Corner hanging speakers - okay? Weird?


hey!

im very close to buying a pair of acoustat monitor 4 speakers. i was hoping to remove the base with the amps and leave the amps on the floor. then i'd hang the panels in the corners of the room (8 1/2 ft ceiling) keeping them 3 feet away from rear wall and 3 feet away from side wall. they would then be angled downward to form a sweet spot around 15-20 feet away to my listening area.

is this a good idea? or have i finally crossed over the line?

thanks in advance.
kublakhan
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Hi, Kubla. Had to laugh at your post -- I owned a pair of Acoustat 2's in the mid-1980's, and remember them fondly. They can be tricky to place, but the hanging idea is a new one. You might want to read the lengthy article on the Bose 901's in the current issue of "Sensible Sound". I had a pair of them in the early 1970's and hung them from the ceiling. The "Sensible Sound" article says they are pretty good speakers........food for thought .
Thanks, Dekay. I'll try and track something down. I have the off white fabric so it should work out. When I have them apart I might even use something like a Japanese print to re-cover. People always thought they were some type of panel (non audio type) anyway. Since they aren't for critical listening I'm not too worried about how different fabric will effect sound. Thanks.
Jim: I tried to locate the info, but could not find it. The guy had the whole setup worked out to a "T". It could look pretty nice depending on the color of the grill cloth and the room.
viridian, that cracked me up. i'd do it too but i think very quickly my friends would have an intervention... something they've been threatening to do behind my back for a while now. if they all came into my room for a 'chat' and i had those things strapped to my head there really wouldn't be anything left to say or do except to start sobbing, give in and accept the help that was being offered to me.
Dekay, I made concessions in the bedroom system in order to go all out, non-waf on my main rig. Seriously, having no footprint makes this worth trying. Maybe use some wire molding on the cables to keep it tidy looking. Since I haven't had any takers on the brand new SW102 subs that I bought by mistake, I have the makings of a potentially fun system that will appeal to the wife as well.
Jim: I read about someone doing this with the small Maggie's with good results (Maybe at AA).
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Actually, come to think of it, the owners manual from my old SMGa's says that you can suspend the speakers from the ceiling. Once I repair them it might be interesting to try in the bedroom system -- good soundstage for listening while laying down in bed. Now, how do I ceiling mount the subs?
I'd say that the proposed set-up has virtually no chance of being a sonically truthful set-up. However, if you like what you hear and it's entertaining, then why not go for it.
I have a reference system for critical listening, but from there it's purely does it provide for a fun/interesting
presentation.
Wait a minute! .....No less an authority than the great Dr. Amar Bose highly recommends hanging the 901's from the ceiling on chains, even shows you where the eyehooks should go. Anybody else remember those ads?
jim, too funny.

i thought i was on to something here. back to the drawing board. i dont think i can really fit the acoustats in my room and get the right sound. sean, interesting comment about the sway factor. that's the end of my other idea which was to just hang them at eye level. the bass would've been handled by a sub.

dekay i KNEW you were going to respond in this thread because i knew that if anyone had actually gone through with an idea like this to test out the sound you were the guy.

cornfed, i have to admit you're right. the line...i can barely see the line from where i am. i remember not too long ago i was cracking up reading a thread about hanging amps and preamps. now i'm emailing those people asking what kind of wire they used. the end is near. the horror.
Kubla: Just get out the old throne and dust it off, should solve the problem. Seriously though, I have tried similar placement with Braun mini speakers, remember those (pre ADS) and it sounded weird in rooms with low ceilings and better in rooms with higher ceilings (12'-18'). Both of the rooms with the high ceilings also had the original slap plaster and rounded corners/edges at the top (ceiling), which probably had an effect as well.
While Acoustat's are not known for being "air movers" or "high SPL" speakers, you might experience some form of distortion / imaging problems from the speaker "swaying" ( even microscopically ). Besides that factor think about the "loading" that the speaker will have to deal with. While "hanging" might smooth out the overall response in some ways by minimizing floor bounce, you will have lost a GREAT deal of bass coupling from the floor. You could also run into the problem the speakers being FAR from optimized in terms of placement. After all, once you've got them anchored and everything set up, you might not like the results.

Sounds like a VERY questionable / tricky proposal. I would seek out some "experts" in E-stat installations and go from there. You might also try posting this over in the Planar Asylum in order to achieve the most info possible PRIOR to attempting this. Sean
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The same effect as passing out and taking in the rest of the concert laying on the floor? :-)
kubla: "the line" must be a few miles behind you by now. ;) my guess is that your projected setup would produce a soundstage that would put you in a chasm, looking up at the performers. perhaps like playing in the orchestra pit and listening to the opera at stage level. -kelly