I have a sonos beam, 2 ikea symfonisk, a HomePod and sonos roam. I am trying to figure out the best placement for these speakers in our awkward living room that doesn't allow us to sit directly in front of the TV. Any time I try to put furniture in front it feels out of place because it's in the middle of the room blocking the flow. We are typically sitting on the larger couch to watch tv. What would you do if this was what you were working with and keep in mind needing to keep the wife happy.
What purpose are the Roam and the HomePod serving? They wouldn’t be supporting the Home Theater system in any way, I’d put them where ever you need them so they function as music speakers. They can’t be grouped together, unless you’re sending an AirPlay 2 signal to them, and grouping in the Apple software. I wouldn’t want to guaranty any sound synchronization in that case, either.
Honestly, with that layout, there’s not going to be a chance for much “surround sound” speaker placement. I’d be tempted to just separate out the two IKEA speakers, and much as you should with the Roam and HomePod, use them for music speakers, in whatever room needs a speaker.
The Beam I would place directly under the TV set.
Honestly, with that layout, there’s not going to be a chance for much “surround sound” speaker placement. I’d be tempted to just separate out the two IKEA speakers, and much as you should with the Roam and HomePod, use them for music speakers, in whatever room needs a speaker.
That was my thought as well. Not sure what iKea speakers you have, but I would look to have those cover the dining room and kitchen space. Keep the Roam in a bathroom, and and the homepod in your bedroom.
If you mounted the TV on an arm behind the small couch you could pull the TV out to view from the dining room table. Mount the BEAM on the arm too and use ceiling speakers over the large couch for surround. The prime viewing spot would be the large couch. IKEA and ROAM would be available for other areas.
Even if you locate the TV as shown, mount it and BEAM on an arm. Viewing a TV at an oblique angle compromises the picture quality. You can experiment with any flat screen TV and a chair in order to observe this effect. And, the TV is not a portrait, it should be mounted near eye level.
That said, if you are only casual TV viewers, none of this matters much and you should only consider the esthetics.
Enter your E-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.