The right set of speakers can make a major difference in your experience listening to music, watching movies, gaming and more. However, choosing quality speakers is not necessarily enough to optimize your home audio setup. In addition to familiarizing yourself with the different settings you can change to get the most out of your audiophile equipment, you should also think about how speaker placement can influence sound quality. Be aware in particular that placing your speakers too close to the nearest wall can prevent you from getting the most out of them.
If your speakers are too close to a wall or other such barrier, this can result in Speaker Boundary Interference Response (SBIR), also sometimes simply called Boundary Interference. This effect results from the way low sound waves propagate. Since bass sound waves propagate in different directions when a speaker emits sound, they can essentially be reflected off a wall. This can lead to bass inconsistencies that will prevent your speakers from fully delivering on their promises.
SBIR occurs when sound waves from a speaker (again, usually bass sound waves) strike a listener, but are immediately followed by sound waves reflected off a nearby wall. Sometimes this can result in increased bass. Although bass boost may seem like a desirable effect, it tends to be inconsistent. Such an uneven increase can negatively affect your listening experience.
Why your speakers should be at least two feet from the nearest wall
A bass boost isn’t the only potential result of boundary interference. Sometimes the interference of the two waves arriving in rapid succession causes dips. In other cases, the signals cancel each other out. Keep in mind that this effect can also occur if you place the speakers in a corner. Again, bass sound waves travel in all directions, so they may hit a nearby wall and be reflected accordingly when the speakers are in the corners of a room.
Although some speakers are designed to be placed in a corner, if the manufacturer does not specify this, you should avoid placing them in corners, just as you should avoid placing them too close to walls. Do your best to keep speakers at least two feet away from the nearest walls in all directions. If you can place them more than a meter from the nearest walls, even better. If this is not an option, install bass traps near the walls to absorb low frequencies and reduce reflection, helping to improve room acoustics.
Additionally, while speaker placement is an important factor, it must be reiterated that the right equipment remains essential to a quality audio setup. For example, you may be considering upgrading to smart speakers. If so, you may want to research the rankings of smart speaker brands before making a purchase. By doing your research and considering all the factors that can affect audio quality, you’ll be more likely to put together a truly impressive system.
