SBLs vs n-Sats

Jonathan

AV speakers like the N-sat are typically shielded for use close to your monitor. That wouldn't be the case with SBL's. Unshielded speakers can cause color smearing and other video noise when placed next to monitors.

Clay

If your line of sight around the room is free from obstructions, the SBL pairs should do just fine–however, many find that mounting the surround speakers up higher off the floor makes a difference in overall performance, which, with SBLs, may be a bit difficult....

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Originally posted by Clay Bingham:
Jonathan

AV speakers like the N-sat are typically shielded for use close to your monitor. That wouldn't be the case with SBL's. Unshielded speakers can cause color smearing and other video noise when placed next to monitors.

Clay

Only if your monitor is a CRT, they should have no effect whatsoever on flat panels like plasma or lcd.

I think that up to 2 feet / 600mm away is ok for that kind of un shielded speaker from a CRT? I seem to remember seeing that somewhere.

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Has anyone tried using 2 pairs of SBLs for an AV set-up and how do they compare with n-Sats? In aome ways, the secondhand bargain of the century (so long as you like the Naim sound), but are AV speakers somehow engineered differently?

Yes, I’d expect so and sometimes but they needn’t be.

Dolby Labs pdf
On page four Dolby say the ideal is identical full range speakers for each channel (excepting the .1 LFE) so if you’re willing to properly resource the rear channel electronics for SBLs then go for it.

Some years ago I was asked to do some basic ergonomics to maximise seating density for a Naim AV1 road show event. The four packed SBL rears had a podium each to help the high frequencies clear the heads of those assembled; I think the six packed DBL fronts were probably raised too. Front channel positioning was a standard two channel hi-fi configuration, rears were behind and angled in but there again there was nowhere else for them. Sounded outrageously good, even at the back where I was – next to the bar!

Orienting all speaker drive units in the same plane as with Naim gives a directional sound so for rear channel placement with small audiences the usual rule of treble units at ear height applies, no podium required. I tried without success to gain improvements from raising my rear channel height – perhaps that advice applies best to heavily damped room acoustics with a large audience and bi/tri-polar speaker arrays: cinemas then.

Also, if you’re central in the placement and the screen is central between the front pair then start out without a centre channel speaker – you may never need one. In 4.0 and 4.1 my preference for ‘rear’ channel position is on the side walls, ideal for SBLs plus firing right down the old lug holes will increase clarity even at lower volumes.

If in future you feel you need a centre you could buy nSats and have front and a rear centres in a 6.0 configuration.

Will you let us know what you decide to do?

C

I'm using 3 SBLS for L-C-R and IBL's at the rear which sounds great.

I've also tried a pair of SBLs as L,R and a pair of horizontal IBLs for C and SBL's at the rear.

At the moment think I prefer the better sound balance between the 3 SBLs but the IBLs had clearer dialog. Must swap them around again to check again.