Hi guys
So I am moving into a new place, and in the new place I will have to move my main system into what will be my study. But this room is small (circa 3m x 3.5m). I will be putting (floorstanding) shelves on all the open walls (books and LPs). So either I put the speakers in front of the shelves, which will put me about 1m away from the speakers, or put them against the walls, and build shelves that will fit around them. The listening distance will not be much better, but it will be better. I am just wondering how this will affect the sound.
On the speaker front I currently have two options.
1. I have a pair of AR91 speakers
2. Alternatively, I have a pair of Wharfdale Super12 RS/DD (I have actual measured TSPs for these) that I can mount in Tannoy Berkeley cabinets (I have uncut baffles for these, so I can go vented or sealed). If need be I can also custom build a pair of cabinets for these (the recommended size for these is 5 cu.ft. and the Berkeley cabinets are only 3.5 cu.ft.).
So, what would you guys suggest? I do have a pair of P Audio 15" woofers, with P Audio PH220 alu horns and compression drivers, but I don't think this combo will work for nearfield listening, so the above two are my main options. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Note, I don't have the budget to buy something else, so these are my options.
Thanks,
Deon
So I am moving into a new place, and in the new place I will have to move my main system into what will be my study. But this room is small (circa 3m x 3.5m). I will be putting (floorstanding) shelves on all the open walls (books and LPs). So either I put the speakers in front of the shelves, which will put me about 1m away from the speakers, or put them against the walls, and build shelves that will fit around them. The listening distance will not be much better, but it will be better. I am just wondering how this will affect the sound.
On the speaker front I currently have two options.
1. I have a pair of AR91 speakers
2. Alternatively, I have a pair of Wharfdale Super12 RS/DD (I have actual measured TSPs for these) that I can mount in Tannoy Berkeley cabinets (I have uncut baffles for these, so I can go vented or sealed). If need be I can also custom build a pair of cabinets for these (the recommended size for these is 5 cu.ft. and the Berkeley cabinets are only 3.5 cu.ft.).
So, what would you guys suggest? I do have a pair of P Audio 15" woofers, with P Audio PH220 alu horns and compression drivers, but I don't think this combo will work for nearfield listening, so the above two are my main options. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Note, I don't have the budget to buy something else, so these are my options.
Thanks,
Deon
Hi Pano
At the end, circa 3ft. to 5ft. My desk will be against the back wall, and if the speakers are against the front wall, about 5ft. It is a small room. Also, due to me using a desk chair as the listening chair, they will be mounted quite high. The tweeter level will probably be at around 4ft. high. This is one of the reasons I am thinking of using a fullrange driver instead of a normal speaker. The only advantage will be that all the walls will be covered by shelves, so there will be a lot of absorption and diffusion.
Thanks,
Deon
At the end, circa 3ft. to 5ft. My desk will be against the back wall, and if the speakers are against the front wall, about 5ft. It is a small room. Also, due to me using a desk chair as the listening chair, they will be mounted quite high. The tweeter level will probably be at around 4ft. high. This is one of the reasons I am thinking of using a fullrange driver instead of a normal speaker. The only advantage will be that all the walls will be covered by shelves, so there will be a lot of absorption and diffusion.
Thanks,
Deon
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I long ago quit wasting my time, but historically I've suggested angled down soffit mounting [or design XO to 'point' at least the ~800 Hz-up BW at the LP] for virtually all HIFI/HT apps regardless of speaker type, room size since except for the hassle/cost of physically mounting them, you're pretty much good to go, though of course best to have polar patterns that take max advantage of it.
Thanks, GM. That puts my heart more at ease. I can mount them up high if needed, albeit pointing down could be a bit difficult. Now I just need to fire up WinISD and see how they will respond in the 3.5cu.ft. Berkeley cabinets. What kind of response must I aim for? My initial thought would be a response that slopes down from the mids, but from which point, and sloping down at which rate? This might mean tuning them very low (not a bad thing), but what would you suggest? And why does the idea of a Karlson (or Karlsonator) suddenly pop into my crazy head?
I'd be interested in fewer reflections for the smaller room. The more narrow full range might have potential there. Not putting shelves behind the speakers might be better as I'd suggest trying to avoid reflections from that wall, and soffit mounting is a good way of doing that, or at least a larger baffle frontage.
Consider the better listening angle of the drivers before deciding where you must put them. Full rangers can get tight at the higher frequencies and you don't want to be sub-consciously moving your head all the time. Consider some absorption on the wall behind your chair, and shelves around it.
Consider the better listening angle of the drivers before deciding where you must put them. Full rangers can get tight at the higher frequencies and you don't want to be sub-consciously moving your head all the time. Consider some absorption on the wall behind your chair, and shelves around it.
Well, that seems to be the way I am going to do it. Soffit mounting, with shelves all around the cabinets.
Because of the width of the room, they will be quite close together. Centre to centre will probably be around 6ft to 7ft at most. And I am seriously thinking of adding a set of helper tweeters to aid with high frequencies. They don't go very high by themselves, so this might have to be done. Blending will be another headache.
The back wall, the one behind the listening chair, will be the one above my desk. I will most probably have a big shelf there, full of books, CDs and DVDs. My PC screen will also be there, adding a reflection point, but luckily it is a curved screen, so this will be less obtrusive.
TBH, from something that started out as a headache, this is becoming more and more like something I really want to do. Awesome! Thanks guys. 😎
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Meant to include this tidbit to add a bit of professional background with a [re] patenting of a pioneering W.E. cinema sound system by Ga. Tech's other audio guru: US5004067A - Cinema sound system for unperforated screens
- Google Patents
- Google Patents