Hanging Monitors from Ceiling

[RKrizman]

In my efforts to decouple my monitors from my console (which rings like a bell) I have to put them on stands behind the console, which puts them too close to the walls and too far away from my sweet spot. I'm wondering if anyone has any interesting ideas on hanging them from the ceiling. Maybe even incorporating garage-door type springs to isolate them?

Am I nuts? Well, yes I am, but still, is there a workable idea in this?

Thanks,

-R

[DanDan]

If you do it right of course it is workable. It would be difficult to make it adjustable in terms of the front wall so you need to tie that down by measurement. Are you sure your speakers are too close to the wall though?
Try knightfly's Wall Bounce Calculator 2D.
DD

[therealbigd]

I know one studio where their monitors (large quested 2x10s) are flown from the ceiling and the wall like you would do with PA speakers.

they took some time to get sitting in exactly the right position, but once done they sit very nicely and sound excellent as they have lots of space all around them.

[Weasel9992]

There's no reason why you *can't* do it...you just have to be very careful with the rigging from an effectiveness and a safety standpoint.

Frank

[therealbigd]

If you're going to do it like flying a PA system (wire rope etc), little tip - use 6mm rope (decent rope!) to position it, as you'll probably need to do a fair bit of adjusting, then once you're happy do wire rope AS WELL, then go to wire rope only once that's all in place. That way the speakers will always be supported through the flying process.

[RKrizman]

Originally Posted by DanDan

If you do it right of course it is workable. It would be difficult to make it adjustable in terms of the front wall so you need to tie that down by measurement. Are you sure your speakers are too close to the wall though?
Try knightfly's Wall Bounce Calculator 2D.
DD

There's really a wall bounce calculator? I have ADAM S3-A's which recommend a 20" spacing from the wall, and as I've moved them into various positions that seems like the best bet, to my ears. I might fudge and go 15" for a little more bass, but now they're about 5" away and the low end is obscuring more detail than I would like.

-R

[RKrizman]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

If you're going to do it like flying a PA system (wire rope etc), little tip - use 6mm rope (decent rope!) to position it, as you'll probably need to do a fair bit of adjusting, then once you're happy do wire rope AS WELL, then go to wire rope only once that's all in place. That way the speakers will always be supported through the flying process.

That sounds pretty complicated. I don't necessarily want the speakers up high. If they were just an inch or so over the console that would be perfect. I actually though of just building a heavy horizontal wooden shelf and hanging that.

-R

[exploded]

It would probably be a good idea to use turnbuckles when flying them. That would make adjusting height and angles much easier, plus you wouldn't have to support them from the bottom until you got it right.

[See and Hear]

I'm not hijacking the thread but why start a new one when this one just came up as I was going to ask about flying monitors.
Would it be wiser to use threaded rod versus wire, in the case that threaded rod is fairly rigid and does not flex or move much?
You can wrap some dampening material around the threaded rod to stop from resonating.
Between the bolts, washers, rafters and mounting brackets I was thinking of using some neoprene for isolation.

Should a nearfield monitor be more accurate when it is free floating? ie Coupling decoupling
Which sounds better free floating or on a stand?

Thoughts,comments,suggestions.

Thanks
Darryl

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by See and Hear

Would it be wiser to use threaded rod versus wire, in the case that threaded rod is fairly rigid and does not flex or move much?

It can be done, of course, and I have done just that more than once. It doesn't look great, and it's actually very difficult to aim the speakers.

Frank

[DanDan]

There is and it's great fun, plus of course useful. My thanks to Thomas Barefoot. I hope he does the 3D version soon.
John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum • View topic - Wall Bounce Calculator 2D

DD

[RKrizman]

Thanks, it is fun. And using it demonstrated what I was hearing, that with the speakers 13 cm away from the wall I was getting a large low end boost and too much attenuation from 500 - 800, basically turning the ADAMs into dorm-room speakers. When I came out to the recommended 51 cm everything evened out. Plus it was interesting to see that changing the speaker position made a much bigger difference than adding absorbents or bass trapping behind the speaker.

-R

[DanDan]

Exactly. Sometimes calculation and prediction can be really useful.
The 3D version should be even better.
DD

[Jeffrey Hedback]

+1 DD! If you understand the purpose of the calculations and predictions and the space, they are extremely helpful.

Nice progress Rick.