SBL positioning

Congratulations on your purchase. I'm sure you'll be having a lot of fun for some time to come - the latest SBLs are magical. To answer your questions:

They can be moved fairly easily, provided this is done with care. Your dealer should show you how to hold and move them around. There is a knack which is easier to show than describe. Basically, the SBL is constructed around a heavy metal frame. The top box is connected to this frame by knurled allen bolts at the back of the speaker. The centre box is connected via the sealant and this is the relatively delicate bit that is easy to break apart. At the back of the speaker near the top of the frame, the metal frame has a lip under which you place the fingers of one hand. Place the other hand under thebottom of the speaker and - keeping back straight - lift the speaker. Be careful when setting down the speaker.

The positioning you describe is almost ideal for these speakers! Your dealer will know where to put them for starters. Typically, you would start with them hard up against the wall about 7 feet apart. This depends on whether there's anything in between them such as a chimney breast. That would have more effect than anything else.

SBLs are wall proximity speakers. This means that they are designed to use wall reinforcement to help their bass response. This is why they should be placed as close to the wall as possible.

They should not be toed in at all. This would affect bass response adversely and the image would go awry. Note that SBL imagery is different from the vast majority of speakers in that they image between and behind them, rather than throwing the image artificially into the room.

Your dealer will place the SBLs where he thinks they would work, but he won't be able to test the results. This is why I'm putting in the advice. After he's put them together for you, they need to cure for 24 hours. They must not be used until they have cured completely. If you use them prematurely, you will break the seal between mid and bass box.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

I think frank has more or less said it all. I have SBL's which are 7 ft apart either side of a chimney breast which protruces 9" out of the wall.

I would suggest you take your dealers advice on positioning and let him show you how to set them up, its dead easy once someone has shown you how.

Then comes the hard bit......no playing for 24 hours.......get out of the house because you will torture yourself if you don't.

Then give it a few few weeks to let the speakers settle in and you will also find yourself re adjusting your ears to them.

After that you can move them very carefully, as per Franks suggestion, BUT BE VERY GENTLE when you settle them on the floor, just go slow and no jerks or bumps.

Last week I repositioned mine and believe it or not the final position was completely in line with the recommendation by the guy (Simon) who runs the shop where Frank works.

Because of the chimney breast, my speakers are 7 ft apart, 4" out from the wall without any toe in. Ideally they should be up against the wall but the chimney breast buggered it up. Coming out 4" has made it sound so much better with no effect on bass. This now sounds good and I am content.

You have made a good purchase...so enjoy them.

Regards

Mick

Paul/Doug et al - would you provide clarification, please?

My understanding was that you can play them, just don't thrash them, until the seal has cured - lest you blow it out.

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

PS - mine too are as Jeremy's - aside a chimney breast. As one dealer mentioned - there is no "perfect room".

I did know about the wait for the mastic to dry-or presumably you 'blow' the seal. Sounds like unbearable tension to me!

Hope you enjoy them as much as I am now.

Cheers

Ade

PS
My impression is that you shouldnt crank them up high until the seal has set.

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

Anyone who had to 'split' his or her SBL's in order to send off the centre box for the bass unit upgrade of a few years ago will realise that the SBL is not such a delicate device as is often suggested. I nearly broke my back trying to break the seal between the centre and bottom boxes! If you don't jerk them around like an alcoholic furniture remover you will have no problems. Relax!

Henry

Matthew

Although I’ve seen more than one dealer putting his weight onto the middle box to settle the joint when assembling!! Just goes to show…

mike

Mine are 7 feet apart with a TV and TV stand between them along the short wall. These two compromises are regretable, but still the sound I get is quite good. For one, despite everything I have read about SBL's, mine image very well and project a detailed picture OUT into the room. This was a big surprise to me, as the older pair I had in there for demo purposes most certainly did not do this.

My only complaint is lack of bass. In my set-up, they are certainly bass-shy and thin over-all. Voices, for instance, which I recall having a great deal of heft and body on my old monitors are simply truncated at the bottom end.

I believe there are two reasons for this. First, they are still breaking in (and the bass does get slighly better in my system as time goes by). But I suspect the biggest reason is the Nap 180 I'm driving them with. Experience has suggested to me that the bass really fills out when going from the 180 to the 250 (I had a friend's on loan).

Accordingly, a 250 will be my next purchase. (or--maybe active with another 180--not sure if this would be an improvement though)

Judd

MODERATORS - please, a clarification on this no-play for 24hrs folklore!

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

quote:

---

Any speaker sounds better with a more accomplished amp driving it. This is not a peculiarity of the SBL.

---

I don't dispute the above, but if you are actually sitting there thinking there is something obviously wrong with the sound, which is solved with a more accomplished amp, then it is clear that the 140 wasn't really up to the job. It wasn't a case of upgraditis, it was dissatisfaction with the sound. The 250 wasn't just a case of sounding better, but of actually resolving substantial flaws in the music reproduction i.e. a severe lack of lower frequency response making the music seem a little flat and two-dimensional
It is my own fault to some degree for buying SBL's before upgrading my amp, but they were offered at a price I couldn't turn down.

Cheers
Ade

quote:

---

You can play SBLs/DBLs quietly whilst the seal is drying just don't 'blast' them.

---

I was told then to keep the volume low for the first 24 hours and then to increase it gradually.

My sbls are as close as they can be put against an external wall approximately 7 feet apart. They are not toed in. There is a fireplace in between but no chimney breast.

Chris

I telephoned Naim about 2 years ago on this subject and their advice was :-

1. Position speaker base.
2. Assemble speaker with sealant.
3. Test speaker by switching on with volume right down and turn up until you can just hear for test purposes.
4. Leave for at leave 2 hours if you can play at low but overnight for very high.

Their overall advice was try to be patient and leave it, but the worse that can happen is a blown seal which just means another replacement.

Regards

Mick