Improving home cinema acoustics
Are you going to make a home cinema in which you want optimal sound? We offer beautiful acoustic solutions, especially for your home cinema. How to do this and what you should consider with the acoustics of your home cinema can be found on this page.
Even if you have a nice picture and sound system in your living room, you can enjoy your movie night even more with the help of the tips and solutions below!
Home cinema acoustics
The steps
In the acoustics of a home cinema, it is very important to look at the setup of the speakers, the seating position and the required absorption.
In principle, a lot of sound absorption can be placed since we want to minimize the reflections in the room. It is therefore normal to provide the sidewalls, rear walls and corners with acoustic measures.
The steps are explained below.
Speakers
We have a centre speaker, assuming surround sound. This will be right in front of your screen. In addition, we have four speakers (front left and right, rear left and right). Rotate it inwards at the correct angle, aimed at the seating position.
Seating position
For a good sound experience, the seating position is usually about 2/3 of the total length of the room. Viewed in width as central as possible.
Absorption
In a home cinema, plenty of absorption must be installed to dampen the first reflections and to get the room to sound 'dry'. You place absorption on the rear wall, sidewalls and ceiling.
Bass traps and diffusion
In a home cinema, plenty of absorption must be installed to dampen the first reflections and to get the room to sound 'dry'. You place absorption on the rear wall, sidewalls and ceiling.
Step 1:
Speaker and seating position
Proper placement is important to get the most out of your speakers. With surround sound, there will be five speakers (and subwoofer) in the room.
The speakers should be placed at the correct angle and in the direction of the seating position. The centre and front speakers should be no more than 3 to 4 meters away from you. Place the surround speakers diagonally behind the seating position.
It is important not to place the speakers too directly against the wall, otherwise low-frequency amplification may develop. The speakers should ideally be adjusted to ear height.
The speaker placement as shown here is a theoretical guideline, in practice, it may turn out that the position should be adjusted upon personal taste and character of the room.
Step 2:
Sound dampening for good acoustics in your home cinema
A very low resonance level must be achieved in a home cinema. First reflections should be prevented. Where do you place the absorbers? You can move a mirror along the sidewalls until you see a speaker in the mirror, seen from the sitting position. At those spots where you see a speaker, you should place an acoustic wall panel.
You can also place acoustic wall panels on the rear wall. You should also place sound-absorbing panels on the front wall to the left and right of the screen (and behind the screen, if there is room).
The ceiling also has a major influence on the acoustics in the room. You want to prevent this from becoming a large reflective surface. Choose to place ceiling islands or panels.
Application from example, assuming a room of 6 x 5 meters and 3 meters high:
- 4 pcs of EASYultra wall panels of 120 x 120
- 6 pcs of EASYultra wall panels of 120 x 60
- 4 pcs EASYceiling cloud element of 240 x 120 cm
Step 3:
Diffusion for good home cinema acoustics
Depending on preferences and sound reproduction, a combination of diffusion and absorption is sometimes chosen to prevent the room from sounding too 'dry'.
Diffusion gives the room more spaciousness and a 'larger' sound. This is especially useful in small spaces and if a lot of absorption has already been placed elsewhere.
The example shows where diffusers can replace absorbers.
Step 4:
Low frequency for good acoustics in your home cinema
Low bass sound quickly manifests itself in the corners. To prevent the bass from taking over, place bass straps in the corners.
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Wesley Schonherr
Acoustic specialist