Entertainment listening

In rooms you'll move around in or frequently entertain in, speaker placement designed for critical listening won't work. The music will be too loud in one area and too soft in another, a flaw that will be most obvious when the volume is low. By employing three or four speakers in a room, or by judiciously using a combination of direct and reflected sound, you can create a relatively even soundfield. You'll hear some degree of stereo effect regardless of where you are in the room.

We've written the guidelines below to help you achieve that desired effect. Some of them are situation-specific, while others are more general. As you read them, note which ones apply to your room, needs, and goals.

General guidelines:

• Try to keep speakers about 2 feet away from corners and other surfaces that might interfere with or reflect sound, such as tall or bulky furniture.
• For rectangular rooms of less than 300 square feet, two speakers should suffice. Place them near opposite corners.
• For L-shaped rooms, or for rectangular rooms larger than 300 square feet, use 3 or more speakers. Stagger them across the space for good sound dispersion. If you do end up using an odd number of speakers, stereo input speakers can be a good choice.
• For a narrow, long room, place the speakers at either end. (Wall speakers can go either at the ends themselves, or on an adjacent wall.) Stereo input speakers are a good solution for this relatively awkward space.
• When your décor or budget won't allow more than two speakers in a large room, try to place left and right stereo speakers near (but at least 2 feet away from) the corners, or at far ends of the room, to better disperse the sound.

(A) Diagonal placement gives good coverage in a typical rectangular room of 300 square feet or less. (B) Use three or more speakers in a large or L-shaped room. (C) In a narrow room, place the speakers in the middle at either end. In this example, stereo-input speakers would be a great choice.

Speaker placement in rooms you'll be entertaining in, such as a dining room:

• In-wall: Place them low on the walls (at AC outlet height) and in opposite corners. This creates multiple reflections and a very pleasant and pervasive sound field at a low volume. Turned up loud, this placement will sound muddy and hard, but for dining room conversation enhancement, it's unbeatable.
• On-wall: Since you probably can't place on-wall speakers very low on the wall, move them higher up the wall ™ 6-7 feet from the floor. Place them roughly in opposite corners, and aim the speakers towards the middle of the room. On-wall speakers may be a good option for some homes, but in-wall speakers will most likely yield better results.
• In-ceiling: Avoid surfaces in the room that will reflect sound in a disruptive way. For example, if you place a ceiling-mounted speaker directly over your dining room table, the sound may reflect upward off the table and interfere with conversation. In-ceiling speakers are a good option for some dining and entertaining rooms, but in-wall speakers are often better suited for the task.

Speaker placement in rooms you probably won't be entertaining in, such as a kitchen or den:

• In-wall/on-wall: Place the speakers about 6 feet off the floor. While wall speakers are a great option for many rooms, they tend to create more "hot spots" (areas where the sound is much louder) than ceiling speakers do.
• In-ceiling: These will be relatively easy to place, and are less likely to create acoustical problems than wall speakers. Just follow the general guidelines above to fit your room's shape and size, and you should be in good shape.

Speaker placement in your master bath:

• If you want to install speakers in your bathroom, stereo-input in-ceiling speakers are a great way to go. One stereo input speaker plays both channels of stereo music with one woofer and two angled tweeters; they're great for small rooms or larger awkwardly shaped areas. Depending on the size and layout of your bathroom, you may want to use more than one. For example, if your bathroom is relatively large, placing a stereo-input speaker above the sink and one above the bathtub will ensure you can follow that morning's news, even during noisier activities like brushing your teeth or showering.

A single stereo-input speaker plays both the left and right channels of stereo music via one woofer and two angled tweeters.

For background listening

In hallways, entryways, laundry rooms and other less-trafficked areas, it may seem like overkill to install speakers. But if you play the speakers in the living room so that they're at the right volume in the entryway or laundry room, the volume in the living room will be uncomfortably loud. Installing speakers for background listening lets you enjoy music pretty much anywhere you roam in your house, without having to crank up your speakers to floor-shaking levels.

Stereo-input speakers are often the most effective way to bring background music to small rooms. In larger rooms, you'll probably want to use more speakers, staggering them throughout the space. Since the volume in these areas will generally stay low, you don't have to worry as much about the effects of reflected sound ™ your goal is simply to disperse the sound over as wide an area as possible.

Wrapping it up

With these goals and guidelines in mind, take a look around your home. You'll want to follow these tips when you can, but rooms vary, and there may be other factors you need to take into account. For example, if there are in-ceiling light fixtures in a room where you plan to install in-ceiling speakers, you might tweak the placement of your speakers to keep them in line with the light fixtures for a more pleasing look.

You can get a good idea of what's involved in installing in-wall or in-ceiling speakers with our step-by-step installation guides for in-wall wire and in-wall, in-ceiling, and on-wall speakers. If you're planning on installing your wire and speakers yourself, make sure you're comfortable with all the tasks described.

If you have any additional questions about how and where to place your speakers or are planning a multi-room music system, you can call one of the experts in our A/V Design Group at 1-800-555-9407. They can take the info your supply and craft customized, room-specific recommendations, free of charge.