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around you” effect). By trying to place the
speakers so that they create as much
reflected sound as possible, you emphasize
the ambient effect. They can be up high in
the wall or even down low at power outlet
height, in the ceiling, near corners, or
directed at reflective objects and walls. The
more reflected sound there is in the room
the stronger the ambient effect at low vol-
umes. You should use moderation, howev-
er, otherwise the compromise becomes too
one sided and at high volumes the sound
will be blurred and less distinct.
Placement for Rear Home Theater
Applications
In a home theater, the goal is to reproduce
the experience of a great movie theater in
our homes. The biggest difference between
the two is the rear or surround speaker
array in a commercial theater. Here, it is
not uncommon to see twenty or thirty
speakers around the audience. This huge
array of speakers assures that you will feel
completely surrounded by the ambient
soundtrack of the movie. Film makers try to
use the “surround” soundtrack to envelope
you in the environment on screen. They
will place background music, rain sounds,
traffic noise, etc. on the “surround” sound-
track. In a home with a single pair of speak-
ers it is easy for the jungle sounds to sound
like they are “in the middle of your head”
just like headphones!
A single pair of AT Loudspeakers, properly
placed, can create a very convincing simu-
lation of an array of speakers. If you place
them near a hard reflecting surface you can
make one pair of speakers sound like sev-
eral. Create as many reflections as possible
by mounting the speaker up high in the
wall so that the ceiling will act as a power-
ful reflector. If you place the speakers near
a corner, wash the sound down a wall from
a ceiling location, or mount the speakers as
far away as you can from the listening area,
more reflections will occur. However, all of
these placement techniques require that
you work your surround sound amplifier
channels harder. If the surround sound sys-
tem you are using has a small five or ten
watt amplifier for the rear speakers, stay
within five to eight feet of the listening loca-
tion. If you are using a 25 to 50 watt ampli-
fier you can mount the speakers 10 to 15
feet away from the listening location and
still achieve reasonably high volume levels.
Of course, the best way to emulate the
sound of multiple speakers is to use multi-
ple speakers. In large or unusually shaped
rooms this might be the only way to
achieve a good effect. If you like to listen to
music surround modes which emulate
concert hall acoustics, more than two sur-
round speakers will prove extraordinarily
effective. With Niles AT loudspeakers it is
easy to add another pair without affecting
the decor of the room. However, you will
need to use a much more powerful ampli-
fier than that which is built into a typical
surround sound receiver or amplifier. Niles
makes a number of Systems Integration
Amplifiers with proprietary features that
make them uniquely suited to enhance a
good surround sound system. Consult your
Niles dealer for more information.
Installation
Fundamentals
Running the Speaker Wire in New
Construction
If you have doubts about whether you are
capable of installing Niles AT Series
speakers in your walls, consult a Niles
dealer or professional installer. They have
special tools, techniques, and experience
to make the impossible possible. The
installer can provide you with an estimate
before any work is done.
Scheduling and Pr
eparation
Plan to schedule the speaker wiring after
the electrical wiring is finished. That way
Installation Fundamentals
7