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Speaker Placement for small room???

Trying to spend some time with my system to make sure I have it set up as well as possible in my room before taking additional steps to "treat" the room.

My problem is that I have a very small room 9'W x 12'D. I have book shelves along one wall that stick out about 14", not sure if that counts as wall when placing the speakers or not. I have tried the measurements on the Cardas website and they seem to have me sitting about 3-4 feet from the speakers which seems a little strange. So,

1. Are the cardas calculations for a minimum sized room?
2. When calculating the distance from the wall, should i calculate from the wall or the bookshelves?
3. Is there a minimum amount of separation for speakers? Currently they are approx. 4' apart which seems a little close.

I am driving Totem Model 1 sig's with a bryston integrated amp.

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
audioman999
6 responses Add your response
seditious3
184 posts
 
Every speaker is different, so there's no set response. However, I would place these speakers at least 1 foot from the rear wall (or the books on the shelf). Put them on stands if you can, as opposed to a shelf.

I would start with them about as far apart as you are sitting from the midpoint between them. Get used to that sound for a day or two, and then move them in each 6 inches. Repeat as necessary, and eventually the image should snap into focus. Try using well-recorded acoustic music for this. You'll know it when you hear it.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
You can also try angling them in so the tweeter axis cross just ahead of where you are sitting. The formulas give general info, but room and contents differ so the best thing to do is what Seditious suggests.
zieman
339 posts
 
Audio,
1 Yes.
2 Shelves
3 Yes. Use Totem site for set-up also. Resist toe-in in this room with this spkr. Using Totem stands? If you are nearfield, you should not need any treatments.
dlr
201 posts
 
Also, generally speaking, the closer to the wall, the more bass,and the further out the less bass. And you generally get better soundstage further out.
ponnie
233 posts
 
Hi Here is another program you can use to determine the exact position of your speaker placement. A manufactuer sent me this and I try and share it. It worked well for me.

www.hunecke.de/en/calculators/loudspeakers.html
fly_fish_nz
70 posts
 
Consider setting the speakers up on the diagonal of the room. After reading that several manufacturers do so at shows to tame room acoustics, I tried this set up in a very challenging room: smallish (though not quite as small as yours) room with almost equal length and width. I've compared this setup in two difficult rooms with the more traditional set up along one wall (including the cardas recommendations), and in both cases I was amazed at how better the system sounded from top to bottom.
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