Von Schweikert Audio VR-4SR MK2 - Manual (Page 4)

4
SETUP
1. Please do not install the spikes until the proper placement has been determined. If you try to
move the speakers around with the spikes installed, you can damage your floor and/or rip out the
spikes, so please be careful and install the spikes only when you are confident that the speakers have
been placed in the proper position.
You will be moving the speakers several times in order to listen to
different aspects of the optimization and the spikes will only make the movement more difficult.
Since the spikes tighten the bass dramatically and also increase the image focus, do not worry about
these two parameters until later in the setup process -- without the spikes, the bass may be too thick
and the image will not be as tightly focused, but that’s not a concern at this time.
2. Turn off the rear ambience drivers by rotating their volume controls counter-clockwise until the
setup is complete.
You need to achieve correct image focus before setting the level of the rear
ambience tweeter, please refer to the section regarding the REAR AMBIENCE DRIVER on page 8.
Starting Location
There are a number of considerations regarding initial placement, particularly involving bass response
and basic imaging. In general, bass response is strengthened when the speakers are placed close to the
rear or side walls, while imaging is enhanced by pulling the speakers further into the room, away from
walls. You can see that these two considerations are in direct conflict, so some compromise must be
made initially for either loud bass or an open sound stage. During optimization, you will be balancing
these two considerations, as both are necessary for realistic sound reproduction.
ROOM CONFIGURATIONS:
If you have a room with fairly rectangular dimensions, you can place
the speakers on either the long or short wall. If your room is cubic, you will have far better results
placing the speakers diagonally. See next section.
ON LONG WALL:
Placing the speakers on the long wall enables you to achieve a very large and wide
sound stage. In fact, using an equilateral triangle as your starting point, you can space the speakers as
far apart as the listening distance, even if this is 15 feet. Since the VR's have very wide dispersion,
there will be no hole in the middle effect. Place the speakers about 2-5ft from the rear wall, with this
distance being the bass optimizer. If you wish to achieve more depth, move them further into the
room. If you wish more bass, place them either closer to the rear wall or closer to the side walls.
*Note: Do not use the same distance from the rear wall and side wall, as this distance will
result in too much boost at this wavelength. Stagger this distance by 40-70%.
Do not toe the speakers in at first, place them parallel to the side walls. In general, the sound stage
will be constrained to the distance between the speakers, so if you have the VR's only six feet apart,
you will hear a small sound stage. Since there will be a lot of overlap between the left and right
channels, the center image will be very dense and monophonic. To correct for this, separate the
speakers further; 8 feet to 12 feet apart is not too much in a large room, but remember, the spread
depends on the listening distance. If you have to spread the speakers well apart but can’t sit far
enough back due to furniture and cosmetic considerations, you may have to toe the speakers in, with
the tweeters aimed directly at your ears. Most acoustic experts recommend toe in, as this will give you