# Speaker Aiming/Positioning



## walmat (Sep 10, 2009)

I spend way too much time tweaking my set up due to room restrictions and I'm hoping someone has some good tips for me.
My problem is that my rear speakers are at roughly 145 degrees and not at the ideal 90 to 120. I have them mounted on the back wall above ear level and tilted down so that the woofers are aimed down and toed in toward the back of my head. Unfortunately they're mounted and I can't move them to the right angle. My question is am I aiming them correctly and if not what should I be aiming for? 

Also with my fronts I managed 23 degree angle from center which isn't bad but should I toe them in and if so what should I aim for? By the way I use a laser pointer for aiming.:help:
Thanks


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

The most important thing is this how does it sound to you, I have learned that it's all trial and error when it comes to positioning speakers since no two rooms are a like. I have looked around for speaker placement since day one when I started this hobby and have come to the conclusion it should be taken as a guide to audio nirvana the rest like I said is trial and error. But I would suggest that the rears should not be pointed at you since it's more for ambient sound with movies, they should be 2ft-3ft above ear level when seated.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2010)

I always get a little confused about the rear speakers and the different views. I always thought that the ambient non directional rears were from the surround sound days when the rear channels were not discrete.

Now days, the rear left and right are each a channel and get their own signal. So, why shouldn't they be directional?

Products still exist to be mounted on a wall and not pointed at the seating position. Example: http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/rs-42-ii-overview/ Movie theaters have speakers pointed to the seats from the rear, something like this. http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/Product.aspx?PId=277&MId=1

To the original poster: As long as they are pointed how you want them, it should work. I guess I am of the point the rears at the seating position camp. As far as pointing speakers down, all cinema style speakers are mounted up high and pointed down, so you are good to go with angling them down.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

The starting points for placement can bee seen in the diagrams here:

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/

I take issue with one thing in these diagrams, and that is the fact that they have the sub and center front reversed. It is generally better to get the center out front away from the wall, just like the L & R. Many speakers may not want to be turned in directly facing the listener, but may need much less toe-in. 

All systems will vary, due to the differences in speakers, room acoustics, processing and level setting options, and preference.


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## Alan Brown (Jun 7, 2006)

Generic said:


> I always get a little confused about the rear speakers and the different views. I always thought that the ambient non directional rears were from the surround sound days when the rear channels were not discrete.
> 
> Now days, the rear left and right are each a channel and get their own signal. So, why shouldn't they be directional?
> 
> ...


Do not equate large room acoustics (commercial cinema) with small room acoustics (home theater). They are very different in character. This is a common mistake made with video as well as audio. Film imaging characteristics are not the same as video imaging characteristics.

Commercial cinemas use multiple speaker arrays for individual surround tracks in order to achieve sufficient coverage over a large audience in an auditorium of hundreds of seats. That gives an individual listener in that audience a very diffused sound field. Motion picture sound tracks are mastered in similar sound stages, with multiple speaker arrays, so what the engineer hears will be heard the same way by commercial cinema audiences.

Center back channels are a special consideration all their own. The vast majority of motion picture sound tracks are still 5.1 or less when mastered for commercial cinema. Lower budget movies frequently still use only one monaural track for the surround channels to save money in production costs. Center back surround tracks are matrixed from the left and right surround tracks in almost all cases. 'Toy Story 3' was a recent exception, although most commercial cinemas nationally are still not equipped for discrete back channel reproduction. 

Single dipole surround speakers in small rooms are intended to emulate the diffused sound of multiple speaker arrays in much larger rooms. Some monopole speakers can emulate this approach if designed and installed correctly, in the right size of room, at sufficient distances from the audience. If the goal is to replicate cinema sound in the home, this is logical. This is also why multi-channel music reproduction does not translate fully to cinema sound systems. The methodology used in multi-channel music mastering studios does not match that used in cinema sound mastering. 

Best regards and beautiful pictues,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

I'm with Ares on this, trial and error and what sounds good to you. I aim my fronts at the main seating position about 35 degrees (just guessing). My rears are inwalls and placed about 4 feet above ear level.:T


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

I also agree with the trial and error suggestion :T

Maybe I'm wrong, but, if you have an AVR with autocalibration I'm sure it will adjust everything according to your sweet spot :whistling:

My fronts are just pointing to the seats (no toe in/out), my surrounds are placed 7' from floor... but I like the sound and enjoy the movies, so I'm happy :innocent:


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## walmat (Sep 10, 2009)

The auto calibration on my amp is horrible. I calibrated it myself with an SPL. I've added a photo so you can see my predicament. my surrounds are roughly at 155 degrees to me and not the ideal max of 120. The prime seating position is on the left side close to center.
Currently I'm aiming the surrounds so that the woofers are just above the backs of the chairs and toed in so that they aim towards the prime seating position.
Any tips would be appreciated... thanks.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

walmat said:


> The auto calibration on my amp is horrible. I calibrated it myself with an SPL...


The big question is: How do you like the sound????

THX, Dolby, etc. is just a starting point to place your speakers... as long you're happy Don't worry about it.

This is how I have my speakers (back surrounds are similar to your situation)... but, like I said I'm ok with the results (in my previous set up, I used the surrounds in the back wall because it was the only option I had)


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

I understand you are trying to meet the Dolby or THX specs, but the thing is their rooms were built with those in mind. Where your average HT room is just a converted room for that purpose so you can't always follow their specs. But the question remains does your setup sound bad or are you trying to meet their specs?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

every speaker has different characteristics, Some tweeters tend to be quite sharp or harsh if aimed directly at the listener, Others are much more mellow and toe in is more necessary. The other issue is how many rows of seating you have and how wide the seating area is also room acoustics and room layout play a huge part. As others have already stated its all about what you like and how it sounds to you. If you like it it does not matter what others say or what is "written" in a book or on a website.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

I'm with the "if you like it who cares" thing. In my mind me myself and i are the ones that count (wife can't tell a differance either way).:T


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Having been the foremost proponent of individual differences and "it depends" as the best answer to most questions, I still have to take issue with answers that don't go beyond "if you like it then it is ok." While this is certainly true, it does not help someone know where to start nor what to try. There is nothing really wrong with telling someone this, but it does not add much useful information.

One has to have a starting point and/or some guidelines, or principles, upon which to base experimentation.

For instance, it is a good idea to start with your front speakers away from walls and other items as much as possible. You can then determine the toe in needed to get what you want. Then you can move them back to more practical locations and listen for the difference. If it is not meaningful, put them where they look and fit best. If you hear your soundstage start to collapse, you now have a variable to work with that you might have missed completely starting with the speakers against the wall or behind the display.


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## walmat (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm fine with how they sound now I just wanted to know of any tricks or techniques to make it sound even better. If aiming them as I described in my earlier post IS the best I can do with my situation (not having the surrounds at the proper angle) then I just have to be satisfied with the current sound which is overall pretty good.:T


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