STOP Placing Your Speakers Like This! (Hear the Difference)

🔈 Sound Clip Downloads

Time Stamps:
00:00 - Start
00:21 - Video Purpose
01:06 - High Horse
01:55 - Getting Started
01:55 - Getting Started
02:21 - Recording Technique
02:51 - Where There Is Smoke
04:06 - Demo #1
05:49 - Boundary Reinforcement
09:22 - Demo #2
11:41 - Smearing
12:18 - Speaker Positioning
13:15 - Soundstage Unlocked
14:07 - Demo #3
16:24 - Demo #4
17:54 - Decay Structure
18:59 - Demo #5
19:47 - Below The Belt
20:17 - Speaker Shootout
22:39 Final Thoughts

Today's video is a deep dive into speaker placement and how it impacts bass response, imaging, and soundstage. I’ll be using the GR-Research NX-Bravos for this demonstration—these very speakers are headed to Erin at Erin’s Audio Corner for review, but before they go, I had the chance to put them through their paces in a carefully recorded test.

🔊 What You’ll Hear in This Video:

1. A comparison of speakers placed close to the wall vs. deep into the room
2. How boundary reinforcement affects bass
3. The role of speaker placement in imaging, staging, and separation
4. A shootout between the NX-Bravos, my Encore speakers, and a sneak peek at the NRD speakers
🎧 For the best experience, grab a pair of headphones! The sound clips in this video were recorded using multiple microphones to capture the most realistic in-room experience possible.

🔗 High-Resolution Downloads:
To get around YouTube compression, I’m offering high-resolution samples of the recordings. Download them here:

🎶 Song Used in This Demo:
“Where There Is Smoke” – Dominique Fils-Aimé (Album: Stay Tuned!)

🔔 Like & Subscribe! If you enjoy this type of content, hit that like button, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more in-depth audiophile discussions and critical listening tests.
💎💎💎 Speakers reviewed and recommend! 💎💎💎

Bookshelf:
Floorstanding:

⭐️ Follow NRD ⭐️
💪🏻 Support NRD 💪🏻

Disclaimer: The links provided are amazon affiliate links: I earn a small commission on purchases at no additional cost to you! I use the funds to help grow the channel, investing in better equipment for the reviews and video production! Thank you!

[Newrecordday]

00:00 - Start
00:21 - Video Purpose
01:06 - High Horse
01:55 - Getting Started
01:55 - Getting Started
02:21 - Recording Technique
02:51 - Where There Is Smoke
04:06 - Demo #1
05:49 - Boundary Reinforcement
09:22 - Demo #2
11:41 - Smearing
12:18 - Speaker Positioning
13:15 - Soundstage Unlocked
14:07 - Demo #3
16:24 - Demo #4
17:54 - Decay Structure
18:59 - Demo #5
19:47 - Below The Belt
20:17 - Speaker Shootout
22:39 Final Thoughts

[ricdontap]

Thanks I have a UK house. I moved the speakers 9' into the room away from the back wall. They are now 3' away from the front wall.

[guillermosanchez]

Setting my speakers 2.75m into the room would mean to put them into my neighbour's livingroom 😂

[johndaddabbo]

Thanks! - I knocked down two walls and yanked out a staircase in my current home in order to go from a 12.5 x 14.5 room to a 13.5 x 21.5 room. Let the Games begin! Well, I still gave some final trim work to complete and then the games will finally begin / a clean slate rectangle room with all the windows boarded up so as to have a consistent wall surface throughout. I'll no doubt be re-watching many of your videos over the course of this year. Thanks man!

[thomasfitzhugh]

Moving my system into a bigger room was probably the best thing I could've done, it allowed me to pull the speakers out 3 ft from the back wall & abt 9ft apart from eachother. The increase in soundstage & imaging is so great they sound like a different pair of speakers.💕

[peterbaugh]

I heard huge differences from my listening area when you moved the speakers out. Deeper, cleaner bass (the way I like it), sound stage with depth and very precise imaging even beyond the speakers. Huge improvement. Not using headphones either. Great video!

[chrispicquet]

Thanx for this video. I was a paid consultant to set up sound systems for Bands, and High End Audiophile Listening rooms . Clients complaining about spending over 10, 000 on their system and hating it! Ha! Well, throwing money at your system is not the Answer! More than half the Battle is Room setups and boundary interactions. Also, just as important is System Matching. I'm blessed! I have at least 25 Pairs of speakers and multiple raw drivers around. I also have over 15 different types of Power Amps. I've been building speakers for years, and I love Pro Audio stuff as much as refined Tube Amps, depending on the situation, and system matching. It's funny, I've been setting up listening rooms for so long, I'm able to quickly get a system hooked up and just eyeball the room, and get a 3d soundstage going very well in little time. I just love sound, and in that time that I feel like mixing and matching equipment that shouldn't be be in the same room with each other, I Sometimes Stumble on Sonic Bliss! Accidentally! That's why I love my hobby!

[ericbrown]

Excellent video Ron! I've tried a multitude of speaker placement techniques, but LOTS - along with your clear explanation on HOW TO EXPERIMENT with placement and HOW TO LISTEN to music - has been the difference maker. Anytime people listen to my systems, their jaws drop, eyes get big, and they gasp because they've never heard anything like it before. You are the single greatest influence / teacher that I've had in this hobby (though there are many) and I really REALLY appreciate your work to share it with me. Thanks Ron!

[dashcorbett]

Youre going to drag those guys that dont understand the importance of imaging and sound stage kicking and screaming into the light. Great content. Thanks Ron.

[theluvofaudio]

Why did I watch this? I can’t listen to my system now. Ron, you need a disclaimer for these types of videos “watch at your own risk”😂😂😂

[otherwillsmith]

Bravo good sir! (see what I did there?) This is by far the best fidelity I've personally experienced on YouTube. Full stop. The fact that these sonics are coupled with the best video I've seen demonstrating the effects of speaker placement on sonics and imaging is absolute gravy! This video is so good that it really should be used as a teaching tool for students wanting to go into studio, mixing and mastering fields. This is so well thought out and executed that I am in awe. I'm going to share this with everyone. Thank you for this service to the community!

[bradleydurbin]

It also depends on the design of the speakers and what it says in the owners manual. Most speakers are designed to be placed some feet away from the wall. It’s all about experimenting and the dimensions of your room and ultimately what sounds good to you or what your willing to settle for.

[kenkeim]

I couldn’t agree more. I found that pulling the speakers out into the room, let them breath, so to speak. When I say that, I mean the sounds have the spacing they need to separate and fill the room as they were meant too. There is a clear difference, for the better.

[pullrich]

Wow, this video is ponderous! Here's a summary on placement:
1. The equilateral triangle with approx 15 degrees of toe-in is a good place to start
2. Rear ported speakers should be at least one foot from the wall. Any closer results in boomy bass, and foam plugs may be necessary
3. If you have a small room or have other space limitations, front ported speakers are a good option
That's it!

[cygnuss]

Great video Ron! I built a second listening room just so I could give LOTS a try. I'm still working on the room treatment which can be daunting but it's paying off! Keep up the good work and don't let the haters bring you down

[waikeywi]

I often hear people suggesting how far away to pull the speakers from the front wall in absolute terms. I think if you take room modes into consideration, doesn’t it make more sense to suggest a ratio, like at 38% of the length of the room, the speakers would sound best? But of course, in reality the room is a very complex shape, let alone the furniture and the listening position. But spending time to place the speakers certainly pays off.

[mikecampbell]

I guess I'm lucky Ron, I had a 13x13x8 room for 27 years and my speaker placement was etched in stone. I moved a few months ago and my new room is 20x33x9 with a major bump out halfway. I can move my speakers around now and am having fun with it. Thanks for videos like this! BTW this room was the reason I bought the house! LOL

[CraigRhinehart]

The wife will be away this weekend. Might have to try pulling my speakers out to see how it goes. Thanks.

[SajitJumani-vm]

The best A/B examples I have been able to actually hear through my headphones as a novice. Great job, thanks for making this video!!

[BadMonkeyFinger_Audio]

I watched part of this video last night, but just a moment ago, I watched (and listened) again with several pairs of cans. It is AMAZING how you've managed to capture the 3d effect from pulling the speakers out into the room. Excellent demo! I'm a huge proponent of taking time to properly position speakers because it can literally make or break a system's performance, imo. When anyone comes to my place, they almost always ask why my speakers are so far into the room, and suggest i can 'save space ' by pushing them to the back wall. That's why I no longer have people over. Lol

Great video! Cheers!