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Speaker Placement Issue/Thoughts

I'm not sure if it's my hearing, my rooms (I've had the stereo in three different ones over the past few years), or a recording bias, but I consistently hear my image being biased slightly left of center.

I've had to resort to balance controls to fix this issue, but have also tried various speaker placement solutions (Thiel 1.6s and now 2.4s). When thinking about how to address the problem, I regularly get stuck in what feels like a logical paradox.

So, to shift the center image to the right, I can alternatively convince myself either that I should A) make the right speaker louder by moving it closer to me, or B) move the right speaker further away to shift the actual center of stereo speakers. Unfortunately every time I try to test this, so much ends up changing (the damn spikes are so hard to deal with) that I never figure out which is the appropriate solution.

Maybe I just need to pay a professional to come in and place everything for me...
128x128cal3713
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cal3713 OP
1,421 posts
 
PC and Jetson, I think you are both correct. I remember reading about someone with a McIntosh stereo amp actually noticing a difference in their right & left meters and getting worried that something was wrong, only to decide later that it was simply a louder left channel in a number of recordings.

That said, I think my room is still amplifying the left channel, and the fact that the left speaker is in a corner, while the right is truly on a long wall (but with a close by doorway) isn't going to help. Fortunately, I don't think the seating direction isn't really an issue, as I just sit facing directly forward (where the TV is) rather than actually following the plane of the couch.

I started reading the "Get Better Sound" book, it looks like it is going to be very valuable... and will be an easy, and interesting read at the worst.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I think your issue is set-up related. I have read "Get Better Sound"
and actually use a digital laser measuring device ($50 Home Depot) and got
everything to within 1/16th. It made a big difference. I placed a dot on the wall
behind my listening seat and reference toe-in, tweeter distance, and speaker
height to that spot. Also tweeter distance to the side walls. Each speaker is
symmetrical to within a 1/16th. It sounds obsessive, but the sonic improvement
was well worth the effort. A tape or thread is not accurate enough for this
important task.

I later hired Jim Smith to voice my system to my room. He ended up changing
my speaker locations and listening seat only a few inches, but it was a dramatic
improvement after many months of experimentation. For the relatively low cost,
it was by far the highest value improvement to my system's sound in ten years in
this hobby.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I think your issue may be set-up related. I have read "Get Better
Sound" and actually use a digital laser measuring device ($50 Home
Depot) and got everything to within 1/16th. It made a big difference. I
placed a dot on the wall behind my listening seat and reference toe-in,
tweeter distance, and speaker height to that spot. Also tweeter distance to
the side wall. Each speaker is symmetrical to within a 1/16th. It sounds
obsessive, but the sonic improvement was well worth the effort. A tape or
thread is not accurate enough for this important task.

I later hired Jim Smith to voice my system to my room. He ended up changing
my speaker locations and listening seat only a few inches, but it was a
dramatic improvement after many months of experimentation. For the
relatively low cost, it is by far the highest value improvement to my system's
sound.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713 OP
1,421 posts
 
I think I'm going to try the grid system suggested within "Get Better Sound" this weekend... I do find the prospect of hiring an audiologist attractive, but I doubt I live in this house for more than one or two more years, so I'd rather save that money for a longer-term living situation (how much do they cost, btw?). I'm also a researcher and scientist, so I find the prospect of solving the problem with my own two hands mildly attractive. I also agree with Jetson that the room is really funneling the sound from the left-speaker to the listening position, so perhaps there isn't going to be an easy solution without lots of acoustic treatment to deal with those room reflection points.
tholt
547 posts
 
It's unfortunate the room setup seems compromised from the get go. But dialing in your speakers is the absolute first step before you do anything else. Once that is done and if you are still hearing anomalies, then you can address them. Good luck! I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
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