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January 1

Is it bad to put speakers right next to a wall? (Home audio equipment.)

I want to buy a new three-piece speaker set for home, to listen to music and everything else. I'm asking Refdesk for advice on where to put these to get good accoustics.

I had the impression that it is somewhat bad to put a speaker right next to a wall, and better to leave some space behind the speaker. Now obviously I don't live in a mansion, so I won't have a huge room with a meter of empty space around my setup, but I do have at least a little bit of play with where to put the speakers.

So I'd like to know if this guideline is actually true, and how important it is. Is it better to put speakers not directly next to a wall? What is the distance scale? Does it matter also for the bass speaker, or only for the others?

I am not dedicated to get a very high quality sound system, so I'm going to buy not too expensive speakers, and won't rearrange everything in my home just to make it sound better. But if there's something I can easily do to improve the sound, then I will do it.

Let me describe the room where I'm going to install the speakers, in case it matters. This is a house made of concrete panels, so all the walls, including the interior ones, are solid concrete, there are no drywalls. I'll put the speaker in the smallest room, which I use as a work room with a computer. This room is 1.7 m wide left to right, and about 2.2 m deep front to back. Most of the back is occupied by a deep storage cabinet, except a little in the back right corner, which is cut off by a wall. On the left is a doorway that is permanently left open and leads to the larger bedroom. On the left half of the front door is a window (modern double-glass) in a recess (thinner part of the wall). At the entire width of this front wall is my immovable desk, 0.8 m and 0.7 m deep on the left and right respectively, with the computer monitor on it. On the right wall are 0.3 deep open bookshelves. I'm planning to put the right speaker somewhere on the bookshelves, where, if the speaker is 0.2 m sized, I can easily move it so it's 0.1 m away from the wall. The left speaker will either be sitting on the desk, or ideally attached to the left wall on the front side of the doorway somehow. I'm not sure where I'll put the bass speaker but it probably doesn't matter too much.

Let me also describe what inspired this question. Right now I'm listening to the 2021 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year's day concert live. The stage is densely packed with musicians, looks cramped even by pre-2020 standards. Because of this, the double bass players in the back are sitting right next to the back wall in these shallow cubbies. I presume on a high quality concert like this, they wouldn't let the musicians be that close to the wall if it hurt the accoustics.

– b_jonas 11:32, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

There's a lot of science and math involved in setting up a proper music environment! In short, for your purpose, the location of the sub-woofer is not that important. For one thing, low frequency notes are less directional -- that's why sub-woofers can be mono, thereby eliminating phase interference (edit: which should redirect to wave interference) from multiple sources. One reason not to put it next to a wall is as a courtesy for your neighbor (or kids sleeping in the next room). There is some consideration for standing waves, however; especially with concrete walls and glass windows; but bookshelves and furniture help dampen this.

In your case, unless you intend to play music at substantial volume with a good sound system, you need not worry too much. If you can tweak setting on your sound card, you can get noticeable improvement that way.

As to seating arrangement for orchestra, see this diagram. (note that the location of the double-bases allows for the greatest distance to the opposite wall). Low frequencies travel farther with less distortion -- that's why foghorns are low-frequency (and why those annoying cars with music blaring, what you hear is "thumpa-thumpa-thumpa..." as they drive by). - 2603:6081:1C00:1187:F56C:2E68:F36C:509C (talk) 19:13, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

As for orchestra seating, I sort of assumed that double bass and drums and choir singers are in the back just because they're tall and would block the view otherwise. – b_jonas 20:11, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

That's partly the reason, note also that the flutes & piccolos are near front/center. Is there an article related to orchestra seating arrangement? That is an interesting topic (e.g. the "Stokowski shift").^[1] See also: antiphony, which also applies to orchestral arrangements. 2603:6081:1C00:1187:F56C:2E68:F36C:509C (talk) 20:31, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I can tell, no, we don't. It's referred to in a few places, and we have some images @ commons ([2]), but that's all. A rather surprising omission. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 15:02, 2 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Location of ballet in 2021 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year's day concert

I'm listening to the 2021 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year's day concert live. As usual, it has a track where the video shows a ballet dance. This time it was for Johann Strauss sohn, Spring voices (Frühlingsstimmen) waltz op. 410. In which small castle and its garden was the ballet located. – b_jonas 12:05, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

That's Palais Liechtenstein in Vienna's 9th district. I can report that the weather is currently not quite up to that in the video... --Wrongfilter (talk) 12:52, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the quick answer. – b_jonas 12:54, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Red pin badge on lapel of conductor Riccardo Muti in 2021 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year's day concert

I was just listening to the 2021 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year's day concert live. The conductor of the orchestra, Riccardo Muti, was wearing a small round red badge pinned on his suit. What is this badge and what does it mean?

– b_jonas 12:47, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't seen the concert to which you're alluding, but what you are describing seems like the "rosette" of the French "Légion d'honneur", worn by recipients in place of the more showy medal. Google "légion d'honneur rosette" for examples. I can confirm that Riccardo Muti was a recipient of the légion d'honneur in 2011 (List of Légion d'honneur recipients by name (M)). Xuxl (talk) 14:05, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Ah! Thank you for the answer. – b_jonas 14:12, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Interestingly the badges and ribbons displayed under c:Category:Insignia of the Legion of Honour don't look similar to that round red button badge. But then I didn't get a good look at the badge during the concert, and I'm not too familiar with such insignia of orders of merits so I might not recognize normal variation. – b_jonas 18:40, 1 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

All the pictures there are of the full display versions that would be worn on the left breast of, for example, a Dress uniform or Evening dress at formal occasions or official functions. The 'everyday' buttonhole rosette worn on the left lapel that Xuxl mentions is not shown there, but various examples can be seen here. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.56.237 (talk) 16:30, 2 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

This is the best image of Muti and his badge that I could find (click to zoom-in). I'm not sure that it resembles the Legion rosette, shown here. Perhaps the Order of the Rising Sun is a better fit? Muti received his in 2016. [3] Alansplodge (talk) 16:53, 2 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A little closer, but I don't think it's that either, Alansplodge. Nor (as far as I can tell) does it resemble any of the rosettes of the other orders his article lists.

FWIW, it resembles to me a flower with four white, red-edged petals overlapping each other widdershins, and with a central horizontal gold bar or similar. Clearly, we need input from an expert on international Awards. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.56.237 (talk) 19:22, 2 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I have posted an appeal for help at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Awards. Watch this space (hopefully). Alansplodge (talk) 16:37, 3 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I'm watching, yes. – b_jonas 21:13, 3 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The red pin badge that Maestro Riccardo Muti was wearing during the 2021 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year's day concert is the lapel pin that is given to laureates of the Praemium Imperiale. Maestro Muti received the Praemium Imperiale in the category of music at a ceremony in Tokyo presided by the Prince Hitachi of Japan in 2018. https://www.praemiumimperiale.org/en/laureate-en/laureates-en/muti-en https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoSymphony/photos/maestro-muti-wears-a-lapel-pin-denoting-his-latest-honor-japans-praemium-imperia/10156289693028049 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tokyowikieditor (talk • contribs) 2021-01-12T08:57 (UTC)

Praemium Imperiale. Thank you for the answer @Tokyowikieditor. – b_jonas 16:39, 12 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]