Here are 2 tips for better music experiences. They're easy to follow, so check them out and get more sound out of your speakers.
Today I brought an acoustic measuring instrument into the living room to show how much of a difference it makes to place your speakers correctly.
Let me just say that this is a difference you can easily hear.
A pair of cheap speakers placed correctly actually gives more musical pleasure than a pair of expensive speakers placed incorrectly.
So it makes super good sense to read on.
To explain what I am talking about, I show some acoustic measurements. It may sound complicated, but it is quite simple. The important thing for me is that the advice doesn't come across as mysterious hippy talk, and so I use the measurements as evidence.
The measurements can help show if the sound is unclear.
Let's get started.
The speaker in the experiment is SA saxo 1, but it could have been any speaker. The first measurement shows the sound of the speaker as it is. The so-called frequency response (blue curve) is smooth and without the big fluctuations.
It's one of the characteristics of speakers that sound good.
The same speaker is now on top of the shelf, about 50 cm above our ears. Notice how catastrophically the sound has deteriorated.
The bass response is highlighted (see the blue frequency response) and this means that words become harder to understand when people are speaking.
The words are harder to distinguish from each other.
The frequency response has (due to the position of the speaker) got some big fluctuations in the treble. The speaker placement alone makes you tired of listening to them.
You'll want to turn down the volume, even if you like music.
A quick look at the frequency response (the blue curve) shows that the speaker's good sound is still unrecognizable.
There is a big fluctuation in the bass and the sound is dark if mumbling, and it is for example difficult to understand what the singer is singing. Furthermore, the bass guitar sounds like it has only two strings.
This is boring sound.
To put it nicely, the treble (the bright tones) is in much better balance than when the speaker was up on the shelf.
Notice that the speaker's frequency response is now in much better balance. The blue frequency response is smooth, the curve has fewer sudden fluctuations and the sound is in better balance.
This makes the speaker perform at its best and in one respect it is even better than the original factory measurement.
The bass is reproduced more linearly (i.e. better) when the speaker (as here) is surrounded by books. This is because the large surface area of the books helps the speaker to
the music body and fullness.
The phenomenon has nothing to do with the books. Any large surface surrounding the speaker will act in this way. But the speaker has to be built for the purpose for it to work properly.
There are speakers that get too much bass when placed in a rack.
One of the best things about a music experience is experiencing the soundscape. Sound nerdy? OK, it does.
Few of us know anything about the soundscape the music is recorded with.
We don't notice it.
We don't think about it.
We have no idea.
This is as exciting as pension agreements.
But listen.
The sound of the music is created in the space between the two speakers. A small distance between the speakers results in a small sound image, and this does not make the music entertaining.
If you want to know how annoying it is when the sound image isn't really there, just stuff a cotton ball in one ear. One ear, that is. Then you can no longer experience spatiality (stereo) and it's really annoying not to be able to navigate by the sound.
You can also walk around with a patch over one eye. This makes it harder to judge distances and is (also) really annoying.
Here it's just the eyes' ability to experience spatiality that you're messing with.
In a nutshell: the sound image is important.
Speakers that are 2-3 metres apart can form a sound image between the speakers. This gives the music lightness, airiness and spaciousness.
Trust me, it's a delicious part of the experience.
1. Speakers that are not placed at ear height sound bad.
Fix it. It's easy, free and makes you happier to listen to music.
2. Space your speakers.
Try 2-3 meters.
Speakers placed close together make the music sound like a smurf orchestra.
You won't get caught up in that.
Have fun.
