Stereo, in my opinion, is still the best means of listening to music. All other systems require excessive processing and more than two loudspeakers. On the cost benefit basis stereo delivers better quality appliances per dollar spent.
Locating your speakers in your listening
room is critical to allowing your loudspeakers to perform properly. There
are many small computer programs that you can fiddle with and these are
ideal for the ‘tweaker'. But the placement process is very simple.
Ensure that you have measured the length, width and height of your room. Placement is done in ratios. At the one fifth length point from the back wall and the two-ninths width point out from the edge of each side wall is the ideal location of the centre line of the front face of the loudspeaker.
( For rooms not wider than 20 feet and not longer than 30 feet. If your room is larger than these dimensions then isolate an area in the centre of the room of this area and work within it ).
You sit at the mid-point of the other one fifth line measured from the other end of the room. From there it is just a matter of fine tuning of moving the speakers towards each other and toeing their direction towards the listening position until there is a satisfactory perception of the stereo holographic image. Also, if you have a chair with wheels then by moving around the preferred focal point you will be able to locate the holographic focal point with greater accuracy 'x' marks the spot and then place your sofa or preferred listening chair at the spot so that your ears are directly above the spot at your most relaxed listening position.
Toeing the speakers to either edge of your listening sofa will give the desired results. Try to keep the loudspeaker sides closest to either wall at least a minimum of 600mm / two feet out and more if possible. Speakers are normally placed from 2.4 meters to as much as 5 meters apart for the purpose of delivering a correct projection of the stereo image. Normally 2.4 - 3.5 meters ( 8 ft - 10 ft ) seems to be the best distance. Your listening position is generally 1.5 to 2.5 times the distance that the speakers are apart.
You will know if they are too close: the sound will appear to emanate from the central area only. If the speakers are too far apart you will have only centre, extreme left and extreme right. Correct location will give you the 'holographic-effect' which once you hear it you will never forget it.
Speakers must be on the same line across the room and the front panels in the same plane. ( except for the effects of toeing ). Do not place speakers at right-angles to each other and do not have any furnishings near the speakers. Keep at least a zone of 1 meter of no clutter around each speaker.
With full size loudspeakers their base should be fitted with spikes. The spikes positioned firmly into your floor.
If you do not have spikes or do not want to fit them to your precious speakers then you can still stabilize their motion by using strips of rubber or EPDM. In Australia at Clark Rubber strips of EPDM: 30mm x 10mm are available cheaply. Measure the length of your loudspeaker and buy sufficient length for 8 times the length of the loudspeaker. Using concrete garden paving slabs ( or some other suitable high mass platform ) lay two full length strips at the extreme perimeter of the slabs longitudinally on the floor, place the platform on the strips. Place two more strips in the same manner on top of the slab such that the extreme sides of the loudspeaker sit comfortable on the strips.
You can also use this method for decoupling speakers with spikes from the room floor. The spikes anchor the speaker into the decoupling slab and the slab sits on EPDM or vulcanized rubber pads: ( 200mm x 200mm ) at each corner of the slab.
This tweak can cost you as little as $20.00 depending on the size of your loudspeakers and the type high mass platform chosen. If you choose to use granite or marble it will cost you considerably more. The effect of this tweak is quite dramatic. You will notice a stabilization of the stereo-holographic imaging; tautening of bass and crisper vocals and cheaper groceries!!!
Where your loudspeakers are on stands, the stands will, invariably, have spikes. You can decouple their anchoring on their floor in a similar manner as for the high-mass platform as described here or just leave them as they are.
Once a tweaker always a tweaker.
If you have book-shelf loudspeakers and these are well and truly ensconced in your book-shelf then you have two options if you want to leave them there and decouple them. Placement of EPDM strips only to decouple them from the bookshelf or if there is still some height left then use a thin stone or ceramic tile positioned on EPDM strips on the shelf with the loudspeakers on the same strips placed on the top of the ‘stone' platform. Try to move the speakers as far out from the wall as possible. This will assist in clarifying up the reproduction of audio. You will lose some ‘bloom' but this is just placement induced colouration and many people mistake this for ‘bass'. It's noise!
Depending on what type of floor and walls that you have the structure of your room will also induce its own signature on the quality of the sound that you hear. Optimally your listening room has a wooden floor and walls. Otherwise the ‘harder' the room boundaries the more you will have to soften the room.
Placement of thick pile rugs on the floor in front of the loudspeaker assists, so too does the addition of soft-furnishings.
The same process is recommended for surround sound. Decoupling the Sub-woofer from the room offers dramatic improvements in bass clarity.
Appliance location.
To be really fanatical your appliances are positioned in a separate room on spiked high mass decoupled platforms with only the speaker cables coming through the walls to your listening room's loudspeakers. But then you couldn't gloat over all that wonderful hi-fi gear that you have paid a fortune for. I prefer to gloat!
Appliance platforms ideally are resonant free and the appliance rack has spiked feet set onto the floor ( or decoupled slab ). There are also spiked platforms for power amplifiers. Minimising any vibrational feedback will always deliver an improvement in the quality of audio reproduction.