# noob questions about speakers.



## genjix (Nov 23, 2010)

Hello all,

I'm very new in the A/V world, and I was looking to get a home theatre system. All this time I thought the home theatre systems sold as package deals were pretty much it. meaning that I'm used to seeing those tiny square speakers (i think they differ from bookshelf ask they look much smaller) that attach to the walls. Now that I read this section, I guess there are 2 standards, bookshelf and floor standing. I also read that speakers should generally stand 2 feet away from walls, but how does one normally install bookshelf speakers? I would rather keep speakers off the floor and at first I thought bookshelf speakers literally mean they stand on bookshelf's built into the wall. Any advice would greatly be appreciated .


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## callas01 (Oct 24, 2010)

genjix said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I'm very new in the A/V world, and I was looking to get a home theatre system. All this time I thought the home theatre systems sold as package deals were pretty much it. meaning that I'm used to seeing those tiny square speakers (i think they differ from bookshelf ask they look much smaller) that attach to the walls. Now that I read this section, I guess there are 2 standards, bookshelf and floor standing. I also read that speakers should generally stand 2 feet away from walls, but how does one normally install bookshelf speakers? I would rather keep speakers off the floor and at first I thought bookshelf speakers literally mean they stand on bookshelf's built into the wall. Any advice would greatly be appreciated .


You are referring to satelites when you are talking about small Cube speakers. Bookshelfs or Monitors speakers can be placed in a Bookshelf or Entertainment center or on speaker stands or even wall mounted also, typically they are about 7-15 inches tall. Floorstanding or Tower speakers are called that because they are bigger, and they are self standing, typically they stand between 28-50 inches tall.

Many speakers have port holes on the back of the speakers, and the closer to the wall the speaker is, it can sound more boomy or bloated. Pulling the speaker away from the wall gives the bass more tightness to the sound, too far away and you loose some of the bass. You can use foam port plugs to help with placement close to the wall, but it takes away some bass. Some speakers have NO ports and some have them on the front of the speakers. This allows them to be placed closer to the walls because you don't have to worry about the speaker blowing the air out of the back port hole. 

Speakers like to be away from the walls so they have space to open up and create an enveloping sound stage, 12-24 inches is typical, but you have to play with placement of your speakers to see what works best for your room. sometimes speakers need toe-in, that means they are turned in towards the listeners Primary seating area. 

If you want to use a Monitor or Bookshelf speaker and do not have an Entertainment center or bookshelf or shelf to put them on, I suggest that you get speaker stands or wall mount them. If you get speaker stands, get ones that can be mass loaded(filled with sand or lead shot) so they are more stable and don't add resonance to the sound. Also consider Museum putty so the speakers cannot be knocked off the stand.

I hope that is somewhat helpful.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Very good info Callos, i have to agree with everything you said.:T One thing though is i have never cared much for wall mounting, i would go with stands if possible.:T


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## callas01 (Oct 24, 2010)

I agree I wouldnt wall mount bookshelves either. I said that but really wall mounting a bookshelf would be a last resort. Id rather mount on-walls if I were gonna wall mount something other then a bi/di-pole speaker


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

callas01 said:


> I agree I wouldnt wall mount bookshelves either. I said that but really wall mounting a bookshelf would be a last resort. Id rather mount on-walls if I were gonna wall mount something other then a bi/di-pole speaker


+1 Agreed!:T


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## genjix (Nov 23, 2010)

thanks for the detailed information. I would be interested in wall mounting them because I want a "clean" look in my living room. Basically just the TV mounted on wall with all wires hidden and same with the speakers if possible without sacraficing too much of the quality. But I would like a beginner type of setup, something along the 1k range for speakers and receiver. is that possible for a decent set up? preferrably 5.1 setup.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

genjix said:


> thanks for the detailed information. I would be interested in wall mounting them because I want a "clean" look in my living room. Basically just the TV mounted on wall with all wires hidden and same with the speakers if possible without sacraficing too much of the quality. But I would like a beginner type of setup, something along the 1k range for speakers and receiver. is that possible for a decent set up? preferrably 5.1 setup.


It is possible especially if your looking into bookshelf style speakers. You could look at PartsExpess and the different Dayton speakers they carry (good bang for the buck). And Accessories4less for an AVR.


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## genjix (Nov 23, 2010)

perfect thanks for the heads up.. oh yeah, so can satellite speakers be as good as bookshelf? or are they just too small to be able to have the same quality?


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

genjix said:


> perfect thanks for the heads up.. oh yeah, so can satellite speakers be as good as bookshelf? or are they just too small to be able to have the same quality?


In my opinion they are to small to give satisfactory results, don't get me wrong, they do have there applications but for home theater or music i would steer clear of them.:T


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

There are some speakers that are suited to wall mounting, but I think they're more the exception than the rule. I can't think of any right off the top of my head, but definitely look for a speaker WITHOUT backward firing ports.

One thing to realize, almost everything in audio is a trade-off. Unfortunately, any "clean looking" scenario is going to trade sonics for aesthetics. It's not a bad thing since we all have different priorities, but just be aware of it.


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## JerryLove (Dec 5, 2009)

genjix said:


> perfect thanks for the heads up.. oh yeah, so can satellite speakers be as good as bookshelf? or are they just too small to be able to have the same quality?


 The problem is with low-frequency extension.

You are going to be listening to sounds going down below 50Hz (in theory, as low as 20Hz). To accomplish this: you'll use a subwoofer (or large floor-standing speakers).

This works because the human ear cannot tell the direction of low-frequency sound from close range. When someone is speaking from a single speaker, you can point at it: but a low-frequency rumble doesn't come from anywhere in particular.

What this means is that, above some point, sound cannot come from the subwoofer without spoiling the effect, and so must come from the cube/bookshelf/floor speaker. There are a good deal of variables involved in where that actual point is: but let's call it 100Hz.

Here's the problem: because of their small air displacement, cube-type speakers cannot reproduce down to 100Hz at normal home-listening volumes... hence why they are not preferred by audiophiles (the problems posed trying to integrate them with a subwoofer without localization occuring)


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## callas01 (Oct 24, 2010)

For $1k with a receiver, I would suggest that you look at getting an Onkyo from www.accessories4less.com, perhaps the Onkyo 607 $249. Then look at these Energy FPS speakers, you would need 3-5 @ $119 depending if you want them in back also. They have a decent reponse rate down to 60 hz and so you could use the 80 hz crossover that THX likes to suggest. Also for the sub, look at the Daytons from parts express or the Emotiva 10" or the Lava subs.

that should get you the look you want, at the price you can afford.


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