Stereo Speaker Placement

There are a few basic speaker placement guidelines to follow when setting up a two channel stereo system. Although there are a few special cases, such as line array speakers, and some electrostatic speaker designs, most speakers designed for home listening benefit from some experimenting.

Start by following the manufactures recommendation. Try to position the speaker so the midrange or woofer frequency is at ear level (remember you'll probably listen to your speakers sitting down, so take this into account). Speaker stands are an easy way to get bookshelf speakers at ear level. You can also experiment with 'toe-in'--try angling your speakers inward so the sound they produce crosses in front of you (a little 'toe-in' speaker placement can sharpen the imaging and soundstage of your system). Speakers should be no further apart than the listeners are back from them. Experiment!