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Post by oliverweagle on May 3, 2016 6:53:29 GMT -5
Hi - wow, I am hopelessly confused and seek guidance!
My HT room is 19' long with 13' screen wall on which a 120" screen will be mounted. Left and Right speakers on either side of the screen. My question is where do I point the speakers and in which position in my HT do I calibrate from? I have two seating levels - the rear level (about 16' from screen wall) which is 12" higher than the lower level which has a couch facing the screen. The upper level has four theater seats side by side - the center of the room roughly is between seats 2 and 3.
The setups that I have read focus on a single listening position or "the money seat" ... but I want the audio to be enjoyed by all! The seats in the upper row are the most frequently used. Now I realize everything is a compromise, but would you suggest that I calibrate to "my" seating position in seat 3 (from the left) - my wife sits in seat 2 - or somewhere else. I've read about taking distances from point "X" etc. (The couch below is rarely used).
Or ... am I making this way too complicated?
Thank you!
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Post by mshump on May 3, 2016 7:26:30 GMT -5
Set your speakers up to the main listening position. you can tweak them from there for the optimal sound all around. The dispersion of the sound waves from the speakers will have some overlap, so you will most likely have a decent sweet spot.
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 9,962
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Post by KeithL on May 3, 2016 9:29:34 GMT -5
Errrr.... you've actually got it right. As far as time/distance, there really is only one "perfect spot" - and everywhere else will be... less perfect. The best choice, with the fewest compromises, is going to be to make the center spot your "money spot", and take all measurements from there (and sit there when you listen). (Basic geometry dictates that, if you make one corner your prime spot, folks at the opposite corner will be farthest from it; if you pick the center, then nobody else is quite so far away.) Remember that, if you were at an actual concert, or anywhere else, only one person is going to be able to sit in the "front row center" seat - unless you sit on their lap. As far as EQ, there are often tradeoffs that can be made in terms of making one spot "perfect" - at the expense of everyone else - or making a larger area "pretty good". If you're using an automatic system like Dirac, the way to "choose" this tradeoff is to take readings over the ENTIRE listening area. (The first reading, which must be at your sweet spot, could be shifted to the center if they're not the same place.) Ignore the little pictures; take the first reading at your sweet spot and the rest spread over the entire listening area (try to follow the general left/right up/down pattern but spread the positions themselves out). The further apart you spread the subsequent readings, the more Dirac will try to "do its best for the whole area". (How this works out in practice varies considerably - but that's the theory anyway - and it often works out very well.) If you're trying manual EQ, then the simple choice is between taking all your readings at your prime seating position, or taking readings over the entire area and averaging them. It's actually rather more complicated than that to do it well - which is how pros manage to make a living selling their services. For example, a gentle dip in bass response that persists all across the room may be a good candidate for a boost in the EQ, but a sharp null at a particular frequency, but only in certain locations, will probably NOT respond well to EQ, and almost certainly calls for a change in the location of your sub or subs (or you may just have to live with it; or go for some room treatment). In practice, it's often a judgment call about what to try and fix, and what to leave alone, and which things are likely to cause more problems than they solve if you try to fix them. (Narrow nulls are the most difficult thing to fix, and the most likely to have a solution that causes "side effects", but are also not always noticeable; so they're often better left alone. Peaks, both narrow and gentle, as long as they're not too extreme, tend to be very audible, but often respond well to EQ.... ) Hi - wow, I am hopelessly confused and seek guidance! My HT room is 19' long with 13' screen wall on which a 120" screen will be mounted. Left and Right speakers on either side of the screen. My question is where do I point the speakers and in which position in my HT do I calibrate from? I have two seating levels - the rear level (about 16' from screen wall) which is 12" higher than the lower level which has a couch facing the screen. The upper level has four theater seats side by side - the center of the room roughly is between seats 2 and 3. The setups that I have read focus on a single listening position or "the money seat" ... but I want the audio to be enjoyed by all! The seats in the upper row are the most frequently used. Now I realize everything is a compromise, but would you suggest that I calibrate to "my" seating position in seat 3 (from the left) - my wife sits in seat 2 - or somewhere else. I've read about taking distances from point "X" etc. (The couch below is rarely used). Or ... am I making this way too complicated? Thank you! |
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Post by oliverweagle on May 3, 2016 18:08:09 GMT -5
Thank you for the feedback!
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