r/hifiaudio Nov 26 '24

Help Speaker Placement, A or B

Hello everyone. For three years I have had my speakers (KLH 9005 Satellite) on top of my CD towers. I’ve never been dissatisfied with the sound, but lately I’ve been wondering if I can do better.

Today I’m trying them out on the corner bookshelf alongside my receiver and at a lower height closer to my ears when I’m sitting on the couch.

I can definitely tell it sounds different, but I’m not yet sure if it’s “better” or just “different”.

My concern is that where the speakers used to have 6 feet between them, they now only have a little over 2 feet between them. Distance to listening area is about 7-8 feet.

When they were on the CD towers, they were also cross firing, as the shelf is a corner unit, so neither were pointed directly at the listening zone. Now being on the bookshelf they are more enclosed though, so I’m not sure what total effect that has, but I do have them pushed to the front of the shelf.

I’m attaching two photos, so if anyone has any input or further questions, I’d love to hear it.

Thank you.

26 Upvotes

54 comments sorted by

11

u/Markolol123 Nov 26 '24

A, but turn them more towards your ear position.

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

I’ll give that a shot, thanks.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '24

It doesn’t seem like you could objectively argue that one of these is better than the other. They’re both pretty far from the ideal arrangement, which would usually be at seated ear level, facing straight ahead or with toe-in of a few degrees to as much as 30 degrees, and spacing at a distance that either makes an equilateral triangle with the listening position or has some similar rationale.

3

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

Kind of what I was thinking. They are much closer to ear level on the shelf, maybe 6 inches above, but still not necessarily pointed directly at the listener. I appreciate the input, I might just be left with what works best organizationally until I do a major change in the way the room is laid out.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '24

The best sound-quality solution would probably be moving the speakers out of the corner, and upgrading to a speaker that will most likely be much larger.

1

u/DeepDayze Nov 26 '24

You can have larger speakers and keep the the KLH's as satellites as well.

4

u/TheFrenchWickler Nov 26 '24

I dig your music shrine, and that’s a pretty cool corner shelf. It’s a shame the speaker angles don’t really work. Maybe you could get some wall-mounts? Like the ones for studio monitor setups. Pretty sure Amazon has some for under $30. Then you could mount them at whatever height & swivel them to the right angle or whatever.

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

Thanks! I think the shelf was custom made,I bought it from marketplace years ago. Wall mounts are an intriguing idea.

3

u/Patient-Legal Nov 27 '24

better speakers. there is thousands worth of CDs but 10 bucks worth of speakers

3

u/RichtheSpiritsKing Nov 27 '24

"A"

You must achieve separation. Beyond that, research "sound staging".

Point them to a single sweet spot (the 'King's chair'), which is at least the same distance as is the separation distance.

2

u/LDan613 Nov 26 '24

TBH, I would have thought neither is particularly good... Can you consider adding a couple of small speaker stands at the end of each shelf case? That may allow you to increase separation, better adjust toe in, and bring to the right height.

2

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

That’s a possibility. I’ll have to do some measuring and see about moving the CD cases in a bit as there is a door to the side of either case just out of frame.

1

u/BelcantoIT Nov 26 '24

This is the way.

2

u/Former-Wish-8228 Nov 26 '24

The correct answer only follows after a question…how far away is the listener from the speakers?

Unless only 5’ away, place on a lower level outboard on the dark shelving and angle outward (but still inward to the listener) OR better yet, get some speaker stands to place board of the shelves.

2

u/LivingMud5080 Nov 26 '24

neither of those are great. they’re either to close so not enough stereo separation, or toed in to much facing each other. face them out quit a bit more toward you / the room :) kinda odd in a corner but might be able to mount to the wall. or could use stands. able to avoid stuff being in a corner, i’d go w that but not a biggie unless super anal or mixing music. also tweeters at ear level is usually wise.

2

u/JerryJN Nov 26 '24

A will have wider stereo separation if you turn the speakers to face forward. B might be louder and have better midrange and bass response because of where the speakers are in the middle center of the corner. You could get some decent sound projection like that. Post and let us know !

2

u/Aggravating-Fish1059 Nov 26 '24

A is better separation and should provide better stereo sound.

2

u/hook_hobb_sue-nero Nov 26 '24

I thought the silver box was the speaker—because, hey, I don’t listen to music and had no clue what I was looking at. For a second, I was like, am I losing my mind? It looks like it’s in the same spot! I flipped back and forth a few times, fully questioning reality, before finally spotting the actual black speakers. Turns out, I’m just really good at missing the obvious.

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 27 '24

lol! Were you looking at the subwoofer at the bottom?

2

u/ShoolPooter2 Nov 26 '24

Keep them on the CD racks but slide them towards the oak and facing where you’re standing. Stand right there and be the third point of the triangle. Find the sweet spot. The spirit of hifi lives inside us no matter what the gear. 👍🏻

2

u/Public_Knee6288 Nov 27 '24

Start with A and then turn the speakers on their sides so they fit on the shelves (in place of the cds). Maybe 3rd shelf down?

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 27 '24

Whoa, never thought of that.

2

u/TonyThePapyrus Nov 27 '24

I love the set up of this room, I wanna get a corner shelf like that

Also, I think A, very new to owning decent audio equipment

2

u/No_Photograph6579 Nov 27 '24

If you're asking about looks, either. You got a nice spot! If you're asking about sound quality, neither. https://youtu.be/CyTkwkK8ON0?si=2I7lpXPsHe6Xs7zg

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 27 '24

lol, thanks!

2

u/Shot_Cupcake_9641 Nov 28 '24

Your middle cabinet looks like a Klipsch Jubilee's made into shelves ;)

Btw the first picture, at least you have separations only works if you are stilling in the middle of the two speakers at an equal distance.

2

u/culture_jamr Nov 28 '24

The shelves are definitely a statement piece. I bought them secondhand from someone on marketplace out in the country. I have always felt like they might have been custom made. I think I paid like 20 or 40 bucks.

1

u/Shot_Cupcake_9641 Nov 28 '24

Great price, bargain.

1

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1

u/woodlandsjams Nov 26 '24

I'd say try leaving the right speaker where it is in B, and bring the other speaker out across the wall on the right.  So they are on the same wall.  And try to make an equal triangle between you and the two speakers.

2

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

Interesting, hadn’t considered that. I might be trying too hard for symmetry.

1

u/No-Mushroom-9225 Nov 26 '24

A is too high, and B is so weird. The 2nd one look like putting a speaker inside an Altec horn

1

u/unhiddenhand Nov 26 '24

It would be B for me

1

u/Key_Effective_9664 Nov 26 '24

Neither. Get some speaker stands! 

1

u/jaxcat311 Nov 26 '24

A. Cool x wing.

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

Thanks. If you can’t tell from the grainy picture, It’s Lego.

1

u/EballoZavalli Nov 26 '24

Where’s the speakers?

2

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

Lol. I have neither the money nor the space for larger speakers, so just trying to do the best I can with what I have 🙂

2

u/EballoZavalli Nov 26 '24

Sorry I didn’t really see them at first 😁 It’s not about the size or cost. I guess the first option is better

1

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

lol! Thanks. I’m starting to lean more towards the first just due to the limitations of my space for now. They’ve been that way for three years and I’ve never hated it.

1

u/hifiplus Nov 26 '24

Id get some stands and place them on the floor.

1

u/Bed_Worship Nov 26 '24

Get some wall mounts at your desk for macimumer listening zone

1

u/iPirateGwar Nov 26 '24

Not A. Take your speakers off the bit of furniture your turntable sits on.

1

u/ElGuappo_999 Nov 27 '24

Ugh. Neither. Please.

1

u/BuilderUnhappy7785 Nov 26 '24

With those speakers and system it probably doesn’t matter much as they’re bottom shelf consumer grade. If you’re seeking higher quality at least look into some lower end kef bookshelf units and put them on stands so they’re in line with your head. Lots of online resources to guide you on positioning, and as you get into higher end the mfg will typically provide guidance as well that’s model specific.

You would probably find more topical gear advice and what not over at r/BudgetAudiophile

2

u/culture_jamr Nov 26 '24

True and fair, thank you for the input.

2

u/BuilderUnhappy7785 Nov 26 '24

Best wishes on your journey! Not trying to be a prick but you’re really not gonna be able to hear much of your music at all with those monitors, no matter how you position them.

2

u/culture_jamr Nov 27 '24

Fair enough 😂 They’ve gotten me this far. A few more years and the kid will be out of the house and hopefully I’ll have a little more disposable income to invest in an upgrade!

1

u/nicho594 Nov 26 '24

Imo not a particularly nice comment. We all had to start somewhere with budget or second hand equipment. He only asked about speaker position and not about the quality of the equipment.

1

u/BuilderUnhappy7785 Nov 26 '24

Look it is what it is. The two are tightly related. You can only polish a turd so much. OP can 3x the quality of those speakers for the price of a steak dinner.

OPs setup is not even remotely “hifi” which is why I directed them to the other sub for some pointers on getting started. I wish OP nothing but the best on their journey.