Is it even possible to set up a system in 12x12 room?


I am moving next week and there is an extra room that is 12x12 with 9 foot ceiling. This will not be my main system but I have an extra gear I would like to use. I have never set up a system in a square room and definitely not this small of a room. I have a couple pair of 8 ohm 87 db monitors that go down around 40 to 50hz and a pair of 6 ohm 87db floorstanders that go to 27hz with ports in the front. I have a el84 tube amp that is 25 watts and a 150 watt solid state amp with a tube Preamp. The couch will have to go directly on back wall and may be able to pull speakers 2 to 3 feet off front wall and maybe a foot or so off side walls. Is there anyway to make this enjoyable to listen too? I know I'm going to have to treat room but where would panels perform best or am I wasting my time?
paulcreed
@paulcreed Sounds like you have a little work to do to get all of that gear into the room. The fact that it will be dedicated means that in all likelihood it should sound great!
Placing gear as low as possible can also pay dividends. Although having the LP12 on a wall mount is probably a good idea. I have mine on a center stand that is very massive ( yes I know that’s not what Linn likes) but I use a Tramp 2 and this seems to alleviate any issues with that. I also place the power supply on a separate lightweight shelf with Harmonix footers beneath it. The WTA arm replaced an Ekos 1 in my set up. It is FAR more transparent and resolving and a lot more precise across the frequency spectrum. The imaging jumped up a notch and the air around instruments was much better delineated. There was a minor loss in bass power but not in bass precision. Overall, a major increase in SQ. Having heard your previous set up with an Aro, I can say that the WTA is a far more precise and accurate sounding arm than the Aro. ( I never like a pivot point bearing on any arm, very easy to hear the chatter as it pivots off the point, IME) To that, I think that the very poor cabling that comes with the Linn arms and the Aro is a real detriment to the table. The Nordost Tyr that I use from the arm to the preamp is in a different league to the stock cables and connectors that come on the Naim and Linn arms. Odd that both Linn and Naim don’t seem to place much emphasis on this highly imperative aspect! Oh, set-up...that’s another thing. I am VERY lucky i have a set up wizard near me, no way i could attempt to set up the table, or the WTA by myself! The WTA is very difficult to set up...and not for the hobbyist like myself to consider! To that I have mounted a Lyra Kleos ( fabulous match) and the set up there needs to be ultra precise to get it to sing. Took my set up wizard hours and hours to do...if that tells you anything.

I had this same dilemma and settled on a pair of Quad 57's with a small subwoofer. Amazing sound since, when one puts the speakers about 3 feet from the wall, one is in an ideal listening position to listen to these marvelous performers. Like opening a window to a performance. Could always put a small sub in also if desired. Won't work for rock music!!!!!
I too have a 12x12 audiophile room, and vaulted ceiling up to 20 feet with a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Sig II Speakers driven by a pair McIntosh monoblocks 601 watts each and a Mac tube preamp, two large acoustic panels behind each speakers and two behind the back wall,  I tell you, when I’m listening to my music and volume at 50% or higher, it sounds like listening to a live band, it’s so clean and clear like having an audiophile headphone over your ears.
Thanks everyone for there support, I thought I was an odd ball with such a small room, looks like I was totally wrong. Looks like many have had great results with a small room. I am going to set up everything this weekend and see what happens, I'm going to break down some of the racks and use the maple shelves on the floor to keep things low if I can. I have some spikes and old Nordost pulsar and Quasar footers to use on carpet over concrete floors if I can. I also looked at GIK panels not bad prices either just need to figure out how many and where to place them. Soon as I get things up and running I'll report back.