of course.

[Macca]

You should set up your front l/r speakers exactly as you would for 2 channel music. So six to eight feet apart depending on how far away you are seated. Telly slap in the centre of them. As I said before ditch the centre speaker and reconfigure output from your amp accordingly. Too much material has a lot of the sound coming from the centre which gives you mono sound and unless you have paid out a lot for it can overload the speaker if using a decent volume level. The stereo pair will do a much better job of creating a phantom centre channel since they shate the load. You may also find it is easier to hear dialogue this way too.