BetterAudio vs Speaker Positioning

The room is the first loudspeaker. BetterAudio turns your iPhone or iPad into an acoustic measurement tool. Using the LiDAR scanner and the microphone together, it builds a 3D model of your listening space and tells you exactly where to place your speakers for the cleanest stereo image and the tightest bass. WHY ROOM PLACEMENT MATTERS Most of what you hear from a pair of speakers is your room, not the speakers. A 5-degree turn, twenty centimeters from a wall, the wrong seat position — any of these will smear imaging, exaggerate bass, and kill detail. Studios spend thousands on treatment for a reason. BetterAudio gives you the same starting point in a few minutes, for free. WHAT IT DOES • Captures a full 3D model of your room with Apple RoomPlan and LiDAR. • Records ambient noise and broadband acoustic energy through the mic during the scan. • Computes the optimal speaker positions using the proven 38% rule and equilateral-triangle geometry. • Identifies the first-reflection points on each side wall — the spots where you should put absorbers or diffusers. • Reports your noise floor, peak SPL, bass/treble energy balance, and an environment classification (quiet, moderate, noisy). • Renders an interactive 3D scene showing your walls, ceiling, floor grid, furniture, doors, and windows, plus the recommended L/R speakers, sweet spot, and listening triangle with exact distances. • Gives you plain-language recommendations: aspect-ratio warnings, low-ceiling alerts, bass-rumble flags, toe-in guidance, and treatment suggestions. 1. Tap BEGIN SCAN. 2. Walk slowly around the room. The app guides you with on-screen prompts ("MOVE CLOSER TO WALL", "SLOW DOWN"). 3. Tap END SCAN. 4. Read the analysis. Move your speakers and your seat. Listen to the difference. REQUIREMENTS • A device with a LiDAR scanner (iPhone 12 Pro / Pro Max and later Pro models, iPad Pro 2020 and later). • Microphone access (used only during scanning, never recorded to disk). • iOS 26 or later. PRIVACY The scan and the audio analysis run entirely on device. No room data, no audio, and no measurements ever leave your iPhone. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is shared, no account required. BetterAudio is a tool, not magic. It cannot replace acoustic treatment in a difficult room, and it does not perform full impulse-response measurement. What it does is take the most expensive variable in any audio chain — the room — and make its rules visible.

Find a more useful speaker position by testing one change at a time. Speaker Positioning combines a measured 3D room view with acoustic measurements and a before-and-after comparison. SEE YOUR SETUP Mark both speakers and your listening position with the camera. View the room in 3D, rotate it, zoom in and switch to a top view. Read listening distances, wall clearances and proposed test moves directly in the scene. On a compatible LiDAR iPhone, scan walls, openings and simplified furniture. An optional second pass captures coloured surfaces. Switch between the clean measurement view and room colours. Without LiDAR, define the room footprint manually. PLAN VIRTUALLY Move speakers and the listening position in the model first. A color bass map from 20 to 160 Hz and before-and-after curves show the calculated change. The bass planner assumes a closed rectangular room, uniform damping and ideal speakers. LiDAR captures geometry, not acoustic material properties. SEE MODELS IN AR Overlay calculated wavefronts or a bass map at listening height in the camera view. These AR models are not a measured sound field. Check the actual effect by measuring again and listening. TEST A CHANGE Connect your stereo system, measure at the listening position, then try one change. Measure again with the same volume, microphone position and signal path. Compare the left/right arrival-time difference, both bass-response shapes and changes in position. The app explains when two measurements cannot safely be compared. KEEP THE RESULT Successful measurements and their room views are saved locally. Mark useful results as favorites. Revisit the comparison before deciding whether to keep the change. Speaker-model and subwoofer guidance help you plan further tests. FREE FEATURES • Guided sound, camera and combined workflows • 3D room view with useful dimensions and test positions • LiDAR room and colour capture on supported iPhones • Acoustic measurement, saved results and before-and-after comparison PRO — ONE-TIME PURCHASE • External measurement microphone with calibration-file import • Wired line output and loopback latency calibration • Impulse-response WAV and frequency-response export for REW IMPORTANT Camera dimensions and test positions are approximate. Coloured surfaces are not a photorealistic digital twin; hidden areas, glass and mirrors can leave gaps. Acoustic arrival times can include channel-processing delays. A smaller left/right difference alone does not guarantee better sound. Use repeat measurements and your listening impression to decide. Absolute acoustic distances require a valid latency calibration. An iPhone and a connected stereo system are needed for acoustic assessment. The iPhone-only playback option is a function test. Start at a moderate volume. No account, advertising or tracking. Measurement and room data are processed and saved on your device; you choose whether to share exports.