User's Manual

8
S SERIES MANUAL [ENGLISH]
6. ACHIEVING OPTIMUM
LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENT
Assuming your room has been acoustically treated to a reasonable degree to remove
the worst effects of unwanted reflections and room modes, much of loudspeaker placement
is common sense, but there are a few basic points that should be followed:
→ Ensure that all your speakers are level with one another in the vertical plane [except
subwoofers, for which placement is much less critical], and that the tweeters are
roughly level with your ears. If a speaker needs to be placed higher or lower due to
spatial constraints, it should be angled accordingly, but tilts of 15 degrees or more
should be avoided [see diagram]. Angles that result in reflections from your mixing
console or other significant studio furniture should also be avoided.
→ Make sure that that nothing partially or totally obscures your monitors. You should
have a clear line of sight to them; this will also guarantee that nothing comes between
them and your ears.
→ Place each of your monitors at least 400 mm [16 inches] from the nearest wall to
minimize back reflections, which can adversely affect your chances of accurately
monitoring low-frequency information. If at all possible, avoid placing loudspeakers
near room corners for the same reason: with two reflective surfaces in close proximity,
the chances of unwanted reflections affecting your low-frequency audio are even greater.