Você pode ficar tentado a posicionar seus alto-falantes como eles não foram originalmente planejados para serem colocados em um esforço para caber mais efetivamente em seu espaço. Por exemplo, você pode querer colocar alto-falantes de torre de lado, mas deveria?
Os alto-falantes da torre não devem ser colocados de lado por dois motivos. Em primeiro lugar, se o tweeter for colocado acima do woofer e o alto-falante da torre for virado de lado, é criado um efeito de lob que distorce a experiência de áudio. Em segundo lugar, o posicionamento geralmente será abaixado do nível do ouvido até o chão.
Agora, isso pode não ser totalmente evitável para você; portanto, se esse for o caso, certifique-se de seguir as precauções adequadas.
Mas, se você está apenas tentando encaixar seus alto-falantes em um espaço mais apertado, considere os efeitos negativos de longo prazo que economizar alguns centímetros de espaço no chão/ar terá na qualidade do som em seu quarto. Vamos olhar mais de perto.
Leia também:Você pode colocar alto-falantes de piso em suportes? Por que você não deve colocar os alto-falantes de torre de lado?
Talvez você estivesse navegando por diferentes layouts de configuração de alto-falante de som surround de home theater quando notou um padrão estranho - os alto-falantes da torre estavam deitados de lado para formar uma linha horizontal esteticamente agradável.
Talvez isso combinasse com o design visual geral da sala. No entanto, embora isso possa ser visualmente atraente para alguns, a qualidade de áudio impressionante é o que você realmente está investindo, certo?
Virar os alto-falantes da torre de lado distorce a posição dos vários drivers dentro da unidade de alto-falante. Isso pode criar áudio distorcido da maneira que o áudio transmitido por vários canais deveria se misturar de forma coesa. A altura de um alto-falante de torre também é importante. Claro, existem muitos argumentos sobre por que você deve ou não fazer isso, mas, em última análise, colocar um alto-falante de torre de lado está sendo questionado em primeiro lugar porque não foi assim que esse equipamento de som foi originalmente projetado para ser usado.
E, embora a inovação possa ser incrivelmente útil para descobrir novas maneiras de fazer as coisas, essa pode não ser a melhor maneira de se tornar inovador.
Interrompe o fluxo do sinal de áudio
Não surpreendentemente, a melhor maneira de colocar seu alto-falante de torre é como ele foi originalmente projetado para ser colocado:na vertical e a pelo menos 2 polegadas de distância da parede. A posição vertical usa as leis da física para refletir diretamente as várias ondas de áudio provenientes de vários canais na torre.
Quando posicionados de lado, é como se essas ondas de áudio fossem enviadas na direção errada. Sure, they will still come out of the drivers and be sent out into the free air in the open room, but they will not mesh cohesively with the other frequencies as they would have if your tower speaker were positioned upright.
It Negatively Impacts the Multiple-Channel Cohesion
Considering the purpose of the various drivers in your tower speakers can have a huge impact on the overall understanding of why the tower speakers should not be laid on their sides.
Since tower speakers have multiple channels of audio coming out of them (many of which have visible drivers on the exterior), it is evident that these each serve a unique purpose.
For example, the tweeter and the woofer are aimed at emitting significantly different frequencies. This results in a higher and lower sound effect coming from each driver within the tower speaker.
When the tower speaker is facing vertically, these speakers work together to create a lasting sound effect that results in clear and high-quality audio.
When placed on its side, however, a tower speaker is no longer capable of providing the same type of cohesive blend. Along with that, many times people will lay the tower speaker on its side directly on the floor instead of even trying to find a shelf or something to rest it on. This can be a problem for a couple of reasons.
It Creates a Lobing Effect
First, placing the tower speaker horizontally on the floor results in a displacement of where the drivers would have otherwise been intended to go.
Instead of having the various audio channels coming at you streamlined from a (specifically designed) order from top to bottom, the audio waves will instead come in all at once and on a similar level- one that is not ear level at that.
This results in an effect called lobing which is incredibly uncomfortable to listen to.
In essence, this makes the audio distorted, so whether you are listening to your favorite actor or actress’s punch line in a classic joke, or you are trying to catch the various instruments in an orchestral performance, you will not be able to do so with the same tenacity when your tower speaker is on the floor.
Unintentional Sound Absorption is More Likely
Finally, laying tower speakers on their sides generally means placing them directly on the floor.
And, since flooring can be carpeted or have a rug placed down (even if not directly underneath the speaker but in the same room as it), this sound absorption can also disrupt the intended flow of the audio waves.
Typically, when the tower speakers are upright, the audio waves are sent out at various heights throughout the entirety of the room.
The furniture and other obstructions might cause the waves to change direction, but they are still aimed outwards in various heights- uniquely to hit your ears at the perfect time for the sound to blend well together.
However, if the sound waves do not have a chance to reach you because they have been absorbed by the carpet or a rug that is between you and the speaker (even if it is not directly underneath the tower speaker), this will obviously impact your experience with the audio in a very negative way.
Read:Do Tower Speakers Need an Amp? Where Should Tower Speakers be Placed?
Just because tower speakers should not be placed on their sides does not mean that you have to give up hope entirely to a great placement for your tower speakers in your home theater sound setup. Truly, tower speaker placement is not overly complicated.
Tower speakers should be placed in the front of the room in alignment with the other speakers, although you should be sure to avoid placing these speakers in the corners. Remove the tower speakers from the wall at least 2 inches to avoid distorted audio. Since people choose to invest in tower speakers for a wide variety of reasons, you might think that it is tough to give a one-size-fits-all approach to tower speaker placement.
However, this ideal placement scenario is one that should work regardless of the purpose that you chose to install tower speakers in your sound system setup.
Want to know why? A lot of this has to do with how tower speakers are designed to work in a sound system in the first place.
Many tower speakers have multiple channels/drivers that aim to play cohesively and provide you with an acoustically pleasing experience. With this, the placement should be relatively similar whether you are streaming your favorite movie with friends or jamming out to the latest release from your favorite band.
Either way, the tower speaker can pair well with many other speakers in your sound system, and they are pretty easy to place upright to be able to enjoy the best version of audio that they produce.
Of course, making sure that the settings and specifications with your tower speakers and the rest of the speakers in your sound system mesh well together can be yet another step in this setup process. However, do not fret. This is something that you should be able to do by using your user’s manual or consulting the speaker manufacturer (or YouTube) for guidance.
With a lot of great information out there, all you have to remember is to do what is best for the placement of your tower speakers within your home and depending on the other speakers you choose to incorporate in your sound system.
Just be sure not to lay your tower speakers on their sides if you want them to perform at an optimal level. Then, you should be good to go.
Also read:Do Floorstanding Speakers Need a Subwoofer?