Speakers sound best facing wall????


Should I complain? - After months of tweaking and testing various components, I found my perfect sound. It really sounds beautiful and genuine (I listen only to classical; and authenticity is paramount), and the stereo image is there, when speakers are turned away from me, facing the wall at 135 degrees. I am looking at their backs when listening,

So, I am really happy. Or should I? With that very odd speaker position, something must be very wrong somewhere???

Ever since I took on my old hobby again (it had been in neglect for 30 years), bought 2 different solid state amplifiers (a powerful and very well balanced Sony TA-FA3ES, and a lower quality Technics), 2 different cd players (Arcam and Cyrus), 2 different sets of loudspeakers (Heybrook Heylo and Tannoy Revolution), a Velodyne subwoofer, a power conditioner (Belkin) and 2 sets of shielded IEC power cables and interconnects, I have been battling a problem:

*****an ear-piercing treble*****

No matter how low I would adjust the treble on my amplifier, and no matter the combination of amps, cd players, speakers etc., their position, my armchair's position, that problem was still there... until I turned the speakers away from me.

Room acoustics? - Well, all my equipment is in my living room, which has a normal height, and an odd, asymetrical shape. See plan. The house is made of timber, and the walls are painted plaster panels, with 2 dozens glass covered pictures in wooden frames. The room is carpeted, and slightly emptier than an average living room (3 armchairs, 2 wooden cabinets and audio rack). The wall which the speakers are facing has a curtain. The speakers are 130cm / 4ft away from the wall.

If not the room acoustics, what may be causing the ear-piercing treble when speakers are turned towards me? - Dirty power that the power conditioner cannot cope with? Faulty tweeters (on 2 different sets of speakers???)? Should I worry, since I have my perfect sound with the speakers facing the wall? - Any advice appreciated!
waryn
Tpreaves,,, You bet, but it's all in good fun, we heckle each other at every opportunity, the weekends she and others spend at are place or at the lake spot are riddled with male bashing and other post relationship shots, it keeps everyone entertained.
You can orient your speakers any way you want. IF it works for you, then that's really all that matters. Congratulations on an innovative solution that likely also saved you a lot of $$$$s otherwise.

I can relate to some degree. When I sit at my desk located behind my Dynaudio monitors to work the speakers are facing the wall behind me. This works fine for me for casual listening. I would probably not trade it for the sweet spot though.

IF you have found the "sweet spot" in your case, then you should be golden.
I have been quite amazed by the ecellent imaging delivered by the Bose 901s that I have in my swimming pool room. They reside amid a jungle of plants. It ain't supposed to work, but it does.
"It ain't supposed to work, but it does."

I'm assuming you are referring to reflected sound?

If so, it absolutely does work! Just listen to any live un-amplified acoustic performance for proof.

Its also at work in most any home setup through speakers, just to varying degrees. Room treatments and other setup tweaks (like speaker orientation) can be used to adjust it but nothing short of an anechoic chamber or headphones perhaps can practically eliminate it. But since live music does not normally occur in an anechoic chamber, why even care? Its why many prefer to listen with speakers rather than headphones.

SO it is something one must deal with one way or another. It is something to tame and/or leverage in each case, not fear.
Good point ,,,Mapman,, There are many things with audio that are technologically wrong but for some reason sound better. I guess it means we still have a lot to learn.
I still wonder, if it sounds bad, the further away and less direct it is the better?