Acoustic TReatments - What, How much, & Where?

There is a common misconception being perpetrated here.

The reflected acoustics off the side walls are NOT out of phase and will not destroy stereo image provided the speakers are an equal distance from the side walls and the listener is sitting in the middle with ear level at the height of the mid range.

Although the reflected sound will not be in phase with the primary signal reaching your ears directly from the speakers, the reflected sound off each wall will be in phase with that from the opposite wall and therefore still present a stereo image that allows you to pinpoint the sound position source between the speakers.

The critical factor is to ensure that the reverberant field has enough delay relative to the direct sound so that your brain can distinguish it from the direct energy....i.e. do NOT place the speakers right up against the side walls as the reverberant field becomes completely mixed up with the primary field and the brain can't figure it all out resulting in a poor stereo image...

I find that placing the speakers three feet away from side walls is a safe distance.

Newbee,
Thanks for all the advice. I see you speak for everyone or perhaps you took a poll ;-)

Newbee,

Nevermind - I don't think you grasped what I was trying to say. I mean how did you construe what I say to mean that there is "a definitive or only way of setting up speakers and there is only one possible end result"; frankly, I just can't see how my comments imply this. Anyway, I meant no offence....just my two cents thats all.

I second Newbee's last comments - furniture, plants, bookshelves, absoption behind the listening position, diffusers on side walls and moving speakers far away from rear wall and keeping listening position around 40% from the wall behind your listening position are all good suggestions (don't sit bang in the middle of the room).

I built a log fire place as an LF sound absorber/bass trap on the rear wall ....of course this is hardly as effective as the real thing (large GIK, Realtraps or other forms of large surface area thick panels) but aesthetically it is so much more acceptable.