I have an Arc Ultra under my tv. I’d like to add Era 300 rear speakers. My question is, how far behind the couch can I place the Era 300’s and still get the full effect? The rear wall is 8 feet behind the couch. Will this work?
Era 300 placement
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Your ears will tell you. I’d put (temporarily, at least) the Era 300s on tables/chairs at around ear height where you can, TruePlay them (again, if you can) and test their placement and how it feels to you. Once you’ve figured out what pleases your ears, you can then figure out mounting options.
For me, 8 feet seems like a bunch, but it isn’t my ears you’re trying to satisfy. Mine are basically right behind the couch, on stands. But of course, we’re talking surrounds, too, and they don’t carry a bunch of signal (although more with Atmos, but there’s little enough of that content out there).
+19That should work fine. It would be best, if possible to put the 300s on stands and keep them a foot or so away from the back wall. If that’s not possible you can use wall mounts or furniture that is against the back wall. What you don’t want is surrounds too close to the couch. Ideally surround speakers may sound best when they are the same distance from you as the Arc Ultra is. Of course that idea works best when you have left-right front speakers. Still a good rule.
Run Trueplay and they will sound great. My room is not symmetric so one of my 300s is around 7 feet behind me and the other is around 5 feet behind me. After TruePlay the sound is very balanced.
Personally, I don’t like surrounds very near the couch because my listening position must be too exact and will not be large enough to include a partner.
+19Personally, I don’t like surrounds very near the couch because my listening position must be too exact and will not be large enough to include a partner.
Ooh La La!
There are two dimension you have not provided…
- How wide is the space?
- How high are the ceilings?
The ArcUltra and the Era 300’s rely upon reflections to create the surround bubble. Eight foot ceiling height is regarded as the optimum. My 20 x 13 x 8 foot room is ideal for my setup which is closed except for a door.
So let’s assume the distance between the ArcUltra and Era 300’s including room height are non-issues. The question becomes is your space fairly enclosed; or is it a very open concept in width? IMO the width (i.e. openness) of your space will be a critical factor regarding how far back you can place the Era 300’s in reference to the ArcUltra to create the surround bubble.
Take
Surrounds are odd beasts, Atmos ones even odder.
With conventional surrounds and a 5.1 signal you can usually get a good start by following the rules for stereo placement for front R/L speakers. That often isn't possible given room constraints but working from that plan can be a good start. Still your ears and room introduce factors that make experimentation almost essential. The audiophile placement rulebook does not serve well other than for the visual presentation, not the sonic.
Add in Atmos and multiple channels and the driver orientations (not just straight ahead like mono speakers) and you have to accommodate the directionality and reflections, also for the height channels but they can be more forgiving. As above start with the default stereo-image layout - but adjusted for placement rules for your chosen speaker (like not against a side wall for the 300s) and work from there to get a sound you like.
Then of course the big hurdle, "Honey, can I put my speakers there?" that may require some adjustments to balance sound and domestic tranquility levels. :-)
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