Speaker positioning
Active nodes are the main concern when placing speakers in a rectangular room. A node, or the frequency where speakers and parallel walls interact, is propor onal to the speaker to the wall distance. Here is a very good model, created by George Cardas.
The three most importance nodes, in order of importance, are proportional to the distance between the speaker and:
1. The side wall nearest the speakers
2. The rear wall
3. The side wall across from the speakers
Calculated positions as follows:
1. The distance from the center of the woofer faceto the side walls is:
Room Width mes 0,276 (RW x 0,276)
2. The distance from the center of the woofer face to the wall behind the speaker is:
Room Width mes 0,447 (RW x 0,447)
Once the speakers are set as close to perfect as possible, you must angle them slightly toward the listening posi on. This can be done by ear and
usually a 0,6-1,3 cm tweak will do. Box speakers generally require a bit more toe-in than planear speakers. You will be able to hear a center focused voice clarify when the sweet spot is hit.
In the near field position the speakers and the listener’s head are the points of an equilateral triangle. Near field listening gives the perfect stereo field. It is frequently used in the recording studio to position the microphones and the voice in the mix.
The near field listening posi on is determined by the “center to center” distance of the speakers and the distance to the listener’s head. It does not refer to the room in any way. Basically your head should be at the “top” of the triangle but some people (including ourselves) find it better to sit just behind it, hence the placement of the sofa in the picture.
