How to arrange speakers in a room?

Few things can compare with the truly high-quality and deep sound of a good audio system. But the secret of sound lies not only in the volume and parameters of the speakers, but also in exactly how they are located. Arranging modern audio systems is not at all as difficult as it seems at first glance. It is enough to understand the nature and specifics of audio waves. In order to ensure that you do not have any problems with the speakers, we decided to take the advice of professionals in the field of audio systems and find recommendations that will help you achieve the perfect acoustics in the room.

So, let’s start with the fact that the location of the speakers in the room largely depends on the speakers themselves. Please note that they come in different shapes, characteristics and sizes. Today you can buy a stereo device with or without a receiver, you can choose a configuration with a subwoofer, or you can pick up a single speaker that, despite its size, is loud and has powerful bass. That is why we will look at all common types of speakers and find out exactly how to best place them. And you just have to follow the instructions and enjoy high-quality sound.

1. Consider everything from the very beginning

Of course, before you purchase an audio system, you have taken care of exactly where you are going to place it. Ideally, you need to take into account both the size of the room and the height of the ceilings. Most likely, no one furnishes the living room with the most sophisticated 7.1.2 configuration, but this does not matter, and everything can be fixed.

To begin with, we note that properly installed speakers allow audio waves to move freely without being reflected from surfaces. The more surfaces, the more reflection and, as a result, sound distortion. Therefore, minimalism and a large number of bare walls or panoramic windows are not at all companions to rich sound. However, this does not mean at all that it is necessary to arrange a rearrangement, because everything can be smoothed out with the help of a balanced arrangement and some programs designed to calibrate the sound.

But if you are just starting a renovation and are immediately considering the placement of the speakers, then it’s time to consider their placement in the project.

2. The right speaker for the room

Not only is it important to have the right speaker room, but vice versa, choosing the right speaker for the space is also important. If the room is small, you definitely should not take a large column. It all comes down to personal preference, but it’s worth noting that modern manufacturers practically cheat physics with DSP or digital signal processing. In other words, under ideal conditions, you have two speakers, left and right, respectively, they are symmetrically located on the left and right. DSP allows you to process the sound so that even one speaker can create a similar effect. For a small room, this is very convenient, since the sound does not travel far and is reflected faster.

If you are using a single speaker, place it directly, pointing to the place where you plan to listen from. It is with this calculation that the sound is processed and output inside it. In this case, it’s best to use a small device so that you can rearrange it depending on where you are.

The same DSP technology is used in multi-speaker configurations, although it is not essential in such cases, it helps to balance and calibrate the sound if necessary. Under ideal conditions, this will not have to be done, but it is always necessary to make allowances for the specifics of the room.

3. Speaker location in the corner

A very common choice to put one or more speakers in a corner is actually a controversial decision. Most professionals do not recommend doing this, but there is an exception. If you need to increase the bass in the audio system, then this arrangement will be very justified. If we talk about the reasons, when the speaker is turned from a corner, the sound is reflected, including from the walls surrounding it. Since the walls are nearby, with such a small distance, the sound waves travel simultaneously and in the same direction. If you place a large speaker in a corner, the bass gets louder, as does the overall sound, but overall, there is a loss of surround sound. Well, by placing a small speaker in a corner, you simply lose its sound from the general stream, and it, in fact, does not carry any function.

30 cm is a reasonable distance that you can move the speaker away from the wall so that nothing interferes with the sound.

4. Proper speaker placement

Imagine that there is a sofa in the center, it is the place where the sound should be directed. Thus, the center channel should be directly opposite the sofa and be turned towards it, left and right at the same distance and also turned towards the sofa, the rear surround speakers are at the back or sides and, most often, they are placed a little higher.

Please note that any two identical speakers must be placed at the same distance. This is true even for 2.1 configurations.

5. Additional setup and calibration

Most systems today allow sound calibration so that when listening to music, the necessary channels are output, while watching TV, the dialogue is louder, and so on. All this is done to ensure that the sounds are processed and played with regard to what you are doing. Most often, this is done automatically so that the user does not have to fiddle with equalizers, and it turns out that we completely trust those functions that we cannot control. Most often, the settings are calibrated by professionals, but if you have already chosen the manual setting, it does not hurt to do a little research first and check the sound from exactly where you plan to watch or listen. In this, you should also rely on your own perception of sound, since standards may differ from tastes. Professionals recommend always testing the settings on movies or tracks that you know well, and for which you have long had an idea of ​​​​the correct sound.

6. Subwoofer

Despite the prevalence of these speakers, they are not at all a necessary element. In essence, their task is to add bass, which sometimes other speakers can not cope with. In practice, however, it is responsible for most of the low frequencies. For specific genres of music and movies, this is always useful. Quality speakers can handle the bass and low frequencies quite well, so you hardly notice a difference, so a subwoofer is an addition for hobbyists.

If you are sure that you need extra bass, then be sure to get a subwoofer so that the sound is more spacious and the frequencies stand out. Just in case, take care of soundproofing so as not to bother your neighbors, since loud bass tends to cause quite physical vibrations.

The placement of the subwoofer is also very important: the closer the subwoofer is to the wall, the deeper the bass will be. In this case, the same effect will work as with other speakers. This will definitely benefit inexpensive and not very loud subwoofers by increasing their power. But a high-quality and loud device will not benefit much from this, it can be safely placed 30 cm from the wall, like other speakers. It is usually placed frontally to the sofa or the center of the room, and on the floor.

7. Additional functions

Of course, you can purchase a complete already assembled audio system, or you can assemble it yourself piece by piece. In this case, it is not always necessary to even stick to one brand. Also, look out for apps and advanced features. Many audio systems are compatible with devices such as Chromecast or Echo Dot, which will expand the possibilities and allow you to control the process with greater comfort. The same goes for home smart speakers, with their help you can control the viewing, volume and more. Make sure the audio system has the ability to connect additional devices, and just choose and add what you feel comfortable. And if you’re buying a system for the long haul, it’s best not to bypass features like bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and advanced sync capabilities, because no one knows what’s coming in a year or two. It is best to be prepared for any additions.

8. One room or several?

If you don’t want to be limited to one room, and want to provide your entire apartment or entire house with a common sound system, then we have great news. This is possible and very easy to do with a Wi-Fi connection throughout the house. Of course, for this you need a fairly fast connection, otherwise the load on Wi-Fi may affect other processes. However, many speakers allow you not only to assemble the necessary configuration, but also to add a large number of devices, so that you can place them in different rooms and control them even from your smartphone. Modern speakers will allow you to do quite a lot, including playing different tracks in different rooms.

The secret to good acoustics is to get the right sound to your ear at the right time. To do this, when arranging, it is important to take into account the distance, the size of the room and the volume.

Urbanears Stammen Vynil is a speaker system designed for listening to a turntable. The speaker can be used as a single unit, or combined and used as a whole system. The settings allow you to create playlists and turn them on at any time, you can listen to radio, music and watch movies, enjoying the high-quality sound of this speaker. Thanks to the Wi-Fi connection, you will have the opportunity to organize a multi-room system without using wires. Synchronize playback, or create a separate atmosphere in each room. There are physical buttons on the body of the device, with a turn or press, you can change the track or increase the volume. The Urbanears Stammen sound format is 2.1, the frequency range is 50-20000Hz, and there is a headphone jack on the case. The speaker supports Bluetooth and AirPlay, giving you a rich playback experience.