Speakers hung from ceiling on aircraft cable.


Opinion question:

We are thinking of suspending a pair of KEF LS50 speakers from the ceiling using aircraft cable. Do you think having them not rigidly mounted will diminish bass? Will the woofers cause the speakers to move?

davidclarke

Showing 2 responses by br3098

Wow, deja vu all over again. Hanging your speakers from the ceining was a common practice when I worked for RogerSound Labs in the 1970s.

Short answer: bad idea. Why?
1. Imaging sucks. Do you enjoy the soundstage from ceiling mounted speakers? Cable suspension is worse.
2. Significant loss of bass response. Maybe not so much a problem with the LS-50s but why make a bad situation worse?
3. Loss of resale value. Trust me, no one wants to buy your speakers with holes drilled into them.
4. Reputational damage. Yours.

In terms of losing bass, just remember that most concert speakers are suspended.
Mmm, some but not most. That's why JBL makes 18" bass drivers and stage managers use plenty of 'em.

Also remember that concert stages are usually higher than the audience. And "soundstaging" as we use the term in home audio is not a factor in concerts.

I can only offer my opinion, having tried almost every permutation of suspending speakers in rooms of all shapes and sizes: it's great if you are looking for lots of noise. But stereo imaging as most "audiophiles" would expect isn't possible. YMMV