[Tyrro]

I have a chance to start over and place all my gear anywhere I want. My rooms is rather small 14 x 11.5 x 9 with bay windows (3) on the short side and big opening leading into the kitchen on the opposite side. I also have a smaller opening on the long side leading into the small hall with an entrance door. I've attached a blueprint of the room, and I'd appreciate any advise on where to put my speakers given the room configuration and size?

I guess what I like to hear is will I be better off putting them along the bay windows side or the opposite with an opening? The opposite side has an advantage that I will have more space from the back wall to the speakers if I decide to put them in there. Please advise where is the best place to position my speakers?

Thanks.

[Levi]

Congrats!  Very nice room, definitely you can do lots with it. 

It all depends in where you want to put the couch.

I would put the speakers on the bay window area away from the windows and atleast 6 feet apart.

I see a plasma right in the middle and a center channel below it.  Surrounds on the side walls. 

Perfect room for anything.  Enjoy - Levi

[ted_b]

Are you going to do surrounds or a TV, or just 2 channel?  If TV, etc I wouldn't set up the fronts/tv/etc by the bay windows.  Is the left wall an option (i.e setting up on long wall has it's advantages for soundstage/imaging)....there's always tradeoffs.  Just give us some more info and ideas and we'll respond.  We love spending other people's money.

[woodsyi]

I would concur with Levi.  From convinience to acoustics, I think placing it in front of the windows makes the most sense.  You would absolutely have to hang heavy acoustic curtains in front of the windows though.  Having a couch with the back wall opening to kitchen would be good.  Only recently did I discover that untreated close-in rear wall muddies the mid to high frequency.  Some bass traps and early reflection point absorber/diffusor and you will be cooking. 

[Tyrro]

The room will be for 2-ch only, although I'll keep the TV in it, between speakers. Couch will be my listening spot, so I'm not sure where to put it yet?

I thought that if I put speakers on the opposite side, I'll have more room from the back wall to the speakers.
Setting up on the long side is not an option, since the room is only 11 ft wide and taking into consideration that I'll have to position speakers at least 3-4 ft away from the back wall, and my listening spot should be some 2-3 ft away from the wall behind me, I'm only left with 5-6 ft of space between me and the speakers. Setting up on a short side will allow 7-8 ft between speakers, and 8 ft from speakers to the listening spot.

As for the room treatment, I already ordered some and expecting it any day now. I'll have 2" and 3" wedge foam panels to treat front/side/rear/corners (wall to wall), and some corner bass absorbers for top corners (wall/ceiling).

[klh]

I would do as most have suggested. I would have the speakers in the bay window area. I would be sure to put heavy drapes over the windows (both for acoustic purposes as well as to protect your equipment from the sun). I would definitely treat the reflection points (I'm partial to absorption) and get some "effective" bass traps (I'm not partial to foam). I would place the couch opposite the speakers with the back of the couch towards the kitchen. Not having the wall behind is huge, likewise having the symmetric walls in front. Definitely a lot of potential. Obviously the speakers and TV need to be pulled out into the room.

[Tyrro]

Thank you for all your suggestions.

[JLM]

I'd set the speakers up on the bottom wall on either side of the large opening.  This removes a chunk of back wall bass reflection and allows better depth of sound stage while getting away from that highly reflective bay window wall.  Nothing absorbs and diffusers sound better than nothing. 

Now where the amps/source go is up to you.

[bpape]

I was thinking the same thing.  But then I looked closer and thought more about getting them away from the wall with the entry doorway right there and the speaker being in the walkway.

Bryan

[Tyrro]

I see there are some pros & cons for either positioning, so I guess I have to try both then...

[Tyrro]

Bryan,

What if put something like GIK Monster Bass Trap on a wood stand in the walkway to create a virtual wall? Will I then be better off with speakers on the bottom wall with the large opening?

[JLM]

No wall, no nothing (but air) is the best to have around your speakers.  This idea isn't new.  Owners of corner horns have used it to allow for depth of soundstage.

BTW the absorptive panels like the GIK's work best straddling the corners to absorb bass (especially those that are thicker).

Yes with the speakers on the bottom wall, the right one (left channel) would be somewhat in the way of traffic coming in via the entry.  But many front entries don't get used much and you did say, "place all my gear anywhere I want."

[bpape]

My concern for that orientation wasn't performance - it was the speaker being in the walkway traffic pattern by the time you get it pulled out from the 'front' wall a bit.

Bryan

[Tyrro]

Oh, good. The walkway traffic doesn't concern me at all.

[gjuodenas]

There is one point that has not been discussed.  What is the shape and the surface material of the ceiling.  There may be focusing issues because of ceiling shape.  Every acoustic space is 3 dimensional and not just a floorplan.  There are also very important considerations about aesthetics.  When you are sitting on your couch, would you rather be looking out the bay windows , at a wall or into the kitchen?  Also, it looks like there is no door between the kitchen and your listening room.  Therefore, as far as the bass is concerned you have a huge room volume(the 2 rooms together) and should have a fairly decent bass respose.  Go into any listening room and open a door, most people are shocked at the improvement of the bass response.

George Juodenas

[Tyrro]

The ceiling is flat and is made of some kind of wooden tiles. The SQ is more important to me than room aesthetics. As for the bass responce in the room, yes, it's very good, but a bit boomy, and I hope to address this with corner bass absorbers.

[gjuodenas]

One thing that concerns me about your room is the focusing effect of any reflections off of the 2 angled bay windows.  No matter where you place the speakers, this will be a problem.  You will have to treat them with some type of broad band absorber.  You might consider placing your speakers on the wall opposite the opening that leads to the outside door.  That way, you will have more symmetrical absorbtion (deadness).  To your right when sitting you will have the treated windows and to your left you have treatment by virtue of the fact that it is open.  Another option is to treat both angled windows and put the speakers in front of each angled window.  You will have a setup typical of a recording studio with a center window looking out.  You can then treat the side walls with dispersion.  Because of the ceiling, you may consider absorption on the ceiling above your sitting area, no matter where it is.

George Juodenas

[bpape]

I agree that the windows will need to be addressed either way.  I'd just prefer to have it behind me with a couple of panels straddling the angles as opposed to being in front of me and trying to mix dealing with reflections, focusing, and SBIR in a single solution.

Personal preference.  I've had a room like that before and never could get all 3 things dealt with to my satisfaction when the windows were in front of me.

YMMV.

Bryan