The sweet spot

[PastorTube]

How do you know the sweet spot for speaker placement?
More specifically I believe I found the right placement for my speakers and where I sit. But when I move my head either left or right or forward or back imaging changes and sound changes as I would expect. . Only moving 1 foot +/- . How large should the sweet spot be where you can move your head and still hear good channel separation, imaging etc. What is the window for the perfect center of the soundstage?

 

[sqlsavior]

It depends on on the directionality of your speakers. Planar speakers tend to beam even more tightly, while omni-directional or reflecting speakers have a sweet spot you can walk around in.

 

[petes'picks]

I agree with the above post. Speakers have varying sweet spots. My room is small (9X10) and one of my pair sounds nice no matter where I am in room once I carefully moved them and angled them into their sweet spot. Same room and another pair produces big changes if I move 2 feet, but they sure do sound nice from my listening chair.

In my living area I have a pair of unassuming bookshelves that sound good everywhere in the Livingroom and kitchen, and the kicker is they are against a wall on a built-in bookshelf. Those are staying and never had any inkling to try another pair in their position.

You may want to experiment with room treatments even if temporary. I stuck rolled up carpet in two corner behind my speakers and it made huge difference. Then I cluttered sidewall with items to breakup things and that helped with imaging, I had heard that clutter is great for imaging and its appears to be true.

 

[highend64]

How do you know the sweet spot for speaker placement?

Well theoretically the sweet spot can be made by have a equilateral triangle from speaker to speaker and speaker to listening position. Room dimension and treatment will play a big role on how how it would effect the sound and imaging.

 

[hopeless]

The old adage was a triangle where the distance back was 1.3 times the width of the speaker placement, measured on center. Then toe in incrementally until it comes into focus. In a perfect world, there is space between your head and the back wall...and for most speakers, space between them and the front wall. Even a foot or two can offer massive gains.

 

[toddalin]

I can lean forward on my couch ~1 foot and the system sounds different. The midrange becomes more articulate. I am not sure if this is due to bounce creating a null from the back wall or the back of the couch.

 

[spicer]

Does all this hold outside, in free air... anybody played with speaker placement and sweet spot outside free of walls and reflections. Not talking sound reinforcement, playback with a stereo system one might use inside.

 

[WaynerN]

My bride sits with me when we listen to music, so the "sweet spot" must be wide enough for 2 people and some elbow room as well. that makes the stereo listening spot around 5 feet across. It has been accomplished with my JBL horned speakers and a hefty toe-in. Even when I listen alone, I am off center, but I don't mind at all, as the image is very centered. This process takes lots of trial and error to get it right the first time, but after doing several systems, all the speakers seem to behave very similarly.

The room, as you might guess, plays a role in the success of doing things like this, but its not the final factor, the speakers are and the willingness to experiment.

 

[hopeless]

I can lean forward on my couch ~1 foot and the system sounds different. The midrange becomes more articulate. I am not sure if this is due to bounce creating a null from the back wall or the back of the couch.

Wall interaction.

 

[JoeESP9]

The old adage was a triangle where the distance back was 1.3 times the width of the speaker placement, measured on center.

IME an equilateral triangle often results in the hole in the middle effect. I've been using and recommending a speaker width of 70% of the listening distance for many years. Although the speakers may not end up at exactly that ratio it's IMO/E a very good place to start.

 

[Condorsat]

IMHO & experience .. trial and error of placement & room acoustics. As stated earlier ... speakers play a role also.

My current bookshelves Polk Audio LSiM 703's are not all that finicky about placement as others I've owned.

 

[hopeless]

IME an equilateral triangle often results in the hole in the middle effect. I've been using and recommending a speaker width of 70% of the listening distance for many years. Although the speakers may not end up at exactly that ratio it's IMO/E a very good place to start.

Been my experience as well. Set them straight or with a slight toe-in, then keep toeing until you find the magic spot. It's amazing how much difference a half inch of toe-in can be

 

[DMLBES]

Like most mentioned its the speakers. Some speakers have wide horizontal dispersion and a few vertical. Some ribbon tweeters as soon as you stand up all that detail is lost due to limited vertical dispersion , which is why some use them in line arrays to prevent that loss. You hear the term that ones head is in a vice grip for that sweet spot which can be true for some speakers. I have ADD so I cant keep still in one spot for so long. lol Enter DML flat panel speakers, as soon as you enter the room you are already in the sweet spot which is one of the reasons I am captured by DML technology. I can sit in the corner of my room where my Desk top resides and I can still hear all the clarity and detail.