Era 300s ideal placement for my Home Theater setup

  • 31 March 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 788 views
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Hi there,

I have just replaced my Sonos One SLs with two Era 300s. In the setup I have an Arc and 2 Subs (3rd Generation).

I did initially buy the official stands, however both are slightly leaning forward and not 'square'. I also prefer a neater look, and so will wall mount the Era 300s. 

Is the above position ideal, or should they be wider apart? My listening position is also slightly lower when watching a film, so I'll have them slightly lower than the stands, will this have any downside? 

I have one Sub sat on the Era 300 stand's base to the right (it sits here perfectly fine), and the other in the opposite corner of the room where the screen is. Again, is this a good position for the Subs? 

I haven't found any good Atmos demos to test, although they are significantly better than the Ones. Fuller sound, and better connection to the front and rear channels. Thumbs up! 

 

Thanks,

David

 

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6 replies

buzz

I’d prefer that the rears be farther from your listening position. This will minimize image shifts due to small listener movements. I also prefer SUB’s to be vaguely in the same plain as the front speakers.

D
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Thanks, Buzz!

So would that be moving them further to the corners? I can move the sofa forward, but really not by too much.

Could you elaborate on the Sub placement? Do you mean therefore directly underneath the Arc (vertical plane)?

 

Thanks,

David

buzz

In your current setup the listener would need to be well centered between the speakers. If there are two listeners, each will have one speaker dominate.

If I blindfolded you, led you into a room, played some music, and asked you to point to the subwoofer location, your accuracy would be poor if the subwoofer is vaguely in the same plain as the L/R speakers. If the subwoofers are behind you, your pointing accuracy will improve and the music will seem a little disjointed because the bass is mis-located.

That said, I know a fellow who has his subwoofer stuck in a rear corner and has all of the tone controls set at max. He loves it, I’m glad that I rarely visit. Only you know what sounds “best” (to you).

D
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Ah I see! 

 

Makes sense, we do get dominant speakers with two listeners for sure. I guess my only solution here would be to move the sofa forward, or mount the Era 300s inverted on the ceiling? That is an option. 

The Subs aren't quite fully in the corner, directly under the right rear and slightly to the opposite side as the Arc. 

 

buzz

Corner location for SUB is not necessarily bad. There is a significant interaction between speakers and rooms -- especially for subwoofers. You can explore the physics. Play a thumpy bass track and walk the room, close to the walls, carrying a few Post-it notes. You’ll quickly discover a spot where the bass seems accentuated. Mark the spot and continue walking. A few spots will seem doubly accentuated. Mark these locations with “!!”. When you step back you’ll notice that the Post-its are more or less regularly spaced around the room. The Post-it locations are known as “peaks”, where the bass is accentuated. Midway between the peaks there will be “nulls” where the bass is diminished. If you want more bass, place a listener or speaker at a peak. After you become skilled at discovering peaks and nulls, you’ll be able to observe smaller peaks and nulls in three dimensions throughout the room. If you want more detail about this, search for “room modes”.

In my college apartment I discovered a major peak and placed a chair at the peak. Males loved that spot because bass seemed to explode from within their body. If I moved the chair a few inches the peak was gone.

D
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Thanks for this, I have noticed a few peaks, and at some point will start experimenting. Thank you!

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