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How best to shoe horn speakers into a room

Hello sports fans!

Am definitely not talking about sonically equalizing the room, or acoustically treating one at all. This enterprise could or should take place with any speaker types.

I’m merely referring to what size of speakers can or should fit into what ever sized room.

Youtube like Audiogon, is one of the many fascinating online venues. From which springs all manner of technical input on enumerable topics. Among these are takes on speakers and much of what anyone would or might want to know on all matters of the audio past time.

If you hit up Youtube to peruse the PSA listening room you’ll see an example of what this topic is about. Paul McGowan PS Audio CEO has a set of Infinity IRS loudspeakers for the reproducers du jour. 2 tons worth of loudspeakers in all, I think he said.

Gryphon Audio’s latest greatest effort in loudspeaker tech offers a likewise 1,000 pound each speaker system option.

Ultra high end speakers have no boundaries in weight or height although our rooms have their own physical restrictions. I’ve seen many models that exceed 5t., 6ft., and more in overall height.

Height of the loudspeaker has always been a real concern for me. I can’t say exactly why, but it is.

I feel too much of what we know of fitting speakers to a given room size comes only from experience, although this logic appears to be somewhat contentious lately.

Does this “speaker to room ratio” claim, merely serve to further a mythical audio-nervosa proclamation?

Where are the priorities? Distance to side walls, from the front wall, stay so far from the ceiling, maintain at least this much separation between them, ‘golden’ triangulate the speakers to the LP?

Or if they will barely fit thru the door, you’re good!

As the room to speaker so called ‘fit’ is deemed to be quite significant, how do you measure, adjust, determine, your present speakers would fit, or how do you go about projecting any upcoming desired speaker can, will or will not fit in the space you have for it, in advance?

How much is too much, or too little?

Your Experience and wisdom is appreciated.

blindjim

Showing 1 response by stfoth

stfoth
435 posts
 
Jim:  I think the answer is probably, like for much of this stuff, "it depends."  I think a lot of the conventional wisdom about towers/floorstanders overpowering a small room is overblown.  I somewhat agree with Mr. McGowan's take in his video.  BUT, there's some limit.  I don't have the technical expertise to back it up, but I think one of the bigger issues is whether the listening distance is appropriate.

I have Canton Reference 5 and Salk HT3 in rooms roughly 11x12, and they are fine.  There are bass issues to deal with, sure, but they are fine.

I think the distance to front and side walls and whatever are largely going to be issues in a small room even with decent sized monitors.

But, I don't think I could get away with Canton Reference 1, Legacy Whispers, Tekton Ulfs, or Maggie 20.7 in such small rooms, though.

I'm curious, too, about any guidelines with this stuff.  My rooms are small, except for one that is WAF-limited.
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