Speaker placement

[admin_exported]

Hi all.

I know this is not set in stone and should be adjusted from speaker to speaker ect ect

But what is a good starting point in placing a speaker from a rear wall?

I'm talking both floorstanders and standmounts, front and rear ported - and closed box designs, i know all mentioned are different - just thought i would be nice for newbies, such as myself to have a starting point.

ie Standmounts, front ported - start with 12" away. ect ect

Also any recommendations from you guys for, as a starting point :

Speakers to fill a room - 7m x 5m with sound, not physically!!!
Be placed approx 2.5m apart and 3m front my 'hot seat'.
£1000 budget - max! inc stands if you suggest any standmount speakers
Space from a rear wall - 12" ideally - but very max 18" if i was to pull them out everytime i listened to them. Space to a side wall - n/a as its about 3 feet!
They will be place on my adjoining side to my neighbours house live in a semi
To go with my current Cambridge Audio 640 amp and cdp - but also to allow me to upgrade amp and cdp in future but still keep same speakers.
Rock metal music - at all volumes, not that often it gets LOUD as my neighbour works similar hours to me so i show respect, now when she's out!! That's when we go for it!!!

I've thought about demoing Monitor Audio RX6 and 8's
B & W 684 and 683's
ATC SCM 11's
Is my short list too short - or short enough?
Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

I love the B&W's amd they are front ported, thus should not need too much space from the rear wall, the 684's would be great at your distance and they are quite sensitive at 90db@ 1M, should pair well with any setup.Just keep a couple of feet at the sides.

 

[matthewpiano]

Unfortunately there are no hard and fast rules about speaker placement. There are so many variables both in terms of speaker design (and not just regarding porting) and room acoustics.

The best way is to experiment and go with what sounds best to you, although using some common sense in choosing the size of speaker will go a long way.

In terms of speakers I would suggest trying the Mordaunt-Short Mezzo series. The Mezzo 2 on solid stands would pair very well with your 640 series electronics but still have plenty of scope to show the benefits of future upgrades. They have the added advantage of being rather attractive to look at as well.

When you get your chosen speakers spend some time trying different placements. Sometimes, in the past, I have been amazed out how different a pair of speakers can sound if they are moved even just a little. These are the details that help to get the best out of a well chosen system and it is the most enjoyable bit in many ways.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Fully agree with MP's comment above; speaker placement is all down to how your room is laid out and where you are sat (if you sit when listening to music) in relation to the speakers.

With regards to speakers for your current set-up I'd be incliced to look at the Mordaunt Short speakers as well; IMO the B&W 684's and Monitor Audio RX6's would be good speakers to keep for upgrades but as it stands , to me, the C/A gear wont gel well with them due to their slight forwardness of sound and also the speakers really need a good, more powerful amp to drive them at their best.

I think some of the current Wharfedale floorstanders would be worth demoing as would the Acoustic Energy Neo 3's. As for standmount speakers take a look at the Dynaudio DM 2/6's or maybe the 2/7's (not sure if these will be driven well with the C/A amp) but well worth a demo.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.

I will be upgrading later in the year or maybe early next, so don't want to get speakers that will just be ok for now, thinking about future also.

My Cambridge has 75 watts of juice, i thought that would be enough for most speakers in my price range at least? Or am i missing something?

Thanks again.

 

[d_a_n1979]

How does your C/A gear sound with your B&W 685's?

If that's good then yes, look at the 683's or the 684's as they'll be very similar but with more bass

IMHO I still dont like the Monitor Audio and Cambridge Audio sound but some people do; you need to demo.

I've demo'd the QUAD 22L2's very recently and they were a mega surprise for me so I'd say have a look at them as well. Superb, detailed midrange with great bass depth and punch and super sweet treble

 

[Frank Harvey]

I agree that there are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines.

Rooms differ so much. Stud/partition walls usually flex, so they absorb bass, allowing speakers, even rear ported, to be used closer to the wall. Solid breezeblock and brick walls reflect the bass energy back into the room, requiring some distance from the speakers. Usually suspended floors will exaggerate bass levels, and concrete ones get rid of bass boom and tidy up the bass/midrange.

 

[smuggs]

i can see you being right frank my flat is above a shop on a mezz style floor with wooden flooring and if levels are low my br5's are great but add some volume and it loses detail,control and bass exaggerates and sounds flabby. I have just borrowed off a friend some misson 700 bookshelfs though only £100 speaker on my atacama stands they stayed true to there character when the volume was raised. So i am now in the next 12 weeks looking to swap floorstanders for bookshelfs.