# Home Theater Layout



## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Ok, I feel I am a Home Theater Veteran. Since I was 9 I was fascinated by Home Theaters, mainly because of my father. And since than I have researched optimal layouts, sound wave physics, and so much more. I just moved out of my parents house, where I had a killer Home Theater layout. Where I sat had excellent bass response, and sound quality. But i'm surprised that it doesnt sound the same in my new room. The room dimensions are near the same, as well as the speaker placement, and seating placement. But I cannot hear the depth, clarity, and unlocalization as I did before. Before the bass came from the front and it sounded like it wasn't coming from the offset left side. Now it sounds its coming from the left side only.

I don't know how to fix this. I have tried moving the subwoofer to different locations of the room, and turning it around at the same location, to direct the vent in different directions to see if it helps or changes the attitude of the bass.

I guess the best way to describe the bass response now is it seems in my face in front of me, rather than embracing me all around.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi and welcome to the Shack!

It might help if we had a picture of your layout and a description of what equipment you are using particularly the sub?


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

My Set-Up

Main Home Audio/Video System Equipment ListEdit Value
1x Yamaha Natural Sound Stereo Receiver RX-V480 (Receiver)
1x Mitsubishi VS-4551 (TV)
1x Polk Audio CSi25 (Center Speaker)
2x Polk Audio R50 (Tower Speakers)
2x Sony Bookshelf Speakers (Surround Speakers)
1x KLH E-12DBN (Subwoofer)
Acoustic Research 18 ga. Performance Series Speaker Wire 

A crude, yet decent representation of my set-up










I drew it on paint in about 10 minutes, and last night, i measured my room to make sure all of this would fit.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, by looking at the picture have you tried moving the sub to the back corner by the bed on the same side as the door? This would make a huge difference in the sub level and frequency response.


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

I did, it changed the attitude, but still not the same as when i had it set-up at my parents. Before the door was on the opposite side of the same wall, and the sub in the corner where the door is now.

And before the bass was embracing, enticing and un locatable. I wish i could have that again...

is there any suggestions to fix that?

I mean i cant think of too much to fix it, cuz i cant crank it too much...in an apartment complex now.

So, I need to extract the most efficient placement of my sub so it sounds best from my seating location without having to crank it to hear the clarity of it.

TO describe how it is now, i feel likes its a dead-spot, i dont hear much bass, but about a foot over near the wall near the closet, i hear the bass clearly...would swapping my tower and sub location maybe change things?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

the_rookie said:


> I mean i cant think of too much to fix it, cuz i cant crank it too much...in an apartment complex now.


You kind of hit the nail on the head here. I think your main issue is first of all the room layout is not ideal as the bed is acting like a huge bass trap and the level your probably running the sub at is most likely to soft. What sub did your parents use?


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Actually, the layout is near identical to what i had before, except my bed is actually a fouton. I had it set-up the same layout as it is in the picture. Except my sub was swapped with the left front speaker, and my fouton was in the couch position instead of bed position. Will that change alot of the bass response?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

A bed would defiantly absorb allot more of the bass compared to a futon..


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Im gonna try swapping the sub, and left front too, to see if i can move the center of my bass projection hopefully more towards where i sit


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Well It changed the attitude of the bass response of my room. Hmmm...well i guess it is slightly different because my fouton was in the corner where the closet is at currently, so i had better cornering bass response.

How can home theaters over-come dead-spots for bass? Is it inevitable when having a home theater? Or are there methods, or equipment to overcome dead-spots?


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## redfury (Nov 28, 2008)

I know this is a couple of months past, but the first thing that I thought of as a potential major change to the room is the flooring itself. He's in an apartment, but the flooring...more importantly the subfloor may have been designed to absorb sound to keep noise levels down for other apt. dwellers vs. the subfloor used in his parents home. May have been just plywood on 2x10 construction. That might be part of the localization problem...the new floor is absorbing a lot of the sound and not letting it reverberate throughout the room.

Don't color me an audiophile though, I'm just thinking outside the box not taking any of the equipment into the equation.


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Interesting...However i believe its Concrete. My parents house had...wood...not sure how thick and such.


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## redfury (Nov 28, 2008)

Hmmm. Well, I'm running my sub in the corner of the room in my basement ( directly on concrete at the moment ). Other than the fact that I know where the sub is, it fills the room nicely. Perhaps I'll throw a piece of carpet under it and see what the difference is. I do have a suspended ceiling though, that might be part of it.

What are the walls made out of, plaster, sheet rock or ??


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

sheetrock i believe


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