JBL SYN 3 - Manual (Page 7)

right speakers. The horn in the center channel speaker should be no more than two
feet higher or lower than the horns in the left and right speakers. This preserves the
“localization integrity” of “sound pans”, in which the sound appears to move from left to
center to right. Having it also appear to go from high to low to high, or vice versa, can
destroy the illusion of such effects and should also be avoided. Use of speaker stands
can help achieve this goal.
SUBWOOFERS - The location of subwoofers is the most flexible aspect of placement.
The convention is to place them on or very near to the floor. The subwoofers can be
placed on both sides of the television set or projection screen, with the left and right
speakers stacked on top. If this arrangement is not feasible, then they can be placed
in the corners of the room. It is recommended that you experiment with the various
positions to see which suits you both sonically and aesthetically.
SURROUNDS - The ambient surround speakers work optimally
if they are placed as far back from the screen as the viewing
chairs are. If there are two rows of chairs, these speakers
should be placed between them.
The ambient surround speakers should not be placed to radiate
directly at the listeners. Rather, they should echo off the front
and rear walls, or optionally, off the ceiling, to create a sound
space that encloses the listener. The listeners should be locat-
ed in a “null zone” in which no sound is directly radiating at
them from the ambient surrounds. Always make sure that the
null baffle (the side w/no speakers or speaker terminals) points
towards the listening area.
The ambient surround speakers should be placed higher than the seating area, at
least two feet above seated ear level.
The preferred method to mount the ambient surrounds is to put them directly on side
walls with brackets, or to stack them atop a column attached to the wall. This lets
each speaker radiate to the front and back of the room, and to reflect off the side walls.
There are a few instances in which the ambient surrounds would do better if mounted
on the ceiling rather than the walls. If one or both of the walls is “acoustically dead”,
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Min. 2'-0"