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wall mount or floor stands for surround?

540 Views 8 Replies 4 Participants Last post by sethwas, Mar 4, 2005

phatfreeza

Discussion Starter · Mar 1, 2005

so my surround speakers need a home. right now there are two options.

1- buy some adjustable floorstands and get them to 48" and put my surrounds on top of that. (approx 1' above ear level)

2-buy a wall mount (approx 3' above ear level) and tilt the speaker down towards ears

i think i've read that the ideal placement of surrounds is 1-2' above ear level. i would rather get the wall mount because it looks better but in the end i would rather have the better sound.

if i aim/tilt the speaker down from the wall would that help negate the effects of being so high? would adjusting the volume and distance settings on my receiver help also? thanks for any help!

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Jim McC

· #2 · Mar 2, 2005

I would mount them on wall, but not 3' above ear level, that's too high.

1-2' above ear level when seated is correct, and slightly behind your head.

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phatfreeza

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim McC
I would mount them on wall, but not 3' above ear level, that's too high.

1-2' above ear level when seated is correct, and slightly behind your head.

thanks for the reply, but the problem is i can't mount it any lower than 3' above earlevel. there is a closet in the way.

that is why i was wondering if i just mount it 3' above, and then aim it down, will i still get the surround effect?

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caesar1

· #4 · Mar 2, 2005

I have the same issue. There is a closet on one side-wall. So I had to mount my Paradigm Atoms above the height of the closet door, or practically at the ceiling.

I have a slight tilt downward on the surrounds (not directly tilted at the listening position).

They sound great. Much better than when I had them on stands.

I highly recommend wall mounting over stands. Not only do they look better, they sound better. And the dogs can run around without knocking them over now.

Moreover, it is tough to find stands tall enough for the recommended height of 1 to 2 feet above ear level.

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phatfreeza

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by caesar1
I have the same issue. There is a closet on one side-wall. So I had to mount my Paradigm Atoms above the height of the closet door, or practically at the ceiling.

I have a slight tilt downward on the surrounds (not directly tilted at the listening position).

They sound great. Much better than when I had them on stands.

I highly recommend wall mounting over stands. Not only do they look better, they sound better. And the dogs can run around without knocking them over now.

Moreover, it is tough to find stands tall enough for the recommended height of 1 to 2 feet above ear level.

this is very comforting news. did you compensate for the height of the speakers by raising the volume of the surrounds on the receiver? do you have to add any additional distance when calibrating with the receiver? thanks a million!

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caesar1

· #6 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by phatfreeza
this is very comforting news. did you compensate for the height of the speakers by raising the volume of the surrounds on the receiver? do you have to add any additional distance when calibrating with the receiver? thanks a million!

Well the way you usually set up the distance (in most surround receivers), is you measure the distance from your listening position to the speaker.

So I'm measuring to wherever the speaker is, so the height is taken into account -- since it is a little farther than if they were lower down on the wall.

I had my wife sit on the couch in the prime spot and hold one end of the tape measure -- and I ran the other end to each speaker to get the distance.

So yes, the height (i.e, the overall distance), is taken into account for the distance (i.e, the delay) settings.

And yes, you just need to calibrate the speakers for the sound pressure level -- so it is the same for each speaker from your listening position. So again, automatically the height (or overall distance) is taken into account, since the farther away you are, the lower the SPL gets.

Nothing really changes if your speakers are a little higher up on the wall as far as your set up. You do everything the same.

For delay:

measure distance to each speaker

For calibration:

adjust individual speaker volume so same SPL from each speaker when in your prime listening location (use test tones and a radio shack SPL meter). (I actually give a slight boost -- maybe 1 db to my surround speakers -- as compared to the fronts -- , since I like a little surround emphasis).

The only difference is you may want to tilt them down slightly (but not directly at, the listening position).

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phatfreeza

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by caesar1
Well the way you usually set up the distance (in most surround receivers), is you measure the distance from your listening position to the speaker.

So I'm measuring to wherever the speaker is, so the height is taken into account -- since it is a little farther than if they were lower down on the wall.

I had my wife sit on the couch in the prime spot and hold one end of the tape measure -- and I ran the other end to each speaker to get the distance.

So yes, the height (i.e, the overall distance), is taken into account for the distance (i.e, the delay) settings.

And yes, you just need to calibrate the speakers for the sound pressure level -- so it is the same for each speaker from your listening position. So again, automatically the height (or overall distance) is taken into account, since the farther away you are, the lower the SPL gets.

Nothing really changes if your speakers are a little higher up on the wall as far as your set up. You do everything the same.

For delay:

measure distance to each speaker

For calibration:

adjust individual speaker volume so same SPL from each speaker when in your prime listening location (use test tones and a radio shack SPL meter). (I actually give a slight boost -- maybe 1 db to my surround speakers -- as compared to the fronts -- , since I like a little surround emphasis).

The only difference is you may want to tilt them down slightly (but not directly at, the listening position).

thank you for the informative post!! you've just made my day

i'm all set to buy the mounts now..

thanks to all those who helped me out on this thread!

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phatfreeza

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 3, 2005

one more question...

i'm planning on buying some generic mounts on ebay. has anyone got anything negative to say about them before i get them?

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sethwas

· #9 · Mar 4, 2005

I'd do standing on the floor because the sound is nicer when not as close to the wall.

Seth

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