Loudspeaker placement

How important is placement for a loudspeaker?

[@ThinkingBetter]

There is a lot to admire about Paul's passion for delivering outstanding audiophile experiences.

[@anonimushbosh]

I thought aliens must have had landed in Colorado or something when these disappeared for a couple of days, lol.

[@dharshannanayakkara1956]

Hi Paul In this video, you mentioned that the volume of music at 80db is quite low. If so, what volume do you play music in one of your demo rooms? Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us 👍🏼 David from Melbourne, Australia

[@funny0000000]

I grew up in a middle-class household and I recommend your book even to people on welfare. That book really makes the Aspen speaker sound amazing.

[@Mark-lq3sb]

Why don't you buy them food?

[@funny0000000]

@@Mark-lq3sb I let them live in my apartment buildings for free which costs me tons of money in rent. They do have to eat from dumpsters and stuff. I can only do so much. We are a wasteful country so there actually is almost as much food in the trash as people consume. They are not starving if you see the size of them. A few of them I have taught to read with Paul's book. I let them enjoy my old systems as well. I just wish someone could make this country better so there are not so many poor people.

[@bikdav]

This issue is interesting. I’ve heard “not so decent” speakers and electronics sound great just because of speaker placement.

[@totalplonker824]

In my experience, getting the couch of the back wall is almost as important as speaker placement. I only have a small 13 x 11.5 ft living room, but I managed to get the couch 2 ft away from its back wall. However, I still find myself having to lean forward slightly to experience the best possible perception. One thing I do know is that having the MLP up against the back wall is the worst of all!

[@stimpy1226]

80dB as indicated on my Pass XP -22 preamp is more than enough for me on almost every recording I play. You don’t think that’s a bit on the loud side Paul? An SPL meter that I use from my listening chair also tells me that 80 dB SPL is pretty damn loud in my 13’ x 22’ x 8’ listening room.

[@clickbeetle2720]

🖤writing is a wonderful thing to share.. it goes hand in hand with education.. ♣besides music, two of the greatest things we can have is the freedom and ability to entertain and process our own thoughts.. and financial independence.. 🌏✌& ♥

[@rockermarco]

Sometimes you gotta just live with a compromise.

[@slode1693]

If you have it right, there is no compromise to different types of music. It's all just frequency and amplitude, doesn't matter what order or level they are being played. One type of music may sound good in a slight variation of any setup, but it won't sound worse when played in a setup that sounds good to any type. They will all sound perfect when the system is setup perfect.

[@m3n9111]

Welcome back! I was starting to get worried tbh

[@barrymiller3385]

Here's something you may not be entirely pleased to hear. I visited the hi fi show at Ascot a couple of days ago and listened to your Aspen FR5 speakers for the first time. They were being driven by some of your serious electronics (big monoblock amps etc.). The did sound good - as they should given the cost of the whole system. They played the live version of Depeche Mode - Welcome to my World at my request. When I got home I played the same track on my own system at maybe one fifth of the price... and it sounded better! I can only assume it is down to a combination of taste, familiarity and setup. At least this confirms what you're saying!

[@Lacking_something]

Were the speakers in a bad room at Ascot?

[@barrymiller3385]

@Lacking_something Well... They were at one end of a very big room. I don't really have a point of reference to judge whether the room was good or bad. I do realise that it is not easy for exhibitors to get equipment to sound it's best at shows. I did feel that the overall standard of sound at the show was rather below average. There were a couple of rooms where I was genuinely shocked at how bad they sounded. (I don't want to name names!) I couldn't understand how the demonstrators could sit there and let the public hear it like that!

[@Lacking_something]

@@barrymiller3385 I wonder whether such shows almost guarantee a bad sound, apart from a small number of rooms which happen to be the right size/structure.

[@barrymiller3385]

@@Lacking_something There were a few rooms that sounded good - and a couple that sounded really good. I just felt that the overall standard was a bit down compared to other shows I've been to. One of the rooms that impressed me was demonstrating a system that cost £2k total. I can't actually remember who it was offhand - I'll have to have a look at the programme.

[@IanKnight40]

80db ( average/mean ) might sound low, but perhaps the listening room dictates that sort of level before the bass levels starts loading the room and affecting the upper bass and clouding the midrange and high frequencies.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Hey Paul, this has nothing to do with this video. I have a suggestion for the FR tens. Make a nice little amplifier with an active crossover, not in the speaker box, but in the rack and dedicated cables to to the speakers so they’ll be no need for two AC lines on the speaker along with a balanced XLR it would be cleaner easier to maneuver. Your company has a reputation for its electronics, so that should help some audio file, neurosis and insecurities about the electronics, which is a big barrier for many audio files, but they don’t see an amplifier. Benefits., Cleaner wiring, and suppressing customer insecurities.

[@ryanschipp8513]

Sometimes the recording itself won't allow a system to sound that great even with good placement and a great rig. In particular I've noticed Imaging and soundstage along with bass nuance is compromised in some recordings.

[@slode1693]

The point I think he's trying to make, but doesn't do that great of job making, is that no amount of adjustment in setup will make mediocre recordings sound better. The perfect setup of any system will make whatever you play sound as good as it will ever sound on that system, regardless of what the music is. It's all just frequency and amplitude. Doesn't matter what order or level that it's played at.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Thank you, Sir!

[@Mean_Gene_69]

80 db is pretty low? Omg, if I play it that loud in my listening room I’ve gotta leave the room 😂

[@Tom-xg1kj]

You don't have a 20x30 listening room with all the treatments?

[@stimpy1226]

Sounds like a normal question but common sense dictates that once you have your speakers set up correctly and your room treated properly if necessary the only way we are going to hear differences with different genres of music just says to me that the recordings you own are not of the same quality.

[@grumpy9478]

that's strange, Paul. when pop-country is played on my fairly well set-up system it sounds terrible, while all other genres sound fine.

[@slode1693]

Could just be because pop-country sucks! Can you make it sound any better with adjusting your system?

[@grumpy9478]

@@slode1693 hmmm... when I turn it off, it DOES sound much better.

[@ParbhdeepSingh]

Any place I can preorder the book? Ty.

[@JonAnderhub]

The only thing more annoying than Paul saying DSD is the best format is Paul disappearing for a couple of days with no explanation. I hope everything is okay with you Paul and you were just taking a break and enjoying life.

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Thanks, Jon. Did I disappear? Didn't do it intentionally. I am just fine. Thanks for asking.

[@stevenholquin2127]

Dear Paul McGowan I Listen To Hillbilly Music 🎶 Where Most Of The Musical Instruments Can Be a Washboard Spoons or Blowing into a Old Whiskey Jug My Favorite Hillbilly Song 🎶 is Muddy River Bottom By Buster Scruggs My Question Paul If I Place My 1965 Zenith Console Stereo Behind Me as I Play My Jaw Harp Along with Buster Scruggs Song Cold Water …if I Close My Eyes 👀 Will This Set Up Give Me a False Sense of Security or Will I Sound Like am Playing With Buster Scruggs On Stage In My Living Room and What Does CEO Mean Before Your Name ?

[@dandiehm8414]

CEO means Chief Executive Officer. He is the main person in charge of the company.

[@ParbhdeepSingh]

No, you'd have to place the stereo closer to the area where you feel like the band you're listening to would be positioned. The music spreads out from the speaker like butter from a knife on some toast. So you want your butter to come from the area that you're going to be playing next to. Then turn your stereo up loud enough to where the power of the sound is absolute, the same from every listening position.

[@Mark-lq3sb]

Bye Steven hope you get your Zenith figured out And the list of Real Country singers goes on and on Mom played Minnie Pearl Shes Funny Hank Williams Patsy Cline Back in the 1960s When I was in Elementary School My Basement right now Stops Working I have the same 1965 Zenith Console Stereo in Oh if your Zenith Console Stereo In your Living Room Zenith Console Stereo That can't place his A Deranged Hillbilly That could make you look like He is a Fictional Character Don't play with Buster Scruggs HI Steven

[@ParbhdeepSingh]

Your best bet is to position it in the corner and sit in front of it there, that way the waves propagate and spread out over the right area. You want a U shape of the sound around you and since you aren't using surround sound, the best way is to position it in the corner and harness the proximity effect. The effect is actually called Sonamic Panorama. You can look it up on Google and find the paper from the Fraunhofer Institute on the algorithm.

[@TrueLies23]

Sure does seem like the same videos are being made over and over.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

Only so many topics. These are from the questions he gets, so someone still needed clarification.

[@dicmccoy]

80 db is A-weighted is pretty low? 🤨😆 You'd be surprised how loud 80db actually is. Bust out a Umik-1 and you'll see how little you're actually listening at.