Another speaker placement question. HELP

The room isn't everything, but it's a lot. Every room introduces it's own character to the sound.

Trial and error is the best method to achieve the sound YOU like.

I have moved the speakers back about 5 inches and towed them in slightly so the tweeters would meet behind my head. I prefer this as it gives me a wider soundstage. My head is exactly 6 feet from either speaker's midline keeping me and the speakers equadistant. I am the point of a triangle which is equal from midline of the speakers to each other and to my head. The speakers are 6 feet apart from each other and I am 6 feet from midline speaker equally on both sides. Iam getting better focus and better bass but I know it could be better. I'm just not sure where to place them. I could move them back another full foot and still be OK but I fear I would lose distancce in my soundstage. I think my Hales like to breath. I had my speakers 2 feet from the front wall but I find the sound better the way I have them now.

I should mention the front and back walls are half walls but both side walls are full. I have an opening on the right side where one enters but the left side of me makes a corner. It is this corner which makes the left side a bit heavier sounding. I definately do notice a difference when playing music for the first 15 to 20 minutes as the sound is better. Whether it be me or another influence is not known but the difference is there for sure. Even rooms need to warm up. I have my cd's in the left back corner to absorb the sound to make it more even but I will repklace my cd rack with foamin that corner. I think that might solve this problem.

Now I have moved the speakers back another foot so they are actually a foot and a half farther back and they are at least a foot closer to each other. I am now in a perfect equilateral triangle with the distance of the midline of each speaker to each other. At first the sound was horrible but then I moved my couch where I listen more even so my listening position is right in the middle of the couch. This did the trick but I am not convinced it sounds better. I am getting better central focus but the bass is less tight and detailed. The new positioning softened the bass a bit but I'll know for sure when I have an hour or two alone in the house to be able to play. I positioned the speakers exactly the same using the side and front wall to measure from. The speakers may now be 3 feet into the room instead of 5 feet and they are 6 1/2 feet apart as opposed to 7 1/2 feet apart. It sounds equal but I don't know if it's me or if it sounded better with the speakers further out in the room. I will listen tomorrow but I have a feeling I may move the out again 6 inches to see if that tightens the bass. Of course there may be other things at play but I'll live with it a bit and then experiment some more. I have a hunch I'll move them again but I'm not sure what exactly to try next. Further back more to the front wall or further away from the front wall. Any further suggestuions would be appreciated. My sound is different but not necessarily better.I hope with further placement I'll find the best but the Hales are a pain to move let alone measure exactly the same. As always I was able to get them equal but it took me 2 hours to do it. After all that I'm not sure.

Go to your hardware store and get some 'furniture movers', for lack of a better term, which are plastic faced rubber discs which you place under the corners of the speakers base. Then you can just slide them around to your hearts content. Mark or chart the locations which can work as you go. Mark the final location, remove the discs and you are ready to go.

Go to Radio Shack or the Internet and buy a SPL (sound pressure level) meter. Get a test disc, such as sold by Stereophile, which has test tones so you can measure the FR as heard at your listening position. This will really speed up finding the best location for bass response. BTW, don't forget that the location of the listening position is important for the bass (and rest) of the FR.

It takes a long time to find the best location for speakers - so don't think you are going to pin it down the first few times. I've usually set mine up to give the best bass response by moving the speakers and listening seat and then fine tuned the mid/upper frequencies by just moving the speakers. BTW inches count. It doesn't have to be feet.

Setting up speakers ain't magic, it's just hard work, done methodically and documented, to get it right! :-)