How to position your speakers perfectly

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A.S.

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Best speaker placement tutorial and best music for speaker placement
Having just acquired a pair of Harbeth P3ESR speakers I'm having fun looking for the ultimate speaker placement.

I have downloaded the Sound Liaison DXD sampler https://www.soundliaison.com/index.php/536-sound-liaison-dxd-music-sampler as it was recommended to me as being a great speaker placement tool.
(Using the coupon code “XFI2019” you can download the 352DXD for €10 or the24/ 96 files for €5.)
Especially the phase coherent One Microphone recordings on the sampler seems excellent for that purpose:
“These guys and this recording just rocks. Pace, rhythm, tone and soundstage are just off the charts. The precise placement of all four of the musicians perfectly matches the photos of the sessions. The balance of all four instruments is darn near perfect. As you can no doubt tell, I am a huge fan of this recording. It is one of the best in terms of recording quality I have ever heard. Of course, and as always, your view of the actual music content may vary quite considerably from mine. Nonetheless, I think we would all agree that this recording sounds sensational. ” source; https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/sound-liaison-one-mic-recordings-r813/
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On the net i.e. youtube, there are a great number of tutorials in speaker placement.
Any of these you would especially recommend?



https://www.harbeth.co.uk/speakers/userguide.php

My friend Robert from Melbourne forwarded these questions that he posted on a local forum. I thought we might be able to help him out.
 
I suggest checking out Jim Smith's book, "Get Better Sound". It is inexpensive, a great reference, and a excellent guide!
 
Randy Myers said:
I suggest checking out Jim Smith's book, "Get Better Sound". It is inexpensive, a great reference, and a excellent guide!
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Agreed, Jim's book is highly valuable. Pay special attention to the discussion about positioning the listening seat first. This is the single most important step in room setup and generally trumps anything that can be done with speaker position. Listening position needs to be placed in the room where there is smooth, even bass. This can be done by ear, and more easily (in my view) through measurement. Easy, free, and highly effective.
 
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MPW said:
Agreed, Jim's book is highly valuable. Pay special attention to the discussion about positioning the listening seat first. This is the single most important step in room setup and generally trumps anything that can be done with speaker position. Listening position needs to be placed in the room where there is smooth, even bass. This can be done by ear, and more easily (in my view) through measurement. Easy, free, and highly effective.
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Awesome book
 
I have the P3 Anniversary edition. Get in touch if you want to know my experiences concerning placement.
 
I would't mind having a bit of deflection at the ceiling like in this studio;
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https://www.monoandstereo.com/2021/02/joachim-gerhards-optimal-speaker.html#more

A summary that does not replace reading.

"Our approach consists of investigating how the room and the loudspeaker interact and finding the best situation without making radical changes to the room.

This method provides excellent results without the need for a special room treatment is required; carefully applied.

Consequently, the first step in obtaining a good stereo sound image is to the sound that comes directly from the speakers to your ears before this sound is reflected. Therefore, one goal of loudspeaker placement is to eliminate the earliest reflections, e.g. from walls or windows.

After this initial sense of place, the perception of tonality begins.

The advantages are the greatest possible distance between the loudspeakers for the widest possible sound stage and a maximum delay of the first reflections. Thereby the best soundstage and tonal balance are achieved.

The direct distance between the speaker and the ear should be at least one meter and should be smaller than the distance between the loudspeaker and a reflective surface and the ear.

So why did we put the listening position near the back wall? The first reason is the bass amplification. The maximum sound pressure occurs at the room boundaries and the pressure gives the feeling of deep bass. Secondly, the brain can not measure the time delay between the ears, because the reflections at the back wall are shorter than the circumference of the head. If it does not measure the time delay it can't locate the source of the sound. If the brain does not detect reflections it ignores them."
 
I'm convinced that optimal speaker placement within a given room is the 2nd best thing one can accomplish with their playback system. But it's also perhaps the most difficult thing to accompish as it can take weeks, months, or even years.
 
A.S. said:
I would't mind having a bit of deflection at the ceiling like in this studio;
images
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Thats absorption!! Your first response from sound off surfaces & rebound come from floor, sidewalls & ceiling. Most people have no idea how devastating a ceiling is in their listening field can be unless they are listening very near field.
 
"But it's also perhaps the most difficult thing to accompish as it can take weeks, months, or even years."

Or an afternoon by hiring Jim Smith for a RoomPlay session.
 
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