Speaker Positioning - ProAc D30RS

Gary, that is a closet. The room is only 8 feet wide. The only way you are going to get decent sound is to put the speakers 4 feet apart and the listening position 5 feet from the speakers. This is tight but if you deaden the surrounding walls appropriately you should be able to generate a nice image.

Yes it is narrow, its a converted garage! 

I have them 6ft apart at the moment and 1ft from the side wall. I think Im losing a lot of base and stereo imaging. Would that make sense?

Thanks

Gary

I've got news Gary, it is always a compromise. Nearer to walls is more bass not less. Farther from walls is less bass not more. This goes both for the speakers and you. Where you sit matters as much for bass response as where you put the speakers. Don't take my word for it, play something with bass, move around and hear how much it changes depending on where you are.  

The biggest single factor in stereo imaging is speakers that are perfectly symmetrical and equidistant. The biggest room factor that can screw that up is first side wall reflections. If they arrive too early or are too loud that is no good. Too early we fix in a big room by moving speakers at least 3 feet from the side walls. You can't do that so next best is a small acoustic panel to absorb that first reflection. Key word being small- it is real easy to over damp a small room and make it dead. One foot square should cover it. 

Then you experiment. Move speakers closer or further apart, a little at a time, and listen. Each time you move the speakers try and listen from a couple different locations- closer to a wall, further away. You will eventually figure out the best you can do in your room and then it is what it is. I have a dedicated room, much bigger. But the process is exactly the same. And yes it is a compromise. 

Thanks millercarbon8,

That is really helpful. Should I also toe them in?  I guess that is trial and error also?

Thanks

Gary

Right. Basically what you are doing is first you try and find the location where you get the smoothest/best response. Then once you have that play with toe in to get the kind of imaging you want. 

All you can do is try and see. That is all anyone can do. What you will find, pointed straight at you the sound stage will be very focused and deep. Angled out more and it will be wider but not as deep, not as focused. There is no right or wrong, it is all about finding the trade-off that is right for you and your situation. 

Another thing, the more directly pointed at you the less going off to the sides creating reflections you will want to absorb or diffuse.  

Towards the end when you think you got it where you want it use a tape measure to tweak them to where they are exactly equidistant and toe in is exactly symmetrical. Right now it will be hard to tell. But once you get it dialed in real good you will find even a fraction of an inch helps bring the sound stage that much more into focus.