This is How You Place Your Bookshelf Speakers

When I got my first pair of bookshelf speakers I was blown away by their performance. They left my laptop speakers in the dust and I realized why people invest in these boxes. However, over the years I realized that I got the best sound only after I was able to position them correctly. 

The basics of placing bookshelf speakers are to place them at an elevated space so that the tweeters are at ear level. Moreover, the speakers should be placed so that they sit 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock to your position and make an equilateral triangle.  

Let’s dive deeper and figure out bookshelf speaker placement for an optimal listening experience. 

Consider the room

The first thing you need to consider is the room you’re going to use the speakers in. will you be sitting on a chair or would you spend most of your time on a work or gaming desk? Do you want the bookshelf speakers for watching movies from the sofa or do you want them for an enhanced listening experience with vinyl records? Your speaker placement will depend on the primary use of your speakers. 

You need to place the speakers so that they go along the length of your room. Ideally, the listening area should be in the middle of the room and not too close to the back wall so that you can reduce unnecessary reflections from the walls. 

The triangle

When I started researching speaker positioning for my studio monitors I quickly learned about the triangle. The triangle is all-encompassing and all-knowing. Basically, your ideal listening position is at the tip of an equilateral triangle. That means the speakers should be positioned the same distance away from you as they are from each other.  

When I started getting serious with audio, I was a mere student who couldn’t afford a big space. So, the goal was to get close to the triangle shape. However, if your room permits it, I suggest you get a separation of around 4 feet. That means the speakers are 4 feet away from each other and from you. If the speakers are close to each other, the sound would blend and become muddy and when they are too far away, sound imaging gets crappy. 

Keep speakers at ear level

I’ve found that positioning bookshelf speakers at the ear level gives me the best sound quality. Bookshelf speakers unlike small Bluetooth speakers are loud and are designed to sound their best from a distance at your ear level. The treble response from the tweeters is directional and placing them too high or too low interferes with that aspect. 

Placing bookshelf speakers on the floor

I cringe from the deepest part of my soul every time I come across an online post where bookshelf speakers are kept on the floor. When you place those speakers so low most of the details in the midrange and treble won’t even make it to your ears. I’ve tried that ungodly setup myself and the only good thing I got from that is a boosted bass response. So if you’re a bass-head who doesn’t care about vocals and most instruments you can place your speakers on the floor. 

The ideal height for bookshelf speakers

That’s why the ideal height for bookshelf speakers is at your ear level. If you plan to use your speakers on a desk, make sure that it sits at ear level. Otherwise, you can use acoustic foam pads to raise their height without affecting the sound quality. They are inexpensive and effective. 

If you’re using your bookshelf speakers to watch movies or listen to music from a couch, you can use adjustable stands to place them at the perfect height. Some folks also like to use stands that tilt the speakers upwards instead of raining the height directly to fire the tweeters towards your ear. However, that can create other problems where the tweeters get closer to the floor and create unnecessary reflections. As a beginner, it’s best to simply raise up the speakers to your ear level.

Angle your speakers

Conventional wisdom says that the speakers should be parallel to each other. However, that doesn’t deliver the best acoustic imaging or soundstage. Instead, try angling your speakers inwards so that they are focused on your listening position. This creates a good soundstage that gives you a good impression of the physical space created by different sounds. It also makes for better imaging that lets you visualize all the instruments and vocals in that space. 

Imaging and soundstage are extremely important in your listening experience. Headphones (even open-backs) have a lot of control over your listening environment and that’s why manufacturers can fine-tune the soundstage and imaging. However, with speakers, it’s up to you to nail the position for the best soundstage and imaging. With a great soundstage and imaging, the music feels more natural and alive. 

Start with a small 60-degree angle from your position and place your speakers to make an equilateral triangle. Now start listening to your favorite tracks at a comfortable volume. Depending on your listening experience you can tweak the inward angle till you hit the “sweet spot” for best imaging and soundstage. 

Don’t get too close to the wall

It’s common to make the most of your space by placing furniture pieces directly against the wall. However, the same practice is detrimental for speakers. When speakers are close to the wall, the wall boosts low frequencies. The boost can be as high as 3dB. While that doesn’t sound much, it makes a significant change and makes the sound signature of your speakers a lot warmer. 

However, when you go out of the room and listen to the song on other speakers on a decent pair of headphones, the sound lacks bass. That’s the “real” bass, not the boomy bass from the wall reflection. That’s why you should pull the speakers around 6 to 10 inches away from the wall. The ideal distance is 2 to 3 feet away from the wall. However, as I’ve mentioned above, most people may not have that kind of space available to them. 

When there are fewer reflections from the surroundings you get most of the sound coming directly from the speakers. This preserves more details in the music and you hear what the artist intended his or her music to sound like. 

Don’t keep anything between the speakers and you

Humans tend to maximize space usage and a cluttered desk is the best example. My desk is often a mess of cables, gadgets, electronics, coffee mugs, and more. However, I don’t allow anything to come between my speakers and me. In my home theater system, the furniture, home decor, and the AV receiver are carefully positioned to keep the distance between my listening position and the speakers obstruction-free.   

Any item or surface between the speakers and you would create reflections and create significant distortion to skew the listening experience. If you have a music source like a turntable, it should also be isolated from the setup since it gets heavily affected by vibrations and reflections. 

Soft furnishings and minor details

Our rooms are mostly used for multiple purposes. From eating and listening to music to watching movies and playing games. You need to work around these activities to make your speakers perform the best they can. That means you may need to sacrifice a few things if it’s interfering with the sound. 

You need to hide or get rid of as many smooth and hard surfaces as possible. That means if there’s a glossy coffee table in front of you, it’s best to replace it with a rough surface or add a soft tablecloth to it. The same goes for smooth floors. Cover them with soft carpets. For the windows get thick blinds. If you want to go overboard, you can even acoustically treat the ceiling.   

Conclusion

Placing bookshelf speakers the right way is very important to get the most out of your hi-fi system. Remember to get the triangle and position the speakers at ear level. I hope this article was helpful to you.