Thiel Audio Products CS7.2 - Manual (Page 4)

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POSITIONING THE SPEAKERS
Because of their unipolar radiation pattern and co-axial design, the CS7.2s will provide good results when placed in
a variety of room locations. However, speaker placement will affect the accuracy of timbre, spatial performance, and
bass performance. Here are some guidelines to help you achieve the best sound from your speakers. (The pointed
metal stabilizer pins should not be installed until the final positioning has been determined.)
All aspects of speaker placement are dependent on the particulars of the room. Since every room is different, no
hard rules can be given, and experimentation is necessary to achieve the best results.
Distance from walls
The CS7.2s, like most speakers, sound best if
they are placed well away from all walls. Such
placement optimizes imaging characteristics,
and musical timbres are reproduced with the
least coloration because the initial sound
coming from the speaker is distinctly separated
in time from the secondary sound of wall
reflections. If reflections are heard too soon
after the primary sound, the brain tends to
interpret them as part of the initial sound,
causing the perceived timbre to be altered and
the spatial characteristics to be confused.
Figure 1 illustrates the problems caused
by early side wall reflections. Sound waves
from the loudspeakers radiate both forward,
toward the listener, and laterally, reflecting off
side walls. When the speaker is placed too
close to side walls, the difference in arrival
times of the primary sound waves and the
reflected sound waves is too short for the brain
to discriminate between them.
Figure 2 illustrates the advantages of
placing the loudspeakers farther from side
walls. The arrival times of the primary, forward
radiating sound waves and the secondary,
reflected sound waves are well separated,
providing the proper delay needed for faithful
tonal and spatial reproduction.
There will also be a noticeable improve-
ment in openness when the speakers are even
two feet from the rear wall instead of one. If
possible, we prefer the speakers at least three feet from the rear wall and at least five feet from the side walls. Also,
it is not desirable for large objects to be placed very near the speakers since these will also be a source of unwanted
early reflections that reduce imaging accuracy.
Figure 2. Optimum placement for reducing reflection problems
Direct sound
Reflected sound
Difference in arrival times
Figure 1. Early reflection problems caused by speakers placed
too close to side walls
Direct sound
Reflected sound
Difference in arrival times