# Does floor speakers need to be on the floor



## rubeel (Dec 29, 2009)

I setup my TV now on an IKEA TV wall unit. Picture similar to the unit without the top cabinets and side glass shelves,
I live in an apartment and i wanted to put some floor standing speakers (T55) but was curious if i am going to be losing more than gaining as i dont have any space on the side of the wall unit. Also i dont have a subwoofer so i have opted for the T55's.
I wanted to put the speakers on the side of the TV on top of the wall unit.

hope this helps or clarifies.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

rubeel said:


> I setup my TV now on an IKEA TV wall unit. Picture similar to the unit without the top cabinets and side glass shelves,
> I live in an apartment and i wanted to put some floor standing speakers (T55) but was curious if i am going to be losing more than gaining as i dont have any space on the side of the wall unit. Also i dont have a subwoofer so i have opted for the T55's.
> I wanted to put the speakers on the side of the TV on top of the wall unit.
> 
> hope this helps or clarifies.


The tweeters need to be aimed at your ears and the speakers need to remain vertical to get the best sound. floorstanders generally are best on the floor or a small stand.


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

rubeel said:


> I setup my TV now on an IKEA TV wall unit. Picture similar to the unit without the top cabinets and side glass shelves,
> I live in an apartment and i wanted to put some floor standing speakers (T55) but was curious if i am going to be losing more than gaining as i dont have any space on the side of the wall unit. Also i dont have a subwoofer so i have opted for the T55's.
> I wanted to put the speakers on the side of the TV on top of the wall unit.
> 
> hope this helps or clarifies.


Those speakers are too good to be abused by being employed that way. If you insist on using this wall unit, you should buy speakers that are more suitable for that environment. A pair of decent bookshelf/monitors on either side of the display plus a subwoofer elsewhere would be better.


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## rubeel (Dec 29, 2009)

well that is what i was leaning towards initially, B5 from PSB was my choice with a decent sub and c40 center speaker.
does that sound any better.


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

rubeel said:


> well that is what i was leaning towards initially, B5 from PSB was my choice with a decent sub and c40 center speaker.
> does that sound any better.


Yes but I would go with 3 B5s or, even better, 3 B6s rather than the C4 center.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Kal Rubinson said:


> Yes but I would go with 3 B5s or, even better, 3 B6s rather than the C4 center.


...keeping in mind that you should still not lay the B6 horizontally. This may not be possible with that piece of furniture depending on the size of your TV.


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

eugovector said:


> ...keeping in mind that you should still not lay the B6 horizontally. This may not be possible with that piece of furniture depending on the size of your TV.


Yes, indeed. I do not know what display he has or what height adjustments are possible with this furniture.


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## gfrancis0 (Nov 16, 2009)

You also need to keep in mind that most floor standing speakers usually sound better a couple of feet away from the wall. They are not designed to be backed up right against a surface. If you want to put speakers inside that unit you should really select some that are designed to be on a shelf or even wall mounted or you will not get the sound they were designed to provide.


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## mpyw (Jan 8, 2010)

they name it "floor" standing speakers for a reason :bigsmile:
it's best to put on floor so the tweeter will most probably aim to your ears...
for the Ikea cabinet, maybe get a pair of bookshelve or some on wall speakers to go with it?


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

rubeel said:


> well that is what i was leaning towards initially, B5 from PSB was my choice with a decent sub and c40 center speaker.
> does that sound any better.


Without knowing the dimensions of the shelf I'd suggest you use a KEF coaxial based speaker. Perhaps the KEF 3000 series. I'd not normally suggest this, but they are a great set for situations where form is as important as function. The eggs are quite capable for small speakers. They won't knock down any walls, but they are what Bose tries and fails to be. Aesthetic and acoustic. 

My reason for this suggestion is that most bookshelves and towers are voiced for off wall placement. However these speakers do fine close to the wall since they double as surrounds.


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