Speaker Help Required


I have a 12'x14' living room with a cathedral ceiling.

My 2-channel audio system is along the 12' back wall. I have a 6.5' audio / video rack which houses all my audio gear (mostly Linn) with a bookshelf speaker (Linn Katan) at each side of this rack (roughly 7.5' apart) sitting on stands (Linn Katan stands). The left speaker is about 3' from the side wall and 2' from the back wall with a powered subwoofer (Linn Sizmik 10.25) between the left speaker and the side wall in the corner. The right speaker is also 2' from the back wall but no side wall since it is an opening to my hallway.

Because of this setup, I’m hearing more of the left speaker than the right speaker. I tried different amounts of toe-in, which seems to help a little but I’m still not 100% satisfied. Some people have suggested that since the Katan are very small speakers, the subwoofer is not only providing the added bass but may be participating in some midrange too which is why I’m hearing more of the left channel.

Since I cannot move things around in my living room nor add a door to the hallway opening, I’m looking for a pair of “full range” floorstanding speakers to replace my bookshelves / subwoofer combo in hopes of rectifying this problem. Also, my wife is totally opposed to any “room insulation / sound proofing” idea since we use this room for entertaining friends and family and the décor is her territory.

What floorstanding speakers would you recommend for a $2000-$2500 budget that will help with my issue?
agiaccio

Showing 4 responses by newbee

Hey guys - I think Agiaccio's problem is obvious, even though he is complaining more of balance than anything else.

What does a woofer in a corner do? It booms! In fact I'm ammazed that his compllaint was not about boom, or excessive energy anyway below 100 hz. IMHO it is the worst place for a music oriented audiophile wants a sub. HT is a different thing.

What he notices is the woofers contribution to the left speakers upper bass/lower mid range which creates an imbalance toward the left side. Move the sub woofer out of the corner and the problem will probably disappear and restore balance.

If he can put the woofer on the long wall somewhere, or in the center between the speakers somewhere, or behind the speakers somewhere, I'd bet the bass tightens up and the imbalance goes away. That is a guess based on probabilities, but if I'm right he doesn't have to spend a lot of money on bass traps etc. And if he can't move the sub woofer, I think he is right in his inclination to just put the sub in the garage and get floor standers.

I should have been more specific in my first response. Sorry 'bout that Agiaccio
Hey guys - I think Agiaccio's problem is obvious, even though he is complaining more of balance than anything else.

What does a woofer in a corner do? It booms! In fact I'm ammazed that his complaint was not about boom, or excessive energy anyway below 100 hz. IMHO it is the worst place for a music oriented audiophile who wants/needs a sub. HT is a different thing - those folks like boom. :-).

What he notices is the sub woofers contribution to the left speakers upper bass/lower mid range which creates an imbalance toward the left side. Move the sub woofer out of the corner and the problem will probably disappear and restore balance.

If he can put the woofer on the long wall somewhere, or in the center between the speakers somewhere, or behind the speakers somewhere, I'd bet the bass tightens up and the imbalance goes away. That is a guess based on probabilities, but if I'm right he doesn't have to spend a lot of money on bass traps etc. And if he can't move the sub woofer, I think he is right in his inclination to just put the sub in the garage and get floor standers.

I should have been more specific in my first response. Sorry 'bout that Agiaccio
Before you buy floorstanders try moving the low pass to 50hz and move the sub woofer out of the corner as much as you can, towards the left speaker, if possible until it is nearly behind your left speaker, and see what happens. With a sub XO at 50hz and speakers rolling off at 60hz it might be more seamless that the numbers suggest. I assume your sub also has a volume control - using the tet disc you might try reducing the sub output until you get a match.

FWIW.
Sub woofers crossed over at 80hz, assuming that the cross over slope is at 12bd per octave will still have significant output at 160hz and some at 320 hz the result of which will be an enriched sound from the left speaker in that range and will skew the balance a bit. IF, your problem is NOT related to the left speakers placement near the corner then floor standers might help because the woofer on the left will be operating 3db lower than the sub to get a balanced response with the other floorstander.

As mentioned, for reference only, move your sub to the right side and see what happens to the balance. If you have a SPL meter and a test disc it will be much easier for you and you can run the system in mono on each side to cee the difference in db's between having the woofer on the left or the right, IF there is one.

I'll mention my set up experience experience with floorstanders only to give you an idea of the things you can effect with a little time, an open mind (sonically speaking) and without having to buy any audio acoustic materiels (as opposed to domestically approved stuff). I have the same issue in my room. Wall on the left side, big double door opening on the right side at the speaker location. Room is a bit bigger than yours. Two things have helped me get an excellent sense of width, depth, and balance. The speaker on the 'wall' side is aprox 30" from the side wall and 65" from the back wall. The speaker on the right side is about 12 inches (measured at the tweeter) from the opening where the wall would be, and also 65" from the back wall. The speakers are about 9' apart and I sit about 11 ft from the plane of the speakers. I toe the speakers in so that their axis' cross in front of my listening chair. This minimizes reflections from the left wall, and I believe changes the reflection pattern from the ceiling and helps decouple it from the direct signal. The result is flat +/- 3db except for a small node at 32hz of about 5db. This location took a lot of work and time to find, but it was worth it. BTW, I have pocket doors in the opening and open v closed had little effect on my results.

FWIW. No charge! :-)