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
I usually consider: dispersion characteristics, space for driver integration, bass output. Haven’t had to consider dimensions, weight or volume output yet.

@Unsound

Great point!! Thanks.

Its been so long!!! forgot that I will always get away from the ‘sweet spot’ when investigating new speakers. Walk around the room. Around them and in between them. Looking for balance and dispersion.


Usually, the first impression comes from a standing position as you enter the room and either they are turned up, or turned on. .

I do believe the Wilson's allow you to aim the mid and tweeter towards the listening position, no? That would negate the need to have them at ear level
Dispersion, and bass extension are the real answers.

Speakers with more controlled dispersion are more cramp friendly, at the cost of having narrower sweet spots. ESL's, open baffle, line sources, horns all may be the type of solutions. 

Limited bass output will get you into less trouble with room modes. There are dragons in the lowest octaves, and if your sea is small, you will encounter them. 

Best, 

E
If the horns are time aligned and the radiation pattern is appropriate you can put a fairly large horn in small or med rooms and use in near-field if wanted. If alignments off you need greater seating distance if radiation patterns wide you may have issues with reflections off side walls. I can run any loudspeakers I like and I still end up with massive horns in my office system. Nothing else I have used is as full and detailed at low levels nothing else is as non fatiguing for greatly extended use why I use. At this time systems a pair of community leviathans with 4x altec 515b and  giant rare community multicells with tad 2001 I also run a sub bass system. I have this systems radiation patterns matching and all time aligned for listening position I can sit as close as 5 ft rooms 13x17 the horns fit in my corners and take up little use-able floor-space less than any of my monitors on stands.