Hello everyone,

I've been experimenting with my Penta speakers for a couple of weeks and I've found that their sound quality
 varies a lot depending on how they are placed in the room.  I thought I would share a few ideas and ask what
 other people have found.

The first change I made was the unscrew the midrange/tweeter panel on the front of one speaker (behind the lower grille) and turn it through 180 degrees so that it becomes a mirror image of the other speaker (the speakers were both shipped with the tweeters on the right-hand sides).  This seemed to give a better balance of midrange and treble sound when walking around the room.

In my listening room (4m x 3m), the Pentas sound best with the tweeters on the outsides (ie. the four midrange speakers towards the centre of the listening area) and with the front grilles angled inwards so that they "point" to a spot about 0.5m in front of my listening position.  The speakers are about 2m apart, and about 2m in front of my chair.

They seems to be rather bass-heavy when placed against the back wall of the room, so I have set them forwards by about 0.5m.  I should have mentioned that these are the passive Beovox version, so they do not have bass level settings as per the Beolab types.

These adjustments have made a great difference to the sound, which now appears more "natural" to my ears and which also does not appear to change in tone when walking around the room.  The sound also has a solid central "image" which is not present when the speakers are facing straight forwards from the back wall.

I would welcome other people's thoughts on room positioning, as this does seem to make a great difference to the quality of the sound produced.

Thanks,

Steve. 

Hi Steve,

yes, you have done everything right. This position of the loudspeakers is also right for other types ;)

 Loudspeakers should not stand in a corner, they need a certain distance to a wall. Around 0,5m is perfect.

Loudspeaker should face towards the listener... and yes, the center should be in front of you, just like on a stage.

Martin

Dear Steve:

 

Thing of creating a triangle: Listening spot as the apex and the two front speakers at the corners of the base.  Steve, keep in mind, what others have said in regards to distance from the wall(s) and try to avoid corner placement.  I know the new B&O speakers have a button selection for corner, wall, or free placement; though, I am not sure if the Pentas do.  

 

Enjoy,

Dario 

The Pentas have a Bass Extension switch which gives either flat, +3db or +6dB lift to the bass at 40Hz. There is a diagram in the user manual showing how to set them up dependent on position and size of room. Mine are set to flat.