Abuzah Posted February 11, 2003 Share Posted February 11, 2003 Hey fellas! I'm very new to home audio, and have a couple quick questions. I just purchased a pair of SB-3's, and was curious about a couple things. First, what are the negatives to putting the speaker say 5 inches from the wall versus the recommended? Decrease in sound quality? Any potential damage to the speaker? Second, it is stated that they have 8" woofers. Measuring mine, they only appear around 6.5-7". Is this normal, or did I get some freak speakers? If it's normal, why is it stated at 8"? Third, is it best to let the amp and speakers warm up a few minutes before really turning it up? Or is it alright to push it immediatly when you turn it on? Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 No potential damage to the speakers whatsoever. The 8" woofers refer to the outer frame diameter of the basket, and not the actual cone size. I don't really know why, but that is how the industry measures them. Just measure any woofer or midrange from any brand, any you will find this to be true. A good starting point is to place them 12-18 inches from a rear wall and then experiment with toe-in and such. Also, if your seating distance is 8-10 feet, try setting them 8-10 feet apart as a starter. IMHO, warming up a speaker and amplifier is pretty pointless, unless you are going to do some critical listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abuzah Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 Great! Thanks a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Warming up amps is not necessarily important per se'. 5 minutes should be enoungh. Some amps don't sound their absolute best until they've been on for 1/2 hour or even a couple of hours....depends on the amp. Tube amps seem to take longer than SS. If the amps are cold....such as brought in from the outside (COLD), they should be left to sit for a while until they get up to room temperature. Make sure any condensation has evaporated. I don't like cranking the hell out of an amp just after its turned on. The power supply caps need to form & the circutry settle in. I've never seen anyone or anything that takes well to being run full bore, cold. In tube amps, the filiments have to get up to temp & the amp has to "settle out" a bit to sound its best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 The closeness to the wall will affect the sound. On the other hand, it is difficult to say whether it is enough to worry about. I'm being overly technical in the following. One issue is when there is a passive radiator or port in the back. I think this is not the case with the RF 3. In any event, gettting the port or radiator too close to the wall can alter its performance a bit. A related issue is that putting a woofer in a corner, getting it close to two walls, will increase low bass output. The other "wall" issue arises in the midrange. There is a bounce of sound off the wall which then arrives back at the front of the speaker. At some wavelength, i.e. frequency, the reflection is 180 degrees out of phase with the sound out of the speaker and the two cancel each other. This was reported on by Mr. Allison (sp?) and is called the Allison "dip". So, as you can imagine, there are a lot of compromises possible. Some folks report they get much better "imaging" if you get the speakers very much away from the wall so there are much fewer reflections. Of course that kills some of the bass. Plus, it eats up real estate. In view of the above, there is a lot of room for experimentation. It is a lot of fun and part of the hobby. With transistor amps, the electrical system reaches a steady state very quickly. So there is nothing to wait for. Tubes are another story. The heaters in the tubes (the little things that glow red) take a few seconds, but that is about all. I agree entirely about the measurement of the woofer basket (frame), rather than the moving part of the diaphragm. I'll point out that some 15 inch speakers have a frame which has a diameter of 15 1/8 inches. It doesn't make much of a difference unit you are constructing a mounting board. That 1/8 inch can ruin your day. Or at least it did mine. Congrats on the purchase. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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