Speaker placement for side - lying in bed

[john61ct]

Disabled, require lots of "bed rest". Can't stay on my back for long

Bookshelf sized speakers - LS50s, hate IEMs, even headphones, forget cheap pillow speakers yuck.

Mostly lying on my left side, one ear pointing mostly up the other barely lifted off the pillow.

Thinking right channel fixed to the ceiling, left on a low stand near the headboard?

feedback, any suggestions please...

Balance control handy, loudness also

suggestions for a shut down timer when approaching sleep time...

 

[williamr]

I would suggest something with wide, room filling dispersion and forget about trying to find a good set up for proper "imaging." For example a pair of Apple HomePods could fill a room and can be easily controlled from your bed wirelessly. There are various timer options available in iOS I believe (homekit, shortcuts, etc).

Buy HomePod (2nd generation) - Apple

HomePod delivers immersive high-fidelity sound, Spatial Audio, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control. Buy now with fast, free shipping.

www.apple.com

Alternatively maybe something from Sonos like the Era 100 or Era 300s. Easy to control with the Sonos software from the bed and there is a timer option.

Wireless Speakers | Sonos

Sonos wireless speakers enable you to stream music from any source to any room in your house with no loss of audio quality. Browse the large range of top-quality speakers available from Sonos and find the assortment that's right for you.

www.sonos.com

 

[Penelinfi]

Custom semicircle rail with counter balanced speaker mounts, able to be rotated around the bed as the user rolls over etc.

 

[TurtlePaul]

I agree with William R. Get a nice room filling diffuse field setup and don’t worry about stereo imaging. Lying on your side the stereo image will always sound wrong. Maybe explore some of those 1950s and 60s mono recording.

Any speakers with good directivity will do. I listen to my 8030c in farfield sometimes and they sound great at moderate volume.

 

[Penelinfi]

I don't see how it will "sound wrong" besides obvious room positioning things. You can still enjoy stereo while lying on your side especially if the speakers are orientated properly

 

[ZubZero]

Lying on your side, you are still able to hear the source of a sound in a room, ie. a door opens, something falls, etc.
So, in any case I would establish a wide sound stage regarding speaker positioning, preferably ceiling mounted.
There are is a good variety of ceiling mounts avaliable, here is one example, done "right"

https://www.reddit.com/r/KEF/comments/1h3uzb6/kef_ls50_ceiling_installation_example

Good luck and good recovery

 

[Thomas_A]

Wide even dispersion, agressive toe-in. It works.

 

[OldHvyMec]

How about a single or pair of Omni-speakers? There are a few well-made vintage speakers that will work well for what you're dealing with.

The problem is weight in some cases. I don't know if you can solicit or have access to help moving them in your room.

Do a little research on that type of speaker. Ohm is one I've experienced. I liked them, and I'm fairly picky.

Regards

 

[Somafunk]

I have spms can only lie (and hopefully) fall asleep on my side due to bloody annoying leg spasms, I listen quite happily to my two HomePod mini’s each side of my headboard, sound good enough for myself anyway.

 

[Chr1]

I recently got a Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 for £35. The sound is pretty amazing for such a small form factor tbh, and if you get two, you can use them as a stereo pair.
They have a rubber strap to attach them to things, so options there available for bedside use.
They used to be £60, so another pretty good budget option.

Link here.

 

[john61ct]

For purposes of this thread I'd prefer using the LS50s as a given and keep it to placement issues.

If I were to invest in new hardware, then it would be at the cheap end, and in other use cases' context portability is attractive, as is DC powered or passive.

If I were to go wireless, at least WiFi not BT.

 

[Chr1]

I guess ideally you could mount the LS50s on a short alloy scaffold bar. This could be mounted on a PA type stand, such that the bar with the speakers could rotate through 90 degrees. This way they could be used normally or rotated when you are lying on your side.
Not particularly simple to build initially, but an adaptable solution for mixed use perhaps.

 

[kemmler3D]

If you are still aiming for proper stereo you will still want the speakers to be symmetrical with your head, even with the bed and position you're in.

For that I might suggest a dual TV stand pole and some universal speaker mounting brackets, placed maybe 1-2m from the bed? Basically you'd have to DIY it but the idea is to create an equilateral triangle with your head like normal, but vertically instead of horizontally. Putting it on the ceiling will be no better than having one speaker way off to the side in a seated position.

E: @Chr1 made a similar suggestion as I was writing this...

 

[Chr1]

A simpler option : As your speakers are coaxials, you could most likely get away with have the highest one pole mounted, and the other on the floor or on something of a suitable height. Or two adjustable pole mount stands, adjusted to suit.
Again, keeping as close to an equilateral triangle as possible.

 

[Carlton80@0]

Like others have suggested I would go with the HomePod option. They are wireless and are flexible enough to be controlled by devices or voice. Ceiling mount speakers would also be a choice that I would consider. Good luck with your healing.

 

[john61ct]

Food for thought. "dual TV stand" yields many diverse ideas, including the ability to rotate between "portrait and landscape".

I prefer some distance rather than having the apparatus loom over me right at the bed.

I guess the strict principle is A centre point perpendicular to my face, plus the axis angle matching that of my ears.

DIY is daunting, and big-enough single stands cost more than the audio gear.

I think I'll try standard foot of the bed, maybe a 10' triangle, and just higher than usual, angled down at me.

Or one low the other high.

Tripods seem flexible and reasonably priced?

Ones with a tiltable "table" designed for projectors seem pretty robust, each speaker is ~20lbs

 

[john61ct]

A simpler option : As your speakers are coaxials, you could most likely get away with have the highest one pole mounted, and the other on the floor or on something of a suitable height. Or two adjustable pole mount stands, adjusted to suit.
Again, keeping as close to an equilateral triangle as possible.

Yes crossed posts, my current thinking as well, prefer not to buy new audio gear.

Certainly nothing iFruit ecosystem will be considered.

 

[Ropeburn]

I agree with William R. Get a nice room filling diffuse field setup and don’t worry about stereo imaging. Lying on your side the stereo image will always sound wrong. Maybe explore some of those 1950s and 60s mono recording.

Any speakers with good directivity will do. I listen to my 8030c in farfield sometimes and they sound great at moderate volume.

For more recent tastes, may I suggest Mr. Oizo. Many tracks are mono.

 

[pablolie]

For me, to listen to new age relaxing music in bed (Dr Jeffrey Thompson and the like) a Squeezebox Boom paired with a Yamaha FSW-050 sub sounds plenty good. It's on top of a high shelf centered at the foot of my bed. I like to move stuff around, so ceiling speakers could be quite limiting for me. But that's just me.

That simple setup above also has built in sleep timers.

Get better @john61ct !

 

[john61ct]

LOL blast from the past!

Yes simplest option is forget imaging, stick the LS50s together, maybe a Mono switch for testing.

But I can only think some here are taking the piss suggesting I change what music I want to listen to?