Define Good Set-up

[sungwei 10+ year member]

Ok, I'm reading that set-up is everything and a good install is the key to good sound. Well I'm sure this is absolutely true, but what exactly is a "good" set-up? I mean as long as you plug all the wires in right and properly install your speakers correctly wouldn't that be a good install? What I'm trying to get at is to see if there is more to a good install than just putting the speakers and wires in. Better yet what is a bad install? Please shed some light on this topic.

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[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The stuff you described, wires to the right place, proper fusing, wires and components properly secured, etc... makes for a solid install. All good installs start as a solid install.

A good install also does the extra things that make the most of the equipment used. The sub is matched to a proper enclosure to acheive a specific goal (SQ, SPL, SQL). The front speakers are angled and aimed to optimized imaging and staging. All gains are set properly and levels matched. Phasing on all the speakers are optimzed to minimize cancellation as much as possible.

 

[sungwei 10+ year member]

That phasing, imaging, staging stuff sounds complicated. Where can I learn more about it? How do you go about making sure these aspects of set up are done correctly? Trial and error? Calculated measurements? Any help would be great.