7 Golden tips for speaker placement from an audio pro

If you’re considering investing in new cables or a new preamplifier for better sound, wait a moment. First, your basics need to be in order – and that starts with proper speaker placement. Read on and discover how to get the best musical experience from your audio system simply by optimizing your setup.

The musical philosophy of Jim Palm

Jim Palm, an audio consultant with over 30 years of experience in high-end audio, former owner of a hi-fi specialty store in Middelburg, and now responsible for the brands ‘Acoustic Energy‘ and ‘Atoll‘ at importer Viertron, has a simple message: “With the right placement, you can get the best musical experience from your audio equipment, regardless of the price tag.” As soon as the conversation turns to music, Jim’s eyes light up — his passion for perfect audio experiences is contagious.

Let’s look at his most valuable advice for optimally placing your speakers.

1. Authentic reproduction is personal

With a well-placed system, you experience music as intended. “If at a concert the trumpet plays and you tilt your head back, that should happen in your living room too,” says Jim. The placement should ensure that the reality representation of each recording is as authentic as possible.

It’s important to understand that authentic reproduction is different for everyone – it’s a matter of personal taste. Jim, for example, aims for a live experience with the associated energy: realistic, fast, and direct. Your preference might be different, and that’s perfectly fine.

2. Experiment and focus on low frequencies

There is no universal solution for speaker positioning. Every room has its own acoustic properties. Jim recommends extensive experimentation: “What does the placement do with percussion? What does it do with vocals?”

The biggest problem with placement is the low frequencies. A crucial question is: is your set placed along the width or the length of your living room? Additionally, the energy of the space is determining – is your room dampened or is there reverberation? These factors make the choice of speakers essential. This is not tied to a specific brand, Jim emphasizes, but to good advice.

3. First the basics, then fine-tuning

“Placement, placement, placement,” Jim emphasizes. Compare it to building a house – first the foundation, then the furniture and decoration. A set should sound good at its core. Only when you’re satisfied with the basic setup and your system has been broken in for about four months can you start fine-tuning. Do this step by step.

Without good placement, that premium interconnect cable of 500 euros makes little sense. So invest time in the right setup first.

4. Choose character over neutrality

We all know that dedicated music lover who has tuned his perfect “neutral” system to the last decibel. Respect for that! But Jim also advocates for sound that activates and evokes emotion.

Of course, taste is personal – some prefer a warm, more subdued sound, while others prefer a more dynamic, direct sound. The most important thing is that your system moves you. Jim emphasizes: this is not brand-specific, but a matter of good advice and personal preference.

5. Using the space: length placement and distance

Speakers, especially floor-standers, produce enormous amounts of energy. That energy needs to spread without being immediately reflected back. Jim’s advice can serve as a starting point, but use your ears and feelings above all:

• Place floor-standers preferably along the length of the room, so low tones can develop well.
• Keep at least 50 cm distance from the back wall (Except for brands that have the bass reflex port at the front, like Davis Acoustic.)
• For monitors, the opposite applies: place these closer to the back wall to enhance the low tones.
• Keep in mind that monitors are especially good for ‘nearfield listening’, where you sit in the direct sound field.

6. Find your sweet spot

There is one magical spot in your listening room where everything comes together – the famous ‘sweet spot’. Jim explains that this is where you and your two speakers form an equilateral triangle. At this point, you experience perfect stereo reproduction and spatiality. Experiment with your listening position until you find that point where the music truly comes alive.

7. Speaker toe-in: a personal choice

An important aspect of speaker placement is the ‘toe-in’ – the angle at which your speakers are placed. Some listeners swear by a straight placement, where the speakers are parallel to the back wall. Others turn their speakers inward, directed at the listening position.

Jim explains that turning inward (toe-in) offers advantages especially for the spatial image: “When you direct speakers towards the sweet spot, you can better hear where instruments were located during the recording. Compare it to light – when you direct two spotlights at the same point, the intensity at that point increases.”

Whether you choose straight or toe-in is personal, though, or follows what the manufacturer prescribes. It’s important to know that these recommendations from manufacturers stem from specific design choices in their speakers. Some speakers are designed to be placed straight, while others perform optimally with a certain toe-in. Both options influence the stereo image, and that differs per person and per design. So experiment with both options.

Conclusion: patience is rewarded

The most important lesson Jim Palm wants to convey is that good speaker placement isn’t a quick fix, but a process of patient experimentation, repeated listening, and fine-tuning. Before investing in new equipment, it’s wise to first put time into optimizing what you already have.

Because as Jim so aptly says: with the right placement, you get the best musical experience from your current system, regardless of the price tag. And as a lover of beautiful sound, that’s exactly what you want: maximum listening pleasure for minimal expenses. So move those speakers, adjust those stands, and enjoy the journey of discovery to the perfect sound in your own listening space.

Discover at Taste for Audio our carefully selected range of Sonus Faber, Driade, Acoustic Energy, and Davis Acoustics – premium speakers that take your musical experience to the next level. Come visit and experience which unique sound suits you.