Speaker Placement Info Needed


I think the best tweak for any system may begin with better speaker placement. Can anyone help me with input on what I should try? I have B&W 803 Matrix Series IIs that are 20" from the back wall and 4 feet from the side walls and 6-7 feet apart. I recently pointed them in towards my listening position approx. 8-10 feet away and heard the difference in centered instruments, vocals and imaging. What other positions do you recommend that I try and what books or articles should I read? Also, should I get the sound anchor speaker stands, or maybe upgrade to different spikes from the standard B&W spikes, etc. All comments are very much appreciated.

Thanks.
bigkidz

Showing 1 response by soix

With your speakers only 20" from the back wall you're probably getting a lot of room reinforcement, which is not necessarily a bad thing depending on your room, equipment, and tastes. I'd first try moving them out about 4' from the wall just to see what happens, but you're likely to find that the sound separates more from the room and the speakers, and the soundstage should open up considerably(as the speakers are closer to you, you might not want as much toe-in as those B&W tweeters can get a little bright close up). One thing to watch with this is if the midrange still blends seamlessly with the treble, as with B&Ws I've found them not to be as coherent as others in a nearfield setup. After trying 4' out from the wall you can scootch them back and forth depending on what sounds better(at some points it will sound more boomy than others as you move in and out of room nodes), but at least this way you'll know what your speakers can sound like without as much influence from the room. Best of luck.

Tim