Stereo Setup Tips and Tricks! Improving your sound for FREE!

[@buttonman1831]

Something that I discovered that is very important and should be the highest priority of getting the tone correct. I have one side of my room where the bass is dominant so I started with only that speaker on. I set the speaker initially a minimum of 2 feet away from the back wall and side wall but NOT the same distance. Then I put on a song with steady bass and moved the speaker one inch at a time on forward and back. I dialed in the bass on that axis then repeated the process on the other axis one inch at a time. The speaker hit a perfect sweet spot within an inch that sound perfectly balanced. I measured the distances from the wall and set my other speaker the same distance. This is by far the easiest and best sounding setup I ever had. The bass accuracy dictates much of the tonal accuracy which has a significant impact on the overall sound. I was surprise will how well my system now images and sound stages. I have been playing with my setup for a year and finally nailed it.

[@adrianlow2114]

Good tips!

[@robvandendolder3157]

Thanks guys. Simple ideas often work really well. We bought a rug that was almost the width of our listening room. Underneath this a thing lining of semi soft rubber also acts a anti slip. The effect was amazing as Vilip did clearly mention. 👍

[@peterbaugh51]

Great video. After setting up my reference speakers by ear, I checked the speaker placement formula and got 0.8207=X/Y in my room. I get great sound and imaging from 30 htz and up. But my setup is 30° off from parallel to the front wall, and same for the listening area. Speakers are cross streamed 10% and tilted up 7%. This is best for my Elac speakers. Every speaker and room is different, so toe in will vary. As the speakers are aimed at slanted wall angles, standing waves are reduced, by my humble theory. Seems to work. Powerful sound with low wattage. 83% rule is a good guide, thanks. (Speaker Setup Optimal = X/Y=0.83 or 83%. Where X = distance between tweeters, and Y = distance to ears, or listening area).

[@cmkilcullen8176]

I also thought the comment about tilting your speakers forward was interesting. I have Klipsch speakers (towers) and I am more musically inclined than home theater . The speakers themselves are in a cabinet designed to be angled upward, and I have some rubber pads underneath each foot. I removed the pads from the front feet and replaced with thin layer of cardboard covered with a thin sheet of rubber mesh (used to line kitchen drawers) to experiment. I must say I really do like how this affected things sonically; and it did so -no matter the source of the music. Thank you for that tip. The sound feels more contained in the room and clearer. In my case that was most helpful. Cheers CM

[@zaoria123]

Interesting you suggest a tilt forward to raise soundstage. If one tilts a speaker forward, it will lower the soundstage. To raise soundstage height, I have found that tilting my speakers back a bit has helped. I accomplish this by using spikes under my speakers and adding a nut (or two) in the front to create a small tilt backward.

[@billfife6569]

The wall behind the speakers is the front wall. Leaning the speakers towards the front wall is forward I believe.

[@Cowplunk]

@@billfife6569 I just watched the Wilson Audio setup video that they recommended. it is very clear that when Mr. Wilson says move it forward, he means toward the listener and away from the front wall.

[@rossmiller-j3b]

I use blu take under my speakers for a solid connection to floor ,keeps them stable😊

[@soulshinobi]

Very useful content, and including links to other material in the description is also greatly appreciated, thank you.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks

[@bshah4831]

Great tips and some easy to understand science Edit:Adrian thank you for tip about speaker distance from back and side wall. Really improved solidity of the sound stage.

[@adrianlow2114]

You're welcome!

[@randallsguaranteedsold6361]

Super helpful, thx gentlemen!

[@xcvbxcvb2179]

Tilting up the QAcoustic 3050i did for sure improved the sound.

[@howardskeivys4184]

Isolation pods work by the springs absorbing stored energy in speaker cabinets, reducing resonance and colourisation. This will tighten bass and make it more defined. Increase clarity of the mid range and high frequency detail. Ideal for full range speakers. However, subs should be firmly coupled to the floor to enhance bass distribution. Some subs even have down firing drivers to maximise this virtue. The isolation pods under your full range speakers will protect them from colourisation from your subs. Room treatment can and will change the sonic ambiance of your listening environment. Whether or not you consider that an improvement, will depend on your listening preference. Positioning of speakers and furniture, is influenced by the dimensions and nature of the room. There are no hard and fast rules to calculate optimum placement. Experimentation and trial and error is crucial! Most of all, enjoy the music.

[@skatterpro]

It is never ever desirable to have a coloured "sonic ambience" in your listening environment, at least if you want to reproduce the recorded sound. If you want uneven distributions across the frequency spectrum, and a room that rings in certain frequencies, by all means - disregard acoustic treatment.

[@howardskeivys4184]

@@skatterpro when I first entered the world of premium audio in the early 80s, the salesman at my local dealership, sat me down with a large mug of coffee and preached that the major spend of any hifi budget should go on source equipment. With sound reasoning. There can’t be any audiophiles not familiar with the CICO effect. Crap In, Crap Out. I adhered to this hypothesis for many years. Until, that is, in the mid 90s my local hifi dealer had a closing down sale. I bought, on a wim, a pair of substantial floorstanders, reduced from 6500 to 3900. 3900 is far more than I had ever paid for any single source component. The difference those speakers made to my hifi system was phenomenal, far greater than any single source component had ever made! I concluded that the big money should go on speakers. With sound reasoning. If your speakers are incapable of resolving what the rest of your system throws at them? Then the systems potential won’t be maximised. It was around this time that I discovered the internet and KZbin hifi community and realised that I wasn’t alone in that conclusion. Fast forward to the present and the buz phrase appears to be ‘room treatment’, ‘acoustic corretion’, or ‘room correction’. I’ve frequently heard the claim that if you have 25000 to spend on a hifi system? 5000 should go on equipment and 20000 on room treatment. Whilst I appreciate that room treatment can change the sonic signature of your hifi, whether that change represents an improvement is surely down to personal taste. If you are fortunate enough to have the luxury of a dedicated listening room? Housing no more than your hifi gear, listening chair and maybe beer fridge? Then room treatment may? pay dividends. Meanwhile, back in the real world where hifi systems like mine have to fight for their right to be in the family lounge, I seriously believe that carpets, curtains, rugs, cushions, sofas Etc. All contribute to keeping the RT level, acceptable. If you and I were conversing in my lounge, would you insist that I acoustically treat the room, because my voice did not sound natural. Since early human existence. Since our days as cave dwellers. Our auditory system has evolved to distinguish direct sounds from indirect sounds. Separate the wheat from the chaff, the shit from the shine. We have to accept that music reproduced by a hifi system is fake. It’s an illusion. It’s up to us, as audiophiles, to build a system which takes that illusion as close to your interpretation of reality as feasible. Obviously for you, acoustic treatment features high on your priorities. For me, not so much so. Enjoy the music.

[@Josal]

Great and useful discussion guys 👍🏽🤙🏽

[@adrianlow2114]

Thank you!

[@ptg01]

Well done ! Very practical advise.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

ISO acoustics, great Canadian innovation!!!

[@dripslobber]

Paul's book and companion CD are amazing at improving the setup of your speakers.

[@aussie8114]

If your tweeters are too harsh sounding you can put a piece of felt over them. Especially good for metallic tweeters. Well I think so anyway.

[@russellbrikowski6139]

Thank you , for the great info.

[@adrianlow2114]

You're welcome!

[@davidn8656]

My listening position is only a foot from the rear wall but my speakers are five feet from the front wall.Nothing i can do is this still okay?

[@andynonimuss6298]

The rule of thirds (or 33%) can only be used in very long rooms. Technically the idea listening positions between room modes is: 32.8%, 39.6%, and 45.8%. Most small rooms will use 45.8%, medium length rooms will be 39.6%, and long rooms will be 32.8%.

[@Kukkema]

What to do in a small square room? 14x15 feet

[@andynonimuss6298]

@@Kukkema For a room length of 15 feet, your best Listening Position will be at 39.6% which is 5'-11-1/4" from the front wall. A 14'x15' is still somewhat rectangular so you are fine. If it was 15'x15', then you will have compounding modal issues.

[@anthonymartino9917]

I see my speakers in the line of speakers at the very end the Focus SE. They look like the ones just before mine though as you can see the sides have the divider lines going horizontal and mine "which I bought directly from Legacy last year " do not.

[@marcbegine]

I use the rule of thirds, in my room this is 1,3M, I also use the miraculous ISO Acoustics Gaia II under my Focal Aria 948😉

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

I have ISOAccoustics under everything, including my Focal Solo 6 (s)! Great Canadian innovation!!

[@rajanthomas309]

I need toknow how tosetthe time in the scott stereo system? Now the time s blinking and wrong time too.

[@normrubio]

Yeah, GoldenEar has setup recommendations and toe-in is mentioned. What happened to your triton review?

[@tony-hifi-music951]

Hi from the U.K. When you say tilting forward for the speakers, do you mean that the speaker front is pointing upwards or downwards towards the listerner. love all the information you give.

[@jeffhunter4395]

I believe he means upwards that's what I did and it does rise the sound stage

[@ashokarizona2946]

I believe tilt upwards for speakers which are at lower position and tilt downward for higher speakers position versus our sitting and hearing position.

[@peterbaugh51]

Depends on the speaker. Experiment!

[@soulshinobi]

I think both mics are picking up each person speaking so there's an echo, need to cut off one audio channel depending on camera angle, if I'm hearing this right.

[@emilioozuna]

WHEN THEY TALKING ABOUT DISTANCE AWAY FROM WALL, IS THAT DISTANCE FROM FRONT OR BACK OF SPEAKERS. ???????

[@sbonamo]

WRT granite, it's not that "The resonances don't go through it", granite being so heavy and dense absorbs and dissipates much of the energy that avoids cabinet ringing. Resonances are due to the internal dimensions and structural rigidity (or lack thereof).

[@francisdelacruz6439]

Nice video specially for those who are not buying their system in stores who could and would set it up as intended. On headphones though an HD 600 for headphones is a good start and an IE600 IEM would be a wonderful start or even end there....On the high end can't get simpler than this, just get the Sennheiser HE1 and get the best amp included, hehehe - At USD 60k it better be and is the Pinnacle. Cheers

[@pagornchait1471]

Pls increase the mic gain for man on the right. it wouldbe lots balance. Thanks for infor shared

[@tomehCanada]

Symmetry with speakers and symmentry with room treatments.

[@hiresaudiocosta873]

Speakers need proper placement in the room and from the listening position at least to the nearest 1/16" in order to get proper arrival time and at the listening position. Adrian, your example of having one speaker 10 feet away and the other 12 feet away give the illusion that speaker placement doesn't emphasize just how critical placement is, because of the vast difference of two feet between locations. It would have been better to say, not having one speaker 10 feet away and the other speaker 10'1" away in order to emphasize just how critical getting the arrival time differences correct. In fact, David Wilson himself brings arrival time at the listening position to such a critical level that his speakers are adjustable to the nearest 2 micro seconds. That amount of accuracy in the time domain can make the biggest improvement to overall sound than spending thousands of dollars in upgrades to components. Spending a few hours to position the speakers properly is something that very few people will take the time to do, but will yield the greatest overall improvement in sound with no monetary expense ( other than one's time ).

[@adrianlow2114]

Good point!

[@Cowplunk]

God forbid you move your head one inch and destroy the whole experience of listening to music. LOL. You should stick to headphones if that's what you think.

[@hiresaudiocosta873]

@@Cowplunk That’s not how it works. Once the speakers are positioned within 1/16” of each other and work in perfect concert with one another and with perfect unison with the room, the music will sound coherent from everywhere, even outside the listening room.

[@paulomontero12]

The first tip is setting up a fund online for a starving audiophile in need of great gear.

[@peterbaugh51]

I'm one of 'em ha!

[@vcp93]

Just to throw in my 2 cents wirth, I bought Paul McGown's book and found it to be rudimentary. The DVD for testing was somewhat helpful, but overall it was not worth the money. Not any real "secrets" were contained within those pages. If you are a complete novice and have the ducats to spare you might find it worthwhile. Otherwise the information is available for free online and on KZbin. For example, this channel is an excellent source of information and experienced opinions. Save your money, stereo gear is expensive... you're going to need every spare penny. 👽✌️"Na-nu"

[@petekutheis3822]

10X12---thirds do work.. yes it just gives me a 5 foot triangle but it's great. Stop dissing small rooms.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

Its not about the size of the room, rather its that near perfect square dimension that is unwanted. No one is dissing small rooms.

[@eshskis1]

No sneezing allowed near the macintosh

[@louisperlman8030]

Hospital foam is inexpensive, and can be rolled up when used in a non dedicated listening room.

[@elmerbais]

Made sad coz i dont have that space to move my speakers forward. Now i decided to sell my system and just buy sound bar.

[@Cowplunk]

In the real (non-audiophile) world, most of us only have a small amount of space in which to place our speakers. It is a pretty simple matter to play around with the speakers within that space. All you need is a tape measure and something to make notes.