Planar speaker placement

@cleeds Well that is interesting and it made me want to check out your system page, but :-( yet another guy who hasn’t shared. Come on dude, let’s see it and maybe I can learn something.

Take a look at the Sound Lab site, I read it all and spoke with them, and at least with their speakers, they recommend treatment behind the speakers.

I’ll also helped multiple friends with Maggies and in each case they preferred having some absorption, diffusion or both on the front wall. Hey, if you get better results without, that saves you expense, cool. But has anyone ever seen instructions from a planar manufacturer advise the owner to NOT use absorption or diffusion behind their speakers? I haven’t. Cheers,
Spencer

sbank
@cleeds. Well that is interesting and it made me want to check out your system page, but :-( yet another guy who hasn’t shared. Come on dude, let’s see it and maybe I can learn something

+1
Imagine playing a poker game with the guys; some decide to show their cards, some don’t. What’s the point ?

With that .....I’d just like to comment that if Kalali can do that with a watermelon, imagine what he can do with a sound room :^)

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sbank
But has anyone ever seen instructions from a planar manufacturer advise the owner to NOT use absorption or diffusion behind their speakers?

From point number 4 in my post here.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/solid-state-amps-for-quad-esl-57/post?postid=1385630#1385630

Direct from the Quad ESL owners manual.

"As a general rule radiation of sound waves from the front and rear of the speaker should be restricted as little as possible. While corners and positions closer to the wall should be avoided. A corner position is often necessary for other types of loudspeakers because it accentuates the low frequencies, but such a position for the Quad will both reduce the bass seriously and cause deterioration of middle frequencies due to standing waves."

It is my opinion

if Planar/ESL companies advertise openly to place speakers well out from the front walls, their sales would drop. So if you place them up close to the front wall you better have something dealing with the back wave. This will vary by room.

"Is your phenomena being observed when the Quads are plugged in and when they are not? "

"What happens when the positions are reversed. Quads on the outside."

The quads do not have to be plugged in . I haven't tried reversing but I am curious .

I am starting to think the back wave is hitting the hard surface of the back wall and is getting blocked from my ears making the imaging clearer.

I posted a pic in my system page . I am in a new room as I just moved 6 months ago and have not done much experimenting yet with any absorption yet .

I picked up 27 sheets of Owens corning yesterday and will be making some treatments soon .

@ct0517 That vintage quad pic is a classic, OMG. Love the pipe!

So I understand the point to avoid corners, but the manual quote doesn't tell me why "sound waves from the front and rear of the speaker should be restricted as little as possible".  Is that a manual for '57s? It's been a while since I owned Quad ESL63USAs and I don't recall if that advice applied to them too. The designs seem similar enough that I'd guess their setup advice is similar too. Anybody with more insights about this? Cheers,
Spencer

Hi sbank
the Quad 57 manual can be downloaded from here.  

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/407327/Quad-Esl-57.html?page=2#manual

The 57 is unique and is a different speaker from the 63 both in the way it sounds and the way it is constructed. As far as construction, the way it was explained to me by Kent at Electrostatic Solutions years ago, and also a local fellow here in Canada that repairs ESL's  

The 57 is durable and tolerant of humidity changes - dry to humid conditions. The '63 with its different build, is not, and if subjected to continued high humidity will break down. Actually come apart.

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So that part of the 57 manual says.

The radiation of the sound waves from both the front and back of the speaker should be restricted as little as possible.

It goes on to say.

If the speaker needs to be close to a wall it should be angled so that reflections are not returned trapped. For example one end of the speaker could almost touch wall provided the other end was say two feet away.

The above assumes a wider room imo, where the speakers are angled in quite a bit at the listener. I Interpret this paragraph as - you can make it work - if you do this, but , for it to work good and really good means, putting them out there - don't be shy - 8^) away from the front wall. This is how I interpret "the back wave being restricted as little as possible "

Now in actual listening where it counts;  I have always listened since the late 70's when I was in my teens, to 2 channel in near field with cone speakers well out from the front wall. I have owned 7 ? different Planars/ESL's , still own 3 ESL's and all have benefited from being well out in the room if possible. 

Cheers Chris