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Stereo ceiling speaker placement help - must L and R be along line parallel to listener's ears?

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  craig john 
#1 ·
I've got a roughly 11' x 13' rectangular room with a TV in one corner. The optimal viewing position is very close to the center of the room. The speakers will be used for TV audio as well as music (to be listened to throughout the room).


For TV viewing, it seems ideal to place the speakers along a line parallel to the viewer's ears, i.e. so both speakers are equally ahead of or behind the listener. The rough location for those are Yellow in the below diagram.


However, due to the construction and wiring in my ceiling, it would be easiest for me to place the speakers centered on either end of the room, Blue in the diagram, which is still equidistant from the listener.




I'm not an audiophile - but if I put the speakers in the blue location, will they sound weird when watching TV / playing video games, which might really take advantage of the stereo soundscape? I want to know if I'd be ruining the experience by placing them badly, so I can decide whether it's worth the extra effort to place them diagonally.


Thanks for your help!
 
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#2 ·
Best option would be the yellow setup. Actually, the best option would be not go with in-ceiling speakers.
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wuzzzer  /t/1443801/stereo-ceiling-speaker-p...line-parallel-to-listeners-ears#post_22671436


Best option would be the yellow setup. Actually, the best option would be not go with in-ceiling speakers.
Here's a Packer fan agreeing with someone from Minnesota!



OP, get a soundbar or find some other way to mount your speakers at ear level close to the TV. This will be FAR better than either of the in-ceiling setups. In fact, if those in-ceiling setups are the only choices, I would forgo external speakers and just use the TV's internal speakers.


Craig
 
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#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by slobak  /t/1443801/stereo-ceiling-speaker-p...line-parallel-to-listeners-ears#post_22671168


I'm not an audiophile - but if I put the speakers in the blue location, will they sound weird when watching TV / playing video games, which might really take advantage of the stereo soundscape? Thanks for your help!

They will sound weird, at either position.


Get a SoundBar, or a small sat/sub system
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by slobak  /t/1443801/stereo-ceiling-speaker-p...line-parallel-to-listeners-ears#post_22671944


Hmm, interesting. So, even for listening to music I should have the sound emanating from a speaker at the TV?
Did you ever listen to someone speaking to you and have the sound of their voice emanate from the ceiling above you? Of course not. A sound reproduction system should try to emulate, as closely as possible, the realistic listening experience. Having the sound emanate from the same proximity as the visual image will get you closer to that goal.


Craig
 
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