PSB Speakers 6919217 - Manual (Page 9)

enclosures are positioned vertically rather than horizontally. If you
are placing your monitors horizontally, the speakers will still
perform very well, but the seating area where you will enjoy
optimum sound will become narrower. We suggest you position
the tweeters to the outside away from the center line. You may
prefer to tilt the speakers towards ear level.
D. If you sit equally distant from both speakers, angling the speakers
inward (“toeing them in’) about 5 to 10 degrees usually produces
the best convergence of high frequencies where you listen.
Different listening positions may require different toe-in.
E. Surround speaker placement is covered in Section 4. Beyond
these basics, experiment with positioning for optimum
performance. Please read the placement guidelines that follow.
They are about the speakers, the room, and you.
1. The Speakers in Relation to Room Boundaries
The position of your speakers with respect to the walls, floor, and
ceiling of your listening room will often affect their sound in major
ways.
A. The closer you place speakers to the boundary surfaces of your
room, the greater the proportion of bass in their overall sound.
This is due to the enclosing, “focusing” effects of nearby surfaces
on longer-wavelength (lower) frequencies. Positioning the
speakers near the intersection of two surfaces (wall and wall, wall
and floor, or wall and ceiling) will produce more apparent bass
than placement near a single surface. The greatest proportion of
bass is delivered by placement near three intersecting
surfaces—in a room corner near the floor or ceiling, where the
convergence of the two walls and the floor/ceiling produces an
amplifying effect that is a bit like that of a megaphone. And the
least bass comes from placing a speaker away from all
boundaries. Your own tastes should decide what proportion of
bass response seems right in your room.
B. The combination of the three dimensions of your room generally
will produce at least three points in the room where the frequency
response you experience related to a given position (of either the
speaker or you) will either greatly increase or almost disappear.
The most obvious effects are on low frequencies, but mid-
frequency effects, while usually subtler, are also often present.
Keep in mind, then, that very small changes in positioning (of the
speakers or you) may produce major or subtle changes.
C. Distances of speakers from the walls can make great differences
in the number, strength, and particular frequencies of secondary
reflections—changing frequency-balance, sonic spaciousness,
and definition. Most listeners prefer their speakers at least a few
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