Living room layout - not sure which way to go.

[EvilYoda]

So, I've been in this apartment for over 3 months now, but I've been traveling so much that I haven't had much time to unpack or clean, let alone fine tune the setup. That said, I'm going to crack down on getting everything finished now that I'll be in one place for a while. That and I want to decorate - hang some pictures/posters and paint a wall or two.

Here is the basic layout as it currently sits. I have a sub that'll be placed after everything's finalized. The desk is where my computer is, so I'm looking at a 24" LCD with a 46" behind it. Those little squares with the round circles are my speakers. All of my components sit in the rack that the TV is on.

My initial thoughts were that this would flow a little better, but now I'm having second thoughts. I'm considering just placing everything along the wall that the entry way is on. Acoustics aside (I'm only going to be using like 25% of my system's potential no matter what ), I'm just wondering what you would do in terms of layout.

Thanks all.

 

[spidey07]

Anyway to convince you to not do a corner? I'd put the TV/mains on the wall perpendicular to the entry wall (tv speakers facing dining area). Not only do you get sound benefits, you can listen to music/watch TV in dining area or entertaining as the kitchen is always where people hang out.

 

[EvilYoda]

Problem with that is that my couch would take up the entire walkway leading to the kitchen/bedroom. If I move it up, I'm too close to the TV. Plus, the TV would be smack dab right in front of the largest window in the place.

 

[Tiamat]

EvilYoda: As Spidey07 mentioned, the setup with the least acoustical compromises is to use the wall perpendicular to your entrance. All other setups will GREATLY compromise the acoustics while allowing you your walkway etc.

The corner model is better than other models which would cause problems with right/left symmetry in your specific setup.

If you go with the corner model, you will need to pay close attention to where you place your couch and speakers in terms of multiples of the room's dimensions. Don't place your listening position(s) at 1/4 or 1/2 multiples of any of the dimensions. Remember, the acoustical space is the dimension of the entire area including your dining room.

Placing the listening position at 0.33-0.38 of the room's length tends to minimize the modal problems associated with that dimension.

keep the speakers as far away from the walls as possible.

 

[EvilYoda]

This is why I said, aside from acoustics...I understand the downfalls of my current setup and once I pick corner/wall, I'll go about tuning and adjusting the system. It's going to be a bitch no matter what, with this layout. I'll give it some more thought on Saturday, when I'll be home watching football. I might take a few shots and put those up too, to give a real view of the place. That might have to wait though, since it's still so messy in here

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda
This is why I said, aside from acoustics...I understand the downfalls of my current setup and once I pick corner/wall, I'll go about tuning and adjusting the system. It's going to be a bitch no matter what, with this layout. I'll give it some more thought on Saturday, when I'll be home watching football. I might take a few shots and put those up too, to give a real view of the place. That might have to wait though, since it's still so messy in here

Either way is fine. Just remember that tuning/adjusting the system only goes so far. If the listening position is in a null or high energy zone, not much will come out of tuning/adjusting the system.

In general, for speakers and your listening position, stay away from room boundaries and 1/4 multiplies of any of the room dimensions and you should be fine.

For imaging, if what is on the right of the TV is not the same as what is on the left (with respect to distance to the nearest room wall/boundary), this can cause a shift in the stereo image that you perceive when you are listening. For example, if the right side is open to the rest of the house and the left side is close to a corner or wall, the image will shift towards the left. This effect can be diminished significantly by putting absorptive material (like 4" wrapped fiberglass panels, or perhaps a fat chair) on the louder side's side-wall.

Just a few ideas that you can bounce around. Let us know if you want other ideas...