Monitors: Free-standing or Soffit Mount?

[Jack Russell]

Well, one thing I noticed is that there is no forum on this site specifically for studio monitoring speakers. Perhaps that is because there are so many kinds and pros really use the best, whereas amateurs, like me, can only salivate at what they use in my dreams? So, here goes....

I am finishing up a home studio in the basement, and, like most home studios, I have a limited budget. I can't afford $1000 speakers for mixing, but I want something good.

Should I get the speakers and mount them in soffits, flush with the wall (and at 30 degrees) or should I just get some good stand-alone speakers already in enclosures and put them on stands? If budget determines the answer, how about $750 for the pair?

 

[xstatic]

I would certainly avoid the whole soffit mounting thing. It just seems a little permanent for a small studio setup. Also, small speakers typically aren't soffit mounted.

 

[Farview]

Most of the time, soffit mounted speakers are designed to be soffit mounted speakers. Near-fields are not designed to work that way. It will change the way they sound. (most likely in a bad way)

 

[Jack Russell]

Well my plan is to use near-fields and bigger speakers on the wall: 15" ones to be exact.

 

[Ethan Winer]

Jack,

> Should I get the speakers and mount them in soffits <

The following is from my Acoustics FAQ.

I'll also add that speakers with a rear-firing port, like the Mackie HR series, should not be mounted in a wall.

--Ethan

One somewhat controversial aspect of control room design is soffit mounting the main loudspeakers. Most home studio owners simply put their speakers on stands, or sit them on the mixing desk, and leave it at that. But many pro studios prefer to install the speakers into the wall so the front surface of the speaker cabinet is flush with the wall. There are sound scientific reasons to use soffit mounting, yet some engineers say it's not necessary or that it gives poorer results. Those in favor of soffit mounting point out that it reduces reflections called Speaker Boundary Interference, or SBIR, that cause peaks and dips in the low frequency response. If a loudspeaker is out in the room away from the wall, low frequencies from the rear of the cabinet will bounce off the wall behind it and eventually collide with the direct sound coming from the front of the speaker. (Even though it may not seem obvious, very low frequencies do in fact leave a speaker cabinet in all directions.) Proponents also claim that soffit mounting improves stereo imaging by reducing mid and high frequency reflections.

I happen to side with those in favor of soffit mounting, yet I also respect the opinions of those who disagree. One thing nobody will dispute is that soffit mounting requires a lot more effort! If you do use soffit mounting, please understand that the speakers must be built into the real wall. You can't just apply a lightweight facade around the front of the speaker cabinet and expect the same results.

 

[Jack Russell]

Thanks Ethan. You the man!

I have some reading to do...

J

 

[Jack Russell]

Jack,

> Should I get the speakers and mount them in soffits <

The following is from my Acoustics FAQ.

I'll also add that speakers with a rear-firing port, like the Mackie HR series, should not be mounted in a wall.

--Ethan

I actually understood that!

Actually, I have a quick follow-up question. I think I have a basic misunderstanding that others might also have: Do you mean that the speaker alone (just the loudspeaker cone and metal frame and driver) would be mounted in a hole in the wall, or that a speaker with its surrounding cabinet would be mounted in a rectangular space builit into the wall?

Well two questions: the face of the soffit must run vertically to the floor and up to the ceiling, yes?

 

[thane1200]

I actually understood that!

Actually, I have a quick follow-up question. I think I have a basic misunderstanding that others might also have: Do you mean that the speaker alone (just the loudspeaker cone and metal frame and driver) would be mounted in a hole in the wall, or that a speaker with its surrounding cabinet would be mounted in a rectangular space builit into the wall?

Well two questions: the face of the soffit must run vertically to the floor and up to the ceiling, yes?

"a speaker with its surrounding cabinet would be mounted in a rectangular space builit into the wall"

You already answered it friend.

 

[Jack Russell]

"a speaker with its surrounding cabinet would be mounted in a rectangular space builit into the wall"

You already answered it friend.

Thanks! .........

 

[Ethan Winer]

Jack,

> or that a speaker with its surrounding cabinet would be mounted in a rectangular space builit into the wall? <

Yes, you buy a pair of loudspeakers and set them into an opening in the wall.

> the face of the soffit must run vertically to the floor and up to the ceiling, yes? <

Yes, ideally you want them in "the" wall, not a smaller false wall you build in front of the real wall.

--Ethan

 

[Jack Russell]

Jack,

> or that a speaker with its surrounding cabinet would be mounted in a rectangular space builit into the wall? <

Yes, you buy a pair of loudspeakers and set them into an opening in the wall.

> the face of the soffit must run vertically to the floor and up to the ceiling, yes? <

Yes, ideally you want them in "the" wall, not a smaller false wall you build in front of the real wall.

--Ethan

Thanks again.

Is it just me being stupid or is there confusion rampant, on this forum and elsewhere, over the difference between "loudspeaker" and "speaker"?