I Moved, Now My Speakers Sound Terrible? Why?
You may have moved houses or just moved your speakers within your home but now they sound terrible. How could this happen? They sounded so good before! Did you break them, damage something, or is it something else? More importantly, what can you do to fix this situation? Let’s discuss!
Different Doesn’t Mean Worse (or Better)
When you make a change in your system, things will usually sound different. Moving your speakers to another room (or house) will definitely make them sound different (you might think they sound better or terrible). But different doesn’t necessarily mean better or worse. It is just different. After the move, if your speakers sound like they have more bass, then you will be likely to think they sound better. If they seem to have less bass, you will probably think they sound worse. What could be the causes?
Room Acoustics
We’ve harped on room acoustics a lot on this site. That’s because of the massive difference your room makes in the quality of the sound you hear. The same speakers can sound vastly different in different rooms. Moving your speakers to a different room can make them sound terrible in comparison. Or it can make them sound amazing. It depends on the room. The solution for this is to acoustically treat every room you are using for your system.
Room Correction
Technically, every time you make a change to your system, no matter how small, you should re-run your room correction program. Few of us do that. We assume that small changes (where you sit, adding or subtracting pillows or blankets from your couch, small changes to your speakers’ locations) won’t seriously affect the program’s EQ. We are usually right.
Switching rooms isn’t a small change. If you’ve changed rooms, you must run your room correction program again. It will make your speakers sound better in your new room. More importantly, your old EQ settings could make your speakers sound terrible after your move. Sure, your new room could have the same dimensions as your old. But to assume that you don’t need to run your room correction again is folly.
Double/Triple Check Your Settings
Lastly, you need to double- and triple-check all your connections and settings. Most of us only set up a home theater speaker system less than a handful of times in our lives. It is easy to make a mistake. We’ve listed a couple of articles below to help you ensure you have the optimal settings.
- Home Theater 101: Basic Speaker Setup Guide
- Proper Crossover Settings for your Speakers: The Definitive Guide
- QotD: Do I Crossover Tower Speakers
- Home Theater Room Correction: How To Get the Best Results
- Best Ways to Manually Improve Your Room Correction
- Why Two Subs are Better than One (or Three)
- Setting Up Dual Subwoofers
- How To Blend Room Treatments
- Home Theater 101: Picking the Perfect Seats
