The art of Ceiling speaker placement

Thursday, 1 October 2020 | Amit

Size doesn’t matter; It’s how you use it that counts. If this mantra has served you well in the past, then you may be interested to hear how you can make up for quantitative deficiencies in another area of the home. In this article, we look at how speaker placement may prove the difference between a mediocre aural experience and an unforgettable one.

Since we launched our Wi-fi ceiling speaker, many customers have asked us how to make the most of the multi-speaker, multi-room functionality. We’ve provided expert advice to a huge range of clients, many of whom want to know how to get the best sound in their space. When you have up to 30 speakers to pair with, sound coverage is quite an easy difficulty to overcome. But when you’re on a budget, you’ll want to ensure you get the best bang for your buck.

To begin with, one key advantage of a ceiling speaker of a standard speaker is that most of the sound dispersion is already done for you. A traditional speaker pairing will provide two separate channels, with each speaker positioned at least 4 feet away, directed horizontally at the listener.

In this example, as long as the listener is positioned where the sound waves converge, they will have a great stereo experience. This works great for TV sound units, where you can safely expect to spend long amounts of time in the same position (think Netflix bingeing, ‘working from home’, etc.) The issue with this setup is that this optimum experience relies on the listener maintaining an idle position - a reliance that, when listening to your favourite dance tracks, is bound to be overcome.

Instead, the Lithe Audio ceiling speaker, if placed centrally, will send its audio waves straight downwards, which will then get dispersed around the room. If you have enough speakers in multiple areas of the room, you can easily ensure there are no cold spots, where the sound dissipates or quietens before hitting the listener. This is perfect for hosting parties, and other more impromptu occasions for busting out your favourite dance moves.

But if you’re not quite ready to splash out on multiple speakers, you’ll need to learn the art of compromise, and decide where you’ll best enjoy high quality sound.

Providing your room is a regular square or rectangle, a general rule of thumb is to make sure they are aligned down the centre of the room at an equal distance apart (preferably at least 4 feet). Other shaped rooms can call for different layouts, as can the position of pre-existing light fittings you might wish your speakers to replace. Our experienced team will love to hear about your project, and will be happy to provide a free audio consultation should you have particular requirements for your setup.