S3A's, A right or left?

djui5 · 17th December 2005

S3A users,

do you put the A speaker on the right or the left?

I put mine on the right, but can't quite fire them up yet to see how it sounds. I was curious how others are setting them up.

Also, most pictures I've seen have been horizontal placement, but who's using verticle?

DirkB · 17th December 2005

I'm using them verticle with the woofer on top. This sounds "right" to me since the tweeter is now above the "midrange" woofer.

Greetings,
Dirk

DaveH · 17th December 2005

I have placed “A” monitor on my left as I am facing speakers.
I have tried both methods but I prefer “A” on left.

Here’s what difference between “a” and “b” is about.

Quote: from Sound on Sound.
Only one of the two cone drivers covers the full bass/mid-range, while the other has a lower crossover point (150Hz) so it reinforces only low frequencies, which is where most power is required. This eliminates the phase problems that can occur when the mid-range is produced by two drivers at the same time, while still providing plenty of low-end drive capability.

The two speakers look symmetrical, but because of the difference in the signals fed to the drivers, they are built as mirror-image pairs and labelled 'A' and 'B'. The 'A' speaker has the woofer on the left side, so you can decide which way around sounds best in your installation and keep track of which speaker is which.
End quote:

I have tried S3As in horizontal and vertical. For me the
horizontal position is much better. But it is worth trying both.

(Tweeters were too high when vertical). Chair and Argosy combined
prevented this from working here.

Fletcher · 17th December 2005

I think I have the A speaker on the left and the B speaker on the right... the one thing I did that has made a HUGE difference was to place them on a sheet of Sorbothane http://www.scientificsonline.com/Pro...Q_pn_E_3037000 which I cut into 4 pieces... two for each speaker.

The bottom tightened up and got way clearer.

reid · 17th December 2005

I quizzed the guys in Berlin about this recently; they said there's no fixed left / right set up, but they recommend trying it with the B speaker on the left, and then go from there.

Likewise the vertical / horizontal decision - nothing fixed in stone, but try horizontal, to taste.

Rep · 17th December 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by djui5

S3A users,

do you put the A speaker on the right or the left?

I put mine on the right, but can't quite fire them up yet to see how it sounds. I was curious how others are setting them up.

Also, most pictures I've seen have been horizontal placement, but who's using verticle?

Heeerr I'eee be capitan....!
I think vertical sounds tighter, horizontal placement Looks better though.
Monitor stands at 4 ft would favor Horizontal, 3ft would be good for Vertical.
......Depends what will get the tweeter closer to the hight of your Ear .

SoZo · 17th December 2005

You would want the bass speaker closer to your ear. Bass frequencies are slower and by placing it closer they will be more in phase with the faster mid and trebble drivers. There are very few speakers where the drivers are in phase. This would help.

orange · 17th December 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoZo

Bass frequencies are slower

you might be reinventing the laws of physics ?!?

si

cl516 · 17th December 2005

damn it, my right speaker, 'B' has been emitting some lowlevel noise lately.
everything will seem fine for awhile then, suddenly a constant noise will just creep in slowly... sometimes it has enough low frequency to gently but visibly shake woofer.
sometimes not.

i've tried different power supplies,
i've tried muting the coleman audio before the speaker,
i've tried different cables.

the only other theory i have is - when certain other fx pedals or synths are plugged in the room, the noise shows up...
or maybe the amp in my 'B' speaker is messed up?

orange · 17th December 2005

i'm assuming that you've swapped the A/B feed....if fault stays with B then B amp has I fault IMO.

si

**mwagener** · 17th December 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fletcher

I think I have the A speaker on the left and the B speaker on the right... the one thing I did that has made a HUGE difference was to place them on a sheet of Sorbothane http://www.scientificsonline.com/Pro...Q_pn_E_3037000 which I cut into 4 pieces... two for each speaker.

The bottom tightened up and got way clearer.

What a great idea, thanx for the tip.

kellyd · 17th December 2005

Horz placement, bass woofers on the inside. (A speaker right) Vert placement, bass woofer on the bottom mid on the top (B speaker right).

SoZo · 17th December 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange

you might be reinventing the laws of physics ?!?

si

oops i ment bass drivers but not in this case as they are the same size.

Hans Styer · 17th December 2005

with the speakers close together you want the bass on the inside.
If you space em farther apart then you want the bass on the outside.

djui5 · 17th December 2005

Interesting replies! It's always cool to see what others are doing.

I'll post what my final placement is as soon as I get these føkkers fired up. I'm def not going verticle, they're high enough allready.

Fletch, I'm gonna order that stuff. Way cool.

RoundBadge · 17th December 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fletcher

I think I have the A speaker on the left and the B speaker on the right... the one thing I did that has made a HUGE difference was to place them on a sheet of Sorbothane http://www.scientificsonline.com/Pro...Q_pn_E_3037000 which I cut into 4 pieces... two for each speaker.

The bottom tightened up and got way clearer.

Makes sense.
Thanks Fletcher,just ordered it thumbsup

sysexguy · 18th December 2005

CL516, please call me, if there's a problem, we'll get you sorted asap

anybody use the sorbothane sheets for guitar amps?

Andy

17th December 2005	#1
djui5 Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix Posts: 6,661 Thread Starter	S3A's, A right or left? S3A users, do you put the A speaker on the right or the left? I put mine on the right, but can't quite fire them up yet to see how it sounds. I was curious how others are setting them up. Also, most pictures I've seen have been horizontal placement, but who's using verticle? __________________ _________________ "What is a crossfire hurricane & why wasn't I born in one?" Randy Wright

17th December 2005	#2
DirkB Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,703	I'm using them verticle with the woofer on top. This sounds "right" to me since the tweeter is now above the "midrange" woofer. Greetings, Dirk __________________ -progress takes away what forever took to find- Dave Matthews

17th December 2005	#3
DaveH Gear maniac Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 288	I have placed “A” monitor on my left as I am facing speakers. I have tried both methods but I prefer “A” on left. Here’s what difference between “a” and “b” is about. Quote: from Sound on Sound. Only one of the two cone drivers covers the full bass/mid-range, while the other has a lower crossover point (150Hz) so it reinforces only low frequencies, which is where most power is required. This eliminates the phase problems that can occur when the mid-range is produced by two drivers at the same time, while still providing plenty of low-end drive capability. The two speakers look symmetrical, but because of the difference in the signals fed to the drivers, they are built as mirror-image pairs and labelled 'A' and 'B'. The 'A' speaker has the woofer on the left side, so you can decide which way around sounds best in your installation and keep track of which speaker is which. End quote: I have tried S3As in horizontal and vertical. For me the horizontal position is much better. But it is worth trying both. (Tweeters were too high when vertical). Chair and Argosy combined prevented this from working here. __________________ Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung - Voltaire

17th December 2005	#4
Fletcher member no 666 Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 9,464	I think I have the A speaker on the left and the B speaker on the right... the one thing I did that has made a HUGE difference was to place them on a sheet of Sorbothane http://www.scientificsonline.com/Pro...Q_pn_E_3037000 which I cut into 4 pieces... two for each speaker. The bottom tightened up and got way clearer. __________________ CN Fletcher Professional Affiliations: R/E/P Professional Recording Engineer and Producer forums - serious hobbyists welcome TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik SoundPure.com mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33 We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid Roscoe Ambel once said: Pro-Tools is to audio what fluorescent is to light

17th December 2005	#7
SoZo Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 625	You would want the bass speaker closer to your ear. Bass frequencies are slower and by placing it closer they will be more in phase with the faster mid and trebble drivers. There are very few speakers where the drivers are in phase. This would help. __________________ http://www.sozocapacitors.com

17th December 2005	#5
reid Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Berlin-London Posts: 1,049	I quizzed the guys in Berlin about this recently; they said there's no fixed left / right set up, but they recommend trying it with the B speaker on the left, and then go from there. Likewise the vertical / horizontal decision - nothing fixed in stone, but try horizontal, to taste.

17th December 2005	#9
cl516 Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,218	damn it, my right speaker, 'B' has been emitting some lowlevel noise lately. everything will seem fine for awhile then, suddenly a constant noise will just creep in slowly... sometimes it has enough low frequency to gently but visibly shake woofer. sometimes not. i've tried different power supplies, i've tried muting the coleman audio before the speaker, i've tried different cables. the only other theory i have is - when certain other fx pedals or synths are plugged in the room, the noise shows up... or maybe the amp in my 'B' speaker is messed up?

17th December 2005	#10
orange Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: London Posts: 1,688	i'm assuming that you've swapped the A/B feed....if fault stays with B then B amp has I fault IMO. si

17th December 2005	#12
kellyd Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Austin Posts: 1,230	Horz placement, bass woofers on the inside. (A speaker right) Vert placement, bass woofer on the bottom mid on the top (B speaker right).

17th December 2005	#14
Hans Styer Gear Head Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 69	with the speakers close together you want the bass on the inside. If you space em farther apart then you want the bass on the outside.

18th December 2005	#17
sysexguy Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: St-Sauveur, QC, Canada Posts: 637	CL516, please call me, if there's a problem, we'll get you sorted asap anybody use the sorbothane sheets for guitar amps? Andy

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