How Close To The Wall Can You Put Your Speakers? | The Boundary Effect Explained

How Close To The Wall Can You Put Your Speakers? Have you been eying up a new pair of speakers, but you're not sure if they'll work in your room? For a lot of people it comes down to the question how close to the wall can you put your speakers?
00:00 Start
00:10 Do this experiment
01:00 Too close to the wall | The Boundary Effect
02:11 Try pulling out 1-2 feet
02:52 Too close to the sidewall
04:26 Speakers sounding thin? | Too much bass?
In this video Andrew Welker gives you an experiment to try (some tape and a good mixed tape required!) and then explains some common phenomena: boundary loading, boundary effect, and what to do if you're experiencing any amplifications at strange frequencies.
If you have ported speakers exhibiting boundary loading and bloating your system with too much bass, check out this video on Port Plugs: • Speaker Port Plugs: Co...
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[@zzxxyy22]

My wife dictates where my speakers go..thinks they're "decoration"

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Some things are just not worth arguing with your spouse :)

[@drdelewded]

That works both ways..

[@TheSoundsOfSirens]

HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@dougleydorite]

This is why you have a dedicated studio. WAF shouldn’t be something that is considered

[@stpierreorama]

The sad jokes about how a wife dictates a mans life is a strong indicator of the feminization and conditioning of modern men. Have some self respect.

[@doubledrat7]

You and Paul from PS Audio are helping me have a better sound. Thanks

[@JillDinardo-mb6ii]

Thanx,Im gonna try moving my front speakers away from the wall.This has been keeping me up at night.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Parallel: 42" w 1" toe in, 7ft@ctr 😊

[@rudolfhuijs4526]

Sometime ago I did these adjustments and did the listen, analyze, decide steps. Afterwards, I did the same with the sub, but I played with the height. Yes, it is rare but best option came when the center sub driver was 2 feet and 2 inches from the floor. Then I removed the carpet near the floor standing speakers and everything changed. Carpet back, 2 feet high and I am happy :) Thanks for passing this valuable information!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It's a lot of work to set the speakers in that best-for-you position, but once it's done you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor! Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for sharing your setup story.

[@ditto_75]

The trouble I have with my speakers needing to be close to the wall is imaging. Thanks to the wonders of REW and Eq APO I have a great frequency response. The center image is good but very narrow, and all the sound comes from in front of the speakers. This makes it very hard to make the speakers disappear in the room. Not many people talk about this when placing speakers close to the front wall. Every well setup two channel system I have heard has the speakers about a third of the way out in the room. None of the sound comes from the speakers themself but from behind them and or all around them. So, imaging is what I would say is affected the most from speakers being too close to the front wall. Frequency response is a fairly easy fix or at least there is more opportunity to fix it.

[@status101-danielho6]

So can basic tone controls or a graphic equalizer compensate for boundary loading? On a side note, I once lived alone in an apartment with a 14 x 18 living room, and I owned a pair of tower loudspeakers with rear ports. I spent many months optimizing speaker placement and furnishing around them. They ultimately sounded best 6 feet from the back wall, 4 feet from the side walls, slightly toed in, and with six 4 cu.ft empty cardboard boxes draped with blankets as bass traps to tune the bass. Ugliest. Thing. Ever. But it was epic, I’ve never had better imaging, soundstage, and non-subwoofered bass since. The life of a bachelor!

[@Canadian_Eh_I]

Yup sounds about right lol. Acoustic treatments are hideous! And you need a tonne of them (more treatment than wall) for maximum effect. The main reason for moving the speakers into the room is really about first reflections. The bass can just be adjusted but you cant fix reflections with eq!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Yes, sometimes the bass control can help, but many will operate over too large a range, so it can be difficult to dial in properly. I think most audio fans have experienced that perfect room at least once in their lives…it’s too bad you can’t take your best room with you when you have to move, or life changes require giving up that perfect space!

[@TheHammerofDissidence]

My KLH's use acoustic suspension and I have them a little over a foot from the back wall, 3 feet or so away from side walls. They don't sound bloated at all with a sealed design!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It’s true that sealed designs can be friendlier for close to the wall placement.

[@valantj]

Hi Andrew. Nice and interesting stuff. I own modified Energy 22 monitors... Due to small room i consider moving them close to wall. However, there will be dual closet in between. Since move also require some furniture moving (epic problem!! ;) ) i would like to hear your view on that. Shall i move them back and allign front side almost near closet front edge to reduce sound to bounce off, etc. Anyway, thanks for good tips!

[@garygray3834]

Thx I’ll give this a try I have 2 pioneer tower speakers about 5 inches from the wall

[@brydon10]

I think you'll notice a huge difference when you get those pulled out more.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Can't wait to hear what you found was the best spot.

[@bindaredundat-uv6wz]

I MOVED MY SPEAKERS 3 FEET FROM THE BACK WALL AND THEN I MOVED THEM RIGHT UP AGAINST THE WALL AND IN BOTH CASES NICLELBACK STILL SUCKS !!

[@adamant3844]

I have two systems in a carpeted 17 X 10 foot room. A futon bed sits in the middle of both systems. My reference system's floor standing stereo speakers sit 8 feet from the back wall while the 7.1 HT front speakers sit 4 feet from the front wall. Both systems front speakers are toed in but pointed behind me while straddling their respective side walls. The HT systems subwoofer, center channel and TV sit in a cabinet a foot from front wall. The only issue I've had for some time was the front firing and front ported sub rattling during heavy bass pounding movie scenes. My solution was to pick up four hockey pucks and put them underneath the sub. I find that not only does it rarely rattle now but the bass is a little less boomy and noticeably smoother all the while elevating the sub slightly. This room sounded terrible in that it was lacking bass and reverberating sound when I first hooked up the systems. With the addition of the futon lying flat it in the middle of both systems they both sound great. BTW, I find the best sound comes positioning your ears between the tweeter and mid/bass driver.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Thank you for sharing your setup and experience in such detail! The hockey puck trick is something I also suggest for a shelf or cabinet mounted center channel. It works great!

[@wadia434]

When you say distance to the front wall. Do you mean to the back of the speaker of front?

[@WEtter-wc8nk]

How does this apply to wall mounting speakers with Axiom's full metal bracket? I have a pair of wall mounted M22s that I use as stereo speakers and I think they sound fantastic. I have seen lots of comments about M22s needing a subwoofer, but I have never felt the need to add a sub because the bass already sounds great to me. Could this be due to the boundary effect?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You are absolutely correct. The M22s will pick up in the midbass where they are normally slightly overdamped because of the boundary loading from the wall. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@rickylah69]

can eq / dsp fix the boundary effect? i just use my receiver auto EQ. cant pull it out more than 30cm. but having tried 30cm and 10cm, 30cm give a better soundstage and imaging. due to space constraint, i push it 10cm against the front wall, and use auto eq to retune. its tough trying to get good sound vs having space in the house.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It would be very difficult to fix the issue with basic EQ as there is a timing element to the delayed reflection signals. Your auto EQ might do a good enough job to get rid of any major faults, so it’s worth trying. I get that trying to balance sound and livability in many situations is tough.

[@jack3400]

May God bless you. Thank you

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for taking the time to say so.

[@ricklohr3023]

I have my speakers on shelves behind my projection screen so I don't have the option to move them around. Other than blocking the port, are there other options I can try like sound deadening material? I have a pair of Axiom m2i and a matching center speaker?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

I would try blocking the ports first, but only if you’re unhappy with the bass balance. Let me know how it goes.

[@ricklohr3023]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters , actually I'm not unhappy with anything. My theater sounds great. I was just wondering in line with your video. Good video, by the way.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@ricklohr3023 fantastic to hear you're happy with the sound! It's why I recommended marking the current position of the speakers with painter's tape. If you try something, and it doesn't sound better, it's easy to put the speakers back where they were. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@haukehuckstadt5002]

Hello Andrew, can you tell me, do the axiom outrigger also fit the bryston middle-t?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Yes they do.

[@haukehuckstadt5002]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters Thanks a lot!

[@emdf40ph]

My M5's are about 6" from the wall back and 4' from the sides. I've played around with plugging the ports before and found they worked best open. I am curious to see what effects I get with moving as I do have a half wall about that's 3' high that juts out into the room on one side. I have noticed the sound differs from left to right.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Half walls are always difficult to deal with, but slightly asymmetrical placement of the speaker in the room can sometimes help to balance the sound of the two channels. Keep me posted on what works best.

[@emdf40ph]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters well... after trying varying positions, audio is improved and more balanced. Moving them further away from the wall didn't really accomplish much. With the exception of a more near field experience. This would have also required moving the couch, which would have meant moving the tv... and so on. Not up for a room redesign lol. Here is where everything sits. Right M5: 40" from the side wall, 5.5" to the back wall, about 6 degrees toe in. Left M5 (suffering from the half wall): 7" to the back wall, 33" to the side wall, and about 3 degrees toe in. I've rearranged the furniture and "stuff" that sits along the half wall in hopes of creating some diffusing. Not sure the of the math or what did what, but it's improved greatly the staging and dynamics.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@emdf40ph Excellent! This is great information for others with partial walls, open concept layouts, etc. Don’t ever be afraid to try a slightly asymmetrical layout.

[@emdf40ph]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters Another adjustment I found while fiddling about. One speaker was not level and was slightly shooting up to the ceiling.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Leveling the speakers is another great reminder tip, and likely a good thing to recheck from time to time.

[@SoundFreqsOnline]

Thanks! Where should I put the subwoofer ?

[@CarlVanDoren61]

2-Rel Carbon Specials 😊 JLA cr-1 active crossover

[@MrSkyTown]

Can being close to a walk help extend low end frequencies that the speaker can’t produce well

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It certainly can, but you need to be careful not to create a muddy or boomy sound by having the speakers TOO close. It’s all about experimenting with placement and playing tracks that you know well with good bass.

[@georgeromerofan6905]

I missed Bert in this video😂

[@user-jj7uy1ns5f]

Depends on speakers??

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Panels definitely 😊

[@alexpal1495]

Who are the speakers that are designed to be mounted to the wall?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Do you mean On-Wall Speakers? Yes, they are absolutely designed to be mounted on the wall.

[@alexpal1495]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters all the speaker Models?

[@truman4956]

I’m confused, I though the front wall is what the listener is looking at (and the wall behind speakers). Therefore, the back wall is behind the listener.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You are correct, and after saying the front speakers I did say back wall, meaning the wall in back of the front speakers. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for pointing it out.

[@ayokay123]

Great sound vs. peaceful household = Single vs married

[@howardskeivys4184]

The front baffle of my large floor standers is 24 inches from the wall behind them. The rear ports are sealed with the proprietary bungs. They sound excellent, smooth, balanced and linear! In theory, they should benefit from being pulled out a further 12 inches. This would constitute a distance of 34 inches, or 85cm, the statutory distance for reflected sound. In practice, not easy. The left hand speaker would be in the way as you come through the lounge door. I have however put this into practice, when I have the house to myself. There is no significant improvement or even difference, certainly not sufficient to warrant the inconvenience. It my hifi rig has to fight for it’s right to be, in our family lounge. Pulling the speakers further out from the wall would not meet with the approval of the aesthetics committee. Do I appease my listening pleasure, or appease the wife so that she doesn’t deny me marital pleasure? They sound

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

If there’s no significant improvement when you pull them out when you have the house to yourself, I would say the 24 inches from the back wall is working in your room. Every room and every system is different, and I always maintain that you should listen, try different things, listen again and decide for yourself what sounds best. Marital crisis averted.

[@buck65100]

Front wall, the rear wall or back wall is behind the listener. The wall behind the speakers is the front wall, it's from the perspective of the listener. Why do some people insist on calling the front wall the back wall??? What do you call the wall behind the listener? the front wall?? There can't be two back walls. Great video, though. Rant over, carry on. :)

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Thank you. 😊 I think this comes about because we talk about the wall behind the back of the speaker.

[@photorolensoman8101]

I use crappy speakers so they don't sound good wherever I place them! Problem solved.

[@trgoku1951]

Use smaller speakers or Bluetooth speakers

[@steve4321able]

Ok so closer to the wall = more bass?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

More mid-bass, which is not necessarily a good thing. You’ll need to listen to know for sure.

[@jasonarsenault3791]

Sonos has some sort of thing called True Tone. Allegedly sets itself up to the physical room itself. Is that just snake oil? This is an old video. Maybe I’m talking to no one 😂

[@the.communist]

Very bassy voice hes got.

[@avatarsandhu]

He needs to move 5 feet forward,