OK, so I took a break from studying this morning to rearrange the speakers in the living room to optimize the sound stage. After a little reading, I learned that the optimal arrangement for the front speakers was have the width spaced apart 3/4 the length. (i.e. X=0.75Y) and to have their intersection point be some distance (~12-24") behind the listener's head.
I set about to arrange the speakers following this formula, and discovered that I had to move the speakers 1' forward from the television to maintain the optimal 3/4 ratio.
After having done so, I had speakers all sorts of odd distances from the center of the seating. Fortunately my receiver is programmable to correct for variations in distance for the center, front and surround speakers, so with a little fiddling around (and a bunch of measuring, and the Pythagorean theorem!) I was able to electronically correct for those aberrations and virtually optimize the space.
After having done all this, I've learned 2 important lessons:
1) When the speakers are arranged optimally, they really do disappear. Music seems to take on an airy, immersive quality that's exceptionally better. It didn't cost a cent and it made a huge difference.
2) Instead of using math and measure, would-be optimizers can achieve almost-as-good results by merely arranging their speakers in the most ugly and intrusive way possible. Showing a disregard for the physical comfort of listeners will also improve the audio quality considerably. As those who've studied the diagram carefully must have already noted, the sweet spot of the sound stage requires you to sit on the seam between the two sectional halves of the couch.
Philistines may ask, "Isn't that a strange spot to sit in?"
Yes.
They may even go on to query, "Is it really worth all the bother to achieve maximal listening enjoyment?"
The answer of course is yes. Yes, philistine; it definitely is.
6 comments:
I hate it. It's ugly and stupid.
~wife
1. I think you need to post a picture of the room the way you have it set up now with your stereo equipment.
2. This is what you do when you're taking a break from studying?
3. I hope you spend as much time and effort into selecting an appropriate anniversary present for your wife this month.
4. I did get a kick out of your diagram.
Why not offset the couch slightly and get the optimal position so that it isn't between the couch seam?
Unfortunately, one of the limiting parameters for my experiment was the position of the couch, which must remain "centered with the fireplace, Riz." I agree with you, fellow technophile, that would yield statistically significant gains. ::sigh::
Riz
nerdliness in full effect, yo.
so leave the couch where it is and move everything else 6" to the side. That way you're not straddling that awkward seam in the couch. I doubt anybody will notice that it's off center.
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