Equipment Rack Between Speakers...Good or Bad


This question came up in another current thread and I thought it would be more appropriate to start a new thread to address it. My rack is between my speakers. In the past I have tried it off to the side and didn't notice any sonic advantage. I have seen in in the past that there are some strong feelings on this subject, and I am interested in hearing what everyone has to say.
128x128roxy54
@helomech, I suspect you’re right in that the speaker baffles should be in front of the rack or at least level. 

On the other hand I have also read that one noted speaker designer who believes that neither close wall placement or having the ubiquitous Hi-Fi / TV rack in between does anything harmful to the sound. In fact he promotes the idea on the grounds he can control the room / speaker dispersion patterns better and that the rack in between helps break up standing waves etc.

He may well be right, at least in regard to his deigns, and he probably (definitely in my case) knows more than the both of us combined regarding the science behind the matter. 

I did occasionally wish I had the room to find out for myself, but space considerations always forced me to use designs which allow close wall proximity (and the rack / wall mounted TV in between). And nowadays worrying about such audio finesses is the least of my concerns. But who knows the future, maybe one day I’ll get the itch back.

*Turntable placement on the other hand is another headache altogether - and that definitely matters.

kenjit,

It's an old picture, and the room is now carpeted and the speakers moved closer in. It sounds really good. Anyway, I'm not complaining about my setup, just asking what others think about both options.

d2girls,

It is a PDS-95, and I love it.

I have my system and tv in-between, no other choice so I deal with it. but I do find if I angle the TV (mounted on the wall) up apposed to down it makes a difference in the sound staging. quite noticeable. not sure what is better but it was an eyeopener as to how much sound is coming from the center in reflection. 

I need to find a nice way to do room acoustics that are not homely looking for a main living area (I live in a loft).