The
placement of the Speakers & Subwoofer is a highly important factor to
consider for optimizing Audio playback quality. If you’re willing to
spend a small amount of time setting these up correctly you may well be
surprised at the improvement you can get. (NOTE - Images used are taken
from my PCWorks
manual).
2
Speakers. While
positioning the Speakers it would be wise to have some Audio playback
going on so as you can instantly gauge the changes in perceived Audio
output as their position is changed. Both
speakers should be placed an equal distance (& angle, i.e. One should
not be positioned further back than another) from your monitor, preferably
at around ear height – or tilted towards your head. Depending on the
distance they are from you, you may need to aim the speakers at you
slightly. The image below illustrates a typical desktop positioning.
After
initial positioning try to keep the space between the Speakers & you
free of any obstructions so as not to effect sound output.
4
Speakers. Position the 2 Front Speakers as
shown above in the previous 2 Speaker section. Positioning the 2
Rear Speakers can be a more awkward prospect however. These Speakers
should be placed so as to form a rectangle around you, or as close as your
room’s environment will allow for. Similar to before, the Rear Speakers
should be placed an equal distance from where you will be seated. Ideally
the Rear Speakers will be elevated above you by some means (e.g.
Wall/Shelf mounted or Stands), 1’ (12 inches) is generally a good height
above ear level to aim for – most Rear Speakers can achieve this as they
come with the necessary Tripods. The images below illustrate some common 4
Speaker placements.
As
we’ll discuss later on, you may need to adjust the Volume balance
between the Front & Rear Speakers in order to achieve some manner of
equilibrium with their Output levels.
5
Speakers. For positioning of the Front &
Rear Left/Right Speakers check the previous section – 4 Speakers.
Placement of the Centre speaker is fairly simple. It should be placed on
top of your monitor in a central position & near the front of the
monitor (So as the monitor casing doesn’t obstruct the output in any
way). The Centre Speaker in all instances should be shielded & have
some form of adhesive tabs (Or similar) to keep it from sliding off the
monitor & protect it against interference. Below is an illustration of
a typical 5.1 Speaker system.
Subwoofer.
The placement of the Subwoofer will be somewhat dependant on the quality
of the Subwoofer itself. Those systems with a poor quality/weak Subwoofer
should find the corner of a room to provide a stronger Bass output for the
system, while those with higher quality subwoofers should find placing the
Subwoofer further away from a corner retains much of the strength without
adversely affecting quality. In contrast lower quality Subwoofers may well
lose strength when not placed in a corner, while better quality Subwoofers
will likely get a boomy output, reducing quality. As we’ll discuss later
on you should adjust the volume level of the Subwoofer for best output
level (Strong enough to be felt, although not strong enough to overwhelm
the rest of the Audio).
The remainder of this guide
will cover Soundcard specific settings & options. Use the
drop-down menu beneath to load the appropriate guide for the Soundcard(s)
which you have installed.
