How to place a good speaker in a bad corner?

January 6, 2009 3:28 PM

How to place a good speaker in a corner? After investing in some decent audio gear, I find that I cannot avoid placing the left speaker in a corner due to space constraints. As expected, this emphasizes low the frequencies on that side and makes the sound stage a bit wonky. Short of moving the speaker, is there any way to mitigate this somewhat?
posted by aladfar to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

From looking at your past questions, I guess this is in your studio (as opposed to just a home theater system). One thing you could try is to set the EQ on that speaker to bring down some of the frequencies it is emphasizing.

But then again, I don't know a whole lot about installing the equipment, just how to run it.
posted by Deflagro at 3:43 PM on January 6, 2009

Usa bass traps.
posted by rhizome at 3:47 PM on January 6, 2009

Get a graphic equalizer and set the bass on that speaker to where it sounds more balanced. It won't ever be perfect but it should be doable to get non-distracting. You don't even have to spend a bunch of money. I got an old-school graphic EQ on Craigslist for $5. Just make sure it has separate controls for the left and right channels.
posted by 6550 at 3:59 PM on January 6, 2009

2nding bass traps!

I made two of these years ago for my home theatre and they made a huge difference:

http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/traps/traps.html
posted by ArcAm at 4:23 PM on January 6, 2009

Can you put the other speaker in another corner?
posted by pompomtom at 4:25 PM on January 6, 2009

EQ++.

My receiver has automatic microphone-based EQ, but it also allows for manual manipulation of all of the quantities. You might play around with your source and see if it has something similar.

The difference between the neutral and EQ'd sound is drastic.
posted by Netzapper at 4:26 PM on January 6, 2009

Most low frequency problems caused by room acoustics cannot be fixed by standard EQing approaches. Fortunately, bass increases caused by boundary placement are an exception. (This is why a lot of active monitors have adjustable high pass filters.)

You really want a parametric or high pass filter, not a graphic EQ.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 7:27 PM on January 6, 2009