How to position speakers for the best results
Iwas once emailed by a reader disappointed by the sound of a pair of bookshelf speakers I’d recommended. Surprised, I asked him to send me a photo of his hi-fi setup. His expensive new speakers were tucked into the corners of a huge living room and flanked by expansive glass doors. He’d bought the right speakers, but without careful positioning and stands, he’d neglected the basics.
The layout of your room will have a big impact on where you can place your speakers. If it’s long and narrow, you may need to position them closer together to avoid sound reflections off the walls. In a wide room, the opposite is true, and wider placement will produce a more expansive soundstage. Where you’ll be listening also makes a huge difference. Those wanting a dedicated listening room should aim to create an equilateral triangle between the speakers (with a wall behind them) and your listening position. For those in the real world, angling the speakers inwards towards your favourite chair offers a happy compromise.
‘Reflective and smooth surfaces, like windows and walls, are generally worse than busy surfaces for sound,’ explains Tony Stott, head of brand for Cambridge Audio. ‘I might have terrible sound in the day, but if I’m
‘Reflective and smooth surfaces are generally worse for sound’
listening in the evening, I’ve drawn my nice thick curtains – it absorbs the sound more.’
Placing your speakers close to the back wall will give you more bass. Too close, however, and things will sound muddy, especially if they are tucked in the corner – avoid this if you can. But with bookshelf and standmount speakers, the most significant upgrade you can give them is a dedicated stand. This will help eliminate resonance and distortion, while also firing audio towards your ears. Take advantage of the floor spikes included (this goes for floorstanding designs too) as they decouple the speakers from the floor, helping to minimise the transfer of vibrations, which can cloud audio quality.
Most speaker brands offer stands to complement their core product ranges, and while often more expensive than third-party designs, they’re seamless and specifically designed for the speaker size and power. For third-party designs, your local hi-fi specialist will also be able to advise. And while it sounds far-fetched, many audiophiles swear by filling their speaker stand bases to further eliminate unwanted vibrations, which also makes them more stable. High density inert filler is available from atacama-audio.co.uk, but dry play sand is also fine.