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 2 responses by sbank

S7horton is absolutely correct. Don't change your speakers it won't help.

I partially agree w/SNS, but not sure you need a panel on the right(movable or not). Absorption on the left is key. Take a look at my room photos. I have portable panels on my right side, that would make sense for you, too. Of course if you are going to the trouble, you might as well put them on both sides for serious listening.

There is a company that makes absortption panels that look like reproductions of famous works of art(Chagall, Monet, etc). They're kinda pricey, if I recall, but could be a lifesaver given your situation. Perhaps someone can chime in w/specifics about them. Cheers,
Spencer
A good way to understand what's happening is play test tones from a test CD, and record the values measured on an spl meter(located where you ears normally are), change the sub settings and/or move the sub & repeat. If you need more details on how to do this, ask.