Guidelines for Hanging Your Loudspeakers
This article is not a guide on how to hang your loudspeakers. It is simply an introduction to the topic. The entire subject is covered better by books such as
The Handbook of Rigging by W.E. Rossnagel and
The Handbook of Sound System Design by John Eargle. We just want to give you a few things to consider before you embark on this journey.
• Safety First – The very first thing you need to think about when hanging loudspeakers is “How safe is this?” Safely hanging your speakers is more important then where to hang them, how good they sound or how the room looks when they are in the air. The value of the life of any single person listening to your hanging loudspeakers is far greater then every other element in your audio/visual system. When you put that box up in the air make sure it is going to stay there.
• Consult with a Professional – Before you hang those loudspeakers consult with a structural engineer or experienced rigger. Even a 30 pound loudspeaker can be lethal if it falls from 30 feet in the air.
• Use a Single Cluster – Consider using a single central cluster over the center of the platform. By doing this you minimize acoustic phase cancellation within your room. If a single cluster does not cover your entire area, fill in the dead spots with additional clusters; but only where needed.
• Surface Mounting – If you are going to mount the loudspeakers directly to a surface such as a ceiling or wall be aware that your low frequencies are going to get a little boost. Because the lows are omnidirectional, the signal will bounce off the surface and combine with the direct sound giving you some acoustical gain in the low-end. Sometimes this acoustic coupling of the low end can give you more of the sound you want. Just be aware that the sound characteristics of a speaker can change (sometimes dramatically) when placed on walls or in corners.
• Not Seen, But Heard – If the aesthetics of your room are such that the speakers must be “hidden,” you should be careful that the material you hide them behind will allow the audio to pass through it unobstructed. There are plenty of solutions to give you the aesthetic look you want and still allow you to hear the loudspeaker the way it was meant to be heard.
Give us a call at 1-800-426-8664 to discuss the proper method of mounting your speakers. CCI Solutions can equip you with the appropriate knowledge to help you make good decisions.