How does speaker placement affect the width of the soundstage?

In a word, yes… big time. The space between the speakers, toe in… distance from listener, how close to wall behind, side wall distance and the reflectivity of the wall behind the speaker.

Doing a good job of tuning them is a long termed persuit. I would start with a “methodology” until the sound good. Then listen to music (not the system) for a month or two… then make small adjustments.

My speakers were supposed to be able to disappear… they did not. They were supposed to sound best with the beams crossed about 18” behind my head. After slow adjustments… they disappear, the soundstage goes into the wall by a few feet… and beyond the speakers… it took the speakers having no toe in and a very heavy thick wool carpet on the wall behinds them.

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The Rhodes on this track is perceived as wider than the 26 foot width of my room, wrapping back into the room, even though the speakers are ~7.5 feet center-to-center.  Stuff doesn't get much wider than this.  A great test track for your system.

https://youtu.be/tvaGNfk3Ipg

Thanks, all.

If you go to the Cardas cable website they have a speaker setup guide .

myself i wider speakers then just toe the in a little and they have a big soundstage .

what type of tweeter you have ,and if it’s in a wave guide better still.