We still have a soft spot for stereo sound – that’s why we’ve just launched the Sabre-R Bookshelf Speakers alongside our advanced R610 Music Console. An essential part of any hi-fi setup that begs to be seen as well as heard, Sabre-R is a love letter to stereo systems and a revival of our first-ever speakers, launched back in 1985.
Sabre-R has been crafted to deliver exceptional sound wherever you choose to place the speakers in your home. However, to ensure you’re getting the best possible audio quality and hearing your music just as the artist intended, it’s important to position your hi-fi system correctly.
Whether you’re using the Sabre-R with the R610 or another fine audio system, speaker placement can have an enormous impact on the soundstage and can help compensate for features in your room that affect audio, such as walls, windows, and furniture.
Read on for our top speaker placement tips to achieve the best-sounding hi-fi setup in any home.
1. Create a triangle
To direct that acoustic sweet spot (the optimal listening position) to your ears you should begin by creating an equilateral triangle. The easiest way to do this is to place each speaker along the longest wall in the room at an equal distance from one and other, where the listener forms the ‘point’ of the triangle.
If you’re struggling to visualise this, think about a sofa placed in front of a TV and perfectly centred with the panel. If you place speakers symmetrically on each side of the TV, the middle seat of the sofa is where you’ll find your acoustic sweet spot.
It’s important that the speakers are equidistant, so a tape measure will come in handy here. You want the sound from the left and right speakers to hit your ears simultaneously so that the audio is perfectly balanced. We’d also recommend placing them at least four feet apart to maintain that stereo separation.
2. Consider wall proximity
In an ideal world, your speakers will be positioned at least two feet away from the nearest wall, although you can play with the distance based on your listening preferences.
In most cases, putting your speakers closer to the back wall will ramp up the bass response. Bring them further out, and you should get a cleaner sound, with fewer reflections muddying the audio.
Avoid corners where possible, as you may hear bloated low frequencies that dominate the entire soundstage.
3. Adjust the angle
‘Toe-in’ or angle your speakers inwards so they are pointed directly at the listener. It’s worth experimenting with different angles to see what sounds best to you. If you want a wider listening area – perhaps if you have a large sofa and are planning for multiple listeners at once – decrease the toe-in accordingly.
4. Think about the height
We’ve designed our Sabre-R speakers so that they will sound flawless placed on a media console or on stands – which option you go for depends on how much space you have in your listening room and whether you need to raise the speakers to match the height of your ears when sat down.
Stands have the added benefit of reducing unwanted resonance from furniture and make it easier to change the angle of your speakers, but they do take up precious floor space.
5. Experiment with furnishings
Unfortunately, most homes don’t come with a state-of-the-art, perfectly symmetrical sound-treated listening room as standard. That’s okay – you just need to play around with your hi-fi positioning until you find a solution that works for you and suits your home.
You can, of course, spend thousands on professionally treating your listening room, but there are some more wallet-friendly things you can do to compensate for less-than-ideal room layouts.
For example, avoid placing furniture in between the speakers and your listening position as this can introduce unwanted reflections.
Think about your decor, too. A sparse room with big windows and wooden surfaces will deliver more reverb, which can make the soundstage feel ‘cluttered’. A large rug or curtains can help mitigate this – even a few cushions can make a difference.
Similarly, lots of soft furnishings can dampen the sound and make it feel dull. So, your best bet is to experiment with how different room setups, furniture, and materials affect the sound of your speakers.
Ready to start playing? Read our guide to hi-res audio for the lowdown on lossless music streaming.
