Where you put the mic matters more than anything else in Audyssey. Position 1 sets the distances and levels for every speaker.
Where the mic goes
Beginner
- Position 1: the middle of your main seat, at the height of your ears when you’re sitting down. Get this one right.
- Positions 2 onwards: spread around the seating area, roughly 60 to 90 cm apart. The order doesn’t matter.
- Use all the positions the receiver offers, usually 8. More positions give a more even result across the seats.
- Keep every position inside the area between the front left and right speakers. Don’t measure hard against the back wall.
What to put it on
A camera tripod or boom stand is best. Don’t put the mic on a sofa cushion or hold it. If your seat back is higher than your ears, raise the mic a little so the seat back doesn’t reflect sound straight into it.
Source: Audyssey’s microphone placement guidance.
Mic placement in more detail
Advanced
Position 1 is special. Audyssey takes every speaker’s distance and level from it, so if it’s off-centre, the image will be off-centre too. The other positions are averaged to decide the EQ.
- Small changes in height between positions, a few centimetres up and down, are fine and help average out the room.
- A stand with a small head reflects less sound into the mic than a bulky one.
- For a wide sofa, spread positions across its whole width. For two rows, put some positions on the second row, but keep position 1 at the main seat.
- Leaving positions out, by stopping early, gives Audyssey less to average. Audyssey’s guidance is 7 to 9 positions in total where your model allows.