Songs for Speaker Placement

https://www.musicdirect.com/optical-disc/stereophile-test-cd-3

Track 10 is very useful to test soundstage width and depth.

BTW... start with room treatments. 

I managed to place them at a good spot... it's been a year and finally found the right spot where all music plays well.

Finally got the bass managed well... moving out from the front walls tame the boominess, reducing speaker distance apart increases mid bass.

Thanks all for the hints. 

This is a helpful diagnostic tool:  https://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_ledr.php  The LEDR test is also available on some system set-up CDs, but-  the phase anomalies, present in some CDPs, can affect the results, as explained in this Stereophile article:     https://www.stereophile.com/features/772/index.html

@audionoobie, At least this is what I experience too. I am also experimenting a lot here... 

PS Audio founder Paul McGowan explains midbass in his youtube video titled "Optimal distance Between loudspeakers". I also find different listening distance from speakers affects bass as well. Bass null zones as they call it. You can hear more about it in a Youtube video by Dynaudio titled "A Master class in speaker placement" 1:56 distance to the wall.

Hope this helps.

'Depth of Image' by Opus 3 is IMHO the best recording I've ever heard in reproducing depth of image. It is on LP or CD and may be hard to find now. But I have heard it on a modest system carefully set up and it was so holographic as to be almost spooky. I used it for years setting up my own systems. The hard part was, having heard it perfectly executed, finding excuses for not getting my system to perform as well. :-)_

One caveat to using recorded music, as a metric for speaker placement: unless you receive a soundstage/voice placement map(with the recording), were at the performance, or actually recorded the event, you have no way of knowing if your system is recreating it accurately (no reference) .    With the LEDR, you can accurately pinpoint from where your sounds should emanate(no guesswork). 

 @rodman99999 thanks so very much for sharing the link to the good doctors work and website. I dropped a bit of coin on him and will download the .wav files for use tommorow 
I love this community when sharing and learning are in strong evidence - you kind Sir are an asset to audiogon !!!!!
thanks

jim

@Jim-  Here's hoping it helps!

I don't know if this will help you in setting up soundstage and imaging but, if you put on Stevie Ray Vaugn - "Tin Pan Alley." I've never heard a track with a wider soundstage. Absolutely cavernous!!!

One of the best songs for vocal is Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark , I used to use that a lot when i was selling hifi.. if you can find a good quality source of  that song.

What do you guys think of Eric clapton’s unplugged? Any good?

@audionoobie, will try tin pan alley.

But how do you know where is what, I guess if the song comes with an actual sound map... maybe this is just asking too much :)

I find that Clapton's Unplugged is boomy in the bass area.  It seems to come from the fact that his mic is on a stand, and the floor is wood.  When he bounces his foot, it reverberates through the mic boom, and you hear it as a hollow boomy sound.

Am I the only one who hears it this way?

I don’t hear it as boomy. I hear it as dynamic and resonant.  It’s his boot heel.

Maybe "boomy" is the wrong word... but I do notice it being very prominent.  Otherwise, it's a stellar recording, but might be a little tricky to use for speaker placement.  Not sure... I haven't tried.

@soundermn , I had boomy problems too with Claptons album too. The song Old love, sounds boomy or muddy, I spent a few days tuning it.

I think I got what I wanted... I had my speakers too close the wall, I keep inching them out and now I am 2 feet from the wall. Mid bass is tighter, more profound and a lot less boomy. I also had them 'about' equidistant, now I've moved them using the 80% rule, it sounds better and better highs. Even an inch or 2 makes a big difference... try experimenting.. 

Most of those MTv era Unplugged recordings are superb. If any of them, especially the Clapton Unplugged, sound boomy or whatever it’s most likely your system. Those boot heels produce a lot of low frequency energy.

I use Herring Boats by Mikey Katz it rocks.