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Speakers on the long wall

My Vandersteen 2Ci speakers are now on the long wall of a 13' x 20' room with a 7' 7" ceiling, roughly centered on the wall and about 10" from the front wall, with a TV between them. The listening position is about 9–10 feet away, on the opposite side of the room in front of three windows, and one of the short walls has a 6' opening into the kitchen.​

In a previous setup the speakers were on the 13' wall and sounded excellent, but returning to that arrangement is no longer possible. With the current long‑wall placement, the sound is shallow, a bit lifeless, and the soundstage is poor. This seems to point strongly to room interaction.

This seems like the kind of room many have successfully tamed with careful placement and treatment, so practical advice on how to proceed with room treatments and positioning would be very welcome.

Vandersteen 2Ci, McCormack DNA‑0.5, Marantz CD player.

scooterbug
deep_333
2,491 posts
 

put the speakers ~6 ft from front wall.

keep speakers ~7 feet from each other (3 ft from each side wall) and toe them in towards you

move your seat ~7 ft from speakers (move in closer, midfield)

put a pair of subs on each side wall behind the seat...about ~3 to 4 ft behind...

If things still sound like sht, call vandersteen and tell him that his speakers suck in general...and get a better speaker.

With the current long‑wall placement, the sound is shallow, a bit lifeless, and the soundstage is poor. 

soix
11,259 posts
 

How far apart do you have the speakers, and how far are the fronts of the speakers from the back wall?

sls883
1,069 posts
 

I had a pair of Vandersteen 2CE a number of years ago. I liked them. 

You should try pulling the speakers out into the room about 3 feet.  Try spacing them about 8 ft apart with your chair about 8 feet away.  If I remember, I had mine towed in a little.  That's just a starting point. 

What type of floor are they on?  Do you have them on stands?  I had Sound Anchors filled with sand. 

I actually prefer having my speakers on a long wall. We were in a rental house for a short time.  The room was only about 10 foot in the short direction. I put the Vandersteens on the short wall and it sounded awful. Like being in a tunnel.  We weren't there long, so I didn't try different placement. 

scooterbug's avatar
scooterbug OP
16 posts
 

There is 6 ft between the inside edges of the speakers, and the front of the speaker is 28" away from the wall.

They are on the Sound Lab stands on a cement (carpeted) floor.    

lanx0003
2,015 posts
 

So it literally leaves you 4–5 ft between the MLP and the back wall. If untreated, it can reflect sound waves that smear the image, create standing waves, and reduce depth. In addition to diffusers on the front wall between the speakers, you will need to place absorbers (not diffusers) to treat the back wall. It’s important to note that if there is ample distance behind the MLP, a diffuser is great for retaining spatial cues — but in your case, the space behind you is limited. 

If you want to retain spaciousness without sacrificing clarity, an effective compromise is to place absorbers on the lower half of the back wall and diffusers on the upper half.

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