For 1723 S Monitors, does sealed/ported mode affect minimum clearance?

[chris-lukowski]

I’m trying to redesign my living room home theater to include Arendal upgrades to my Polk satellite system. My front wall is 11.5 feet wide so some tough choices have to be made when it comes to sub & speaker placement. If I go by the book and give the monitors 30cm of clearance all around I either have little room for subwoofers if the speakers are on the outside edges or very little stereo separation if the subs are on the outside with the speakers next inward. One thing I’d like to know is whether or not the 30cm clearance recommendation (specifically from the side walls) is made assuming the monitors would be in ported mode. If they’re sealed, is this no longer a requirement? If reflections are a concern, would toe in or room treatment solve for this? I’d like to have a wider soundstage but not if it’s going to muddy up the sound.

[Lukas]

Hi Chris,

The 30cm is just a rule of thumb and basically every room will have its compromises.
It has nothing to do with sealed or ported mode, but just how lower bass radiates. Distance to walls will always affect the sound of any speaker, especially in the bass.
Toe-in can help with mid to high frequencies if the speakers are close to the side walls.
Room treatment can help, but will also need distance, the correct size, type, and proper placement. Hard to do in small rooms.

The best thing you can do is to experiment and listen to what you like more.

[chris-lukowski]

Thanks Lukas!

One more question in regard to the Monitors: What is the recommended “acoustic center” (AC) height in relation to a TV and the center channel? I know in a perfect world I’d have an acoustically transparent screen and a projector with the LCR tweeters exactly at seated ear level, but with a regular TV that can’t happen.

Let’s say MLP ear level is 36″ high, viewing distance is 10 feet, and I have a 75″ TV mounted on the wall. The highest I’m comfortable mounting that is 29″ off the floor which puts the TV’s center at 48″ and the 1723 S Center on an 19″ shelf below the TV, so the top is right underneath the TV’s bottom edge. The AC for the center would be at 24″, 12″ below ear level. Would it be preferable to stand the Monitors low @ 19″ so their AC height is 30″ (closer to the Center’s), stand them higher @ 30″ (AC-H @ 41″) so they more closely align with the TV screen, or in between these two so that the Monitor AC height is exactly at 36″ ear level?

[Lukas]

Hi Chris,

In a normal living room, there will be always compromises. You just have to make the best out of it.
I would rather position the Monitors at the correct ear height and only have the compromise with the Center below the TV, but angled up so it fires at ear height.
This will give the overall best result and not compromise the Monitors additionally.