Surround – HHB comm CIRCLE STUDIO MONITORS User Manual

Page 15

• The loudspeaker arrangement for surround sound

monitoring may comprise three front channels
and two surround channels, each placed upright
on stands an equal distance from the listening
position.

• A sub-woofer is often used to improve the

system’s low frequency response. A typical setup
may consist of five HHB Circle 5 loudspeakers
with a Circle 1 sub-woofer.

• Ensure that all five loudspeakers are positioned

at the same height - ideally, this will be so that
the tweeters are level with the listener’s ears.

• Due to the consistent sound quality of the HHB

Circles, it is possible to mix Circle 5s and Circle
3s in the same surround setup. The front three
speakers, left, centre and right, may be Circle
5s, with a pair of Circle 3s used for left surround
and right surround.

• Widely used in films and pop music, extreme low

frequency effects, as produced by the HHB Circle
1, are often felt rather than actually heard.

• Since the Circle 1 sub-woofer will only produce

low frequencies, often with a wavelength of up to
ten metres, it is often hard to localise, enabling
the speaker to be placed on the floor or slightly
to one side of the listening position without
altering the overall spatial image.

• Distance from the listening position to each of

the loudspeakers should always be the same. If
the listener is at the centre point of an imaginary
circle, the speakers should all lie on the circle’s
circumference.

• There are no hard and fast rules as to the exact

placing of the left and right surround
loudspeakers - this circular diagram is merely
intended as a guide. In fact, many recording and
mixing studios have their surround loudspeakers
mounted on moveable trolleys, enabling each
client to place them in their preferred position.

SURROUND

LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENT

Suggested surround
loudspeaker placement

SUB

Figure

30°

130° - 150°

CIRCLEOP.QXD 5/4/00 5:03 pm Page 15