# Setting up hi-fi speakers and sub in the corner?



## feck (Sep 5, 2011)

I'm planning on measuring my uncle's tv room with rew coming up here in the next few weeks. I have some knowledge on studio acoustics but I have no idea about tv/hifi stuff and I'm still pretty green on acoustics in general. I would like to know some basic stuff about how to optimize his tv and hifi speaker setup before I go and measure it. I guess I'll just list the potential problems I foresee based on what I know about the way it's set up

- The tv and speakers are corner oriented. How bad is that? Is there a way to optimize a corner setup if we are unable to move it out of the corner?

- The ceiling slopes up on two sides and meets in the middle, therefore the corner orientation means extreme asymmetry (behind the left speaker the wall goes up 8 ft and then slants inward for another 8ish, and behind the right speaker, the wall goes all the way up to where the slanted ceiling stops it). Also there are windows on the adjacent walls that are not quite the same at the first reflection points on each side. If space permits, wouldn't it be best to have the setup centered against the wall with the sloping ceiling? However that would make the first reflection point even more asymmetrical as one side would be windows and the other would be a wall shared with a bathroom. 

- The speakers are far shy of an equilateral triangle from the center seat on the main couch. Is this important if he usually just sits wherever? Should I be trying to create the ideal listening position in that center seat and then telling him to sit his down right there always? 

Sorry that ended up being a lot of questions but thanks for your help if actually read all of that. I know most decisions will probably depend more on the measurement results but any pregame tips would be much appreciated. Thanks!


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Welcome to the Forum feck!



> - The tv and speakers are corner oriented. How bad is that? Is there a way to optimize a corner setup if we are unable to move it out of the corner?


Corner set-ups are generally bad, and generally irredeemable. This post explains why. Further reading  here, especially Post #15.




> - The ceiling slopes up on two sides and meets in the middle, therefore the corner orientation means extreme asymmetry (behind the left speaker the wall goes up 8 ft and then slants inward for another 8ish, and behind the right speaker, the wall goes all the way up to where the slanted ceiling stops it). Also there are windows on the adjacent walls that are not quite the same at the first reflection points on each side. If space permits, wouldn't it be best to have the setup centered against the wall with the sloping ceiling? However that would make the first reflection point even more asymmetrical as one side would be windows and the other would be a wall shared with a bathroom.


Hard to visualize without a picture or a room diagram. That said, asymmetrical reflections aren’t necessarily bad.




> - The speakers are far shy of an equilateral triangle from the center seat on the main couch. Is this important if he usually just sits wherever?


IMO, some form of “far shy” isn’t as bad as others. For instance, I’d rather have the speakers spread too far apart than too close together. With the former, at least you get good separation and imaging. That’s largely lost with the latter. But naturally, the equilateral triangle is only relevant for a single listening position. If he isn’t interested in setting in the optimal location, then I agree, it isn’t that important.

Regards,
Wayne


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## MikeBiker (Jan 3, 2010)

Would your uncle be opposed to having the room rearranged to find a better position for the TV and speakers? Some people really like the look of having things angled into a corner. The last time that my daughter and family came to visit, she suggested that I move the TV into the room corner by the back door. There would have been no room for the right speaker and the door would be blocking half the TV when it was open. She didn't seem to understand why I didn't use just the speaker that was in the TV. My son-in-law just kept shaking his head.


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

My wife just gave my the option to set up the 42" with a 3.1 in the corner of our living room. I suggested 2 other placements that would be acceptable. She said corner or nothing. I went with nothing. I can always escape to the basement.


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