Let's imagine we have a small room, around 15sqm which will be used with no acoustic treatment( we pick the worst case scenario) and we only have 2 options for speaker and listener placement. You can't use bass traps, diffusers , equalisation or anything else to treat the room.Just 2 positions. Which one would you choose and why. And no we can't put them in the middle.

 

Although this room seems unreal, yet it's pretty close to most houses listening environment when people watch TV (with a few extra stuff that may absorb or diffuse). In reality it's just a casual room where people sit close to walls or put the tv on the wall.

 

choose for monitoring audio work, or for recreational music listening? you answered your own question yet?!?

 

I voted A because there will be less bass building up in that listening position. But nobody will know what either sounds like until you actually set your speakers up and listen.

 

@thomas78 Does it matter? Cause if you do monitoring, it will be wrong in both cases. Let's say music listening then.No I didn't answer. I'm waiting for your answers.

 

You think? I'm still not really sure cause it's a small room. But I think you will be right if we try that setup.

 

I choose A because in B sound will be opposite for ears.

 

a friend of mine got a strange idea. he placed 2 right speakers diagonally, and 2 left in the other corners.


L R
R L

the "logic" behind was: wherever you are, theres always a left and a right speaker for you. i was speechless!

 

I bet those kind of games they were playing in Dolby laboratories when quadrophonic was born

 

I choose C because unless you pull the speakers to the middle of the room you're screwed.

 

A and keep the volume no louder than 80 dB else it will be like trying to put a scrambled egg back in the shell and hoping for it to hatch.

 

Why not D?

 

Normally for the close range setup I would agree but in this case, the two monitors are in corners. Even at extremely low levels the boxy and boomy resonant frequencies render this position useless. I've tried

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2020

Right speakers only in 4 cases. In the rest cases sound will be mixed.


Example:



More Pleasant Example:

 

Have a small 10-ish x 10-ish room. Desk is in center against wall. Speakers are on tripods on each side of desk, angled at my head, roughly 2 feet from head. Figure the closer is better. <shug>
This also puts the back of speakers 2.5 - 3 feet from wall and corners.

Try to get it so moving in chair back a couple or few feet more and it kinda sounds the same, it probably helps.

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2020

Easy answer, for nearfields A, 'cause that's what they're made for, for midrangers B. But I can't recommend midrangers for that room.

 

I think if you try D , you'll have both front and back reflections. It will be worst case scenario. If you have a boxy room you always go for the more distant walls. And yes @No Avenger . I think with small near fields it will be possible to cure the problem a bit.

 

Not necessarily. A friend of mine went for setup A in his new home (even if the room was bigger) and had incredibly loud standing low frequency waves. I suggested to flip it by 90° and after a few hours of un- and repatching the sound was way better. That spared him a lot of unnecessary bass traps.

 

Early in the morning here for my dinted brain, but why don't you try what I've done and go along the long wall. It has worked out well for me with mostly just furniture and books with a few bass traps and an antique Persian rug (I can't figure out how to fly with it yet but I haven't given up). The only issue I have is sympathetic resonance from far too many guitars ringing at times if I go over 85 dB.