distance between speakers

I measure from the speaker driver (tweeter) itself, not the speaker cabinet, and I think most seasoned set up folks do also. Measuring from the cabinets would introduce far too many variables and make recommendations/observations unreliable.

Mockturtle,

FWIW, at the risk of being accused of being a contrubutor of more meaningless information, I think what Jax's comments meant was that if your speakers were 8.3 feet apart your ears should be centered and 10 feet from each speaker, and I assume the measurement was from speaker, not the plane of the speakers. IMHO, although it may have been just a coincidence in my present room and with my present speakers, that is about right on, except that I measure from the plane of the speakers (its easier for me to do that) and I usually end up with something closer to 90%. But I don't value the theory that much if it substitutes for actual listening - it is after all just another starting point. Speaker design and room design makes a huge difference when considering set up, both the starting points and the final set up.

Jax 2 - I just posted this and then found your answer. I'm leaving this up because I think, perhaps, it might clarify the distances 'from what/between what' issues.

Dcstep, You've made me curious. What should I have said? Something like "I don't know what you're reading but with my XXX years of set up experience I can assure you that the only meaningful set up theory and practice is embodied in the Sumiko set up methodology"?

Well from the nature of your post I guess you might well have done so, as presumptious as that might have been. :-(

Clio09, Nice speakers I think. I've read about them and would like to hear them someday. I've always wanted to do business with Duke.

LOL at myself. I just erased a long diatribe about how to determine how far to place speakers from the wall behind them and why. Then the light went on! That was neither what you asked or wanted read.

As I 'thought' I mentioned originally, but didn't, I believe set up folks always refer to the front of the speaker. If I had to pick a driver I would pick the woofer because of it's utilization of the back wall in its output but I don't think anyone really has fine tuned their recommendations that closely.

FWIW