Advice on using a laser for speaker positioning

Using a laser is a little faster, but you should be able to do the same job without one.

I have a laser and really like it. It's not perfect, but infinitely useful. Assuming you've spent thousands on a system, another $50-$100 for a laser measure seemed like a good investment for me. Plus it comes in handy for all the things it was actually designed to do.

Hi i too have a laser ( Leica) but find it difficult to make really precisions work on one spot on the speaker since you are shaking the laser when shooting. When finding the correct distance from the lisening point.
I ended up using some strings which i found was easier to work with. One hold the string which is fixed at the sweet spot and another pushes the speaker.
However when finding the correct angle the laser is very easy to use.
good lisening Thastum

I find a laser easier to use than a tape measure. It really helps with toe in and you can shoot to a target in the listening room. I also use it adjust the vertical angle of the tweeters. It also makes finding the first reflection points easy by shooting it into a mirror on the side walls.

Thanks everybody, sounds like opinions are mixed and the laser may be more useful for rake, angles, etc than for measuring distance.

The redhead will probably have me doing something around the house that will give me an excuse to pick one up and try it. Wish I'd had one during a recent picture hanging frenzy!

Thanks again for your input and advice!

"10-13-15: Uncledemp
Thanks everybody, sounds like opinions are mixed and the laser may be more useful for rake, angles, etc than for measuring distance."

Not so much mixed. Its just a matter of necessity. Your speakers are going to end up in the same place (hopefully), whether your ruler is digital or analog.

Lasers make it easy to set up rake angles and toe in. I use a tape measure for distances. Best of luck

I've used the Genelec Speaker Angle app on my cell phone for toe-in.

I'll check out the App Store, thanks for the heads up!

I rearranged my listening room and am trying different speaker positions. Currently the speakers are 6-7' apart, which is less than 'normal', and I'm enjoying the change. Any tools that make the experimentation easier and quicker are welcome.

In my opinion, speaker setup can make quite a difference. Probably have cycled some decent speakers through here because I failed to put the effort into positioning.

Thanks again for the thoughtful comments!

I found Jim Smiths's Getting Better Sound book and DVD to be very helpful and at $39 very low risk.

I used to use a laser to position my speakers - it was great and it kind of trained me, so now after 15 years of maniac habit of getting things right, I can reinstall my speakers by touching them a couple times and be right on the money...

I used a laser in setting up my speakers as well...Richard Vandersteen instructed me in its proper use. Here goes. First put your speakers on carpeting (fuz side down on wooden/tile floor, and waltz the speakers around the room to find its best resting spot. After the speakers are spiked in position raise/lower the fronts for desired sound, making sure both speakers have the same degree up/down. (now comes the laser). Put the penlight laser on the top of the speaker shinning forward. Do not point it to your listening position, but rather, slowly turn the laser left/right keeping the laser solid against the top of the speaker. Place a yellow "Post-it" behind your normal seated position. Using a marker, place a dot on the post-it right where the red laser dot hits the back wall. Do the same thing to the other speaker...chances are very good that the laser dot will be higher or lower than the marked dot on the post-it. Raise or lower one or the other speaker so that the laser dot superimposes on the dot on the wall. This may seem tedious, but well worth the effort.

I use a laser to shoot minocs when they are chewing on my power cables.

Stringreen, I had a pair of Vandersteen 2 ce sigs, the laser would have saved me- I used the 'plum bob' method in the manual.

I'll check into that book, sgunther, thanks!

Jkalman, not sure what a minoc is, but the redhead can defend the species I suspect- so we may have to keep that between us.

Thanks!
Gary

laser on a good tripod - cant beat it.

I am thinking of getting one myself, though my measurements are done with tape and strings. Any specific brand, besides Bosch with 1/16 th inch precision that you guys found on Amazon?

I have decided to be a lot more relaxed and get used to speakers that are just not that fussy. :)

Having said that, I use a Bosh laser level that is relatively inexpensive ($50)

http://amzn.to/2bqLdbZ

It projects a line instead of a dot, making it easy to do simultaneous settings at once. You can see the front/rear tilt at the same time as Left/Right, so if you are turning knobs it’s pretty quick. Battery seems to last a very long time, and when you are done you can use it to hang your acoustic panels. :)

Last thing, use the laser LAST. Get your spacing from the walls, and to your listening position down first, and your general toe-in. Make sure you hare happy with the spread of the imaging between the speakers. It should be full from left to center, to right, without gaps between.

THEN it's worth final level adjustments. Otherwise you do your laser adjustments a dozen times. :)  This is more important for those with uneven flooring.

Best,

Erik

Erik,
Thanks for letting me know. Actually I do have a laser level. But I want a laser distance measure to be more precise with the positioning.

Oh, so no.  It's not worth it. :) Invest the money in a comfy chair.

Once you are trying to put your head in a vice to get the best stereo, you've not only alienated yourself, and have no friends who can come and listen with you, but you might as well get headphones.

Best,

Erik