Speaker distance


In a rectangular room is it better to sit further from the speakers or position the speakers further apart and sit closer to them?  Is it a preference or one better than the other?  I’m looking to build a secondary system and haven’t decided which would be better?  Does anyone have experience with either scenario? 

polkalover

Ok - it seems there are a lot of opinions.  Looks like I gotta put it together and experiment.  

Have to use casters, not furniture sliders because speakers are on carpet.  However, carpet is commercial grade and pad is dense thinner rubber also commercial grade.  This is called the "double stick system", meaning the underlayment rubber is glued to the subfloor and the carpet on top is glued to the underlayment.  Basically, this makes a soundproof and vibrationproof surface.  Plus, it's older "curvilinear" carpet, i.e. sculpted, which makes even casters more difficult to roll.  When I change flooring to hard surface I will use self-leveling casters.  As an alternative to the Townshend Podiums, I have first generation anti-vibration plates from this company in Poland.  They are really heavy; overkill for me actually:  https://tewoaudio.pl/

I am another Jim Smith fan. I use REW for efficiency, but one could use their ears to first determine the distance from the front wall to both the speaker and the listening position. I have to solve for both at the same time to get the smoothest bass response. I then experiment with speaker width and toe-in by ear. The beginning width is Jim Smith's tweeter to tweeter distance equals .83 times tweeter to listener distance. One has to experiment in their own room then things get easier and better. 

@parkergetdean 

After months of fiddling around with my speakers to lock in the sound you bet I k know the distances. I still haven’t pulled up the Blue Painters tape from the carpet, much to my wife’s dismay. 😁

Oh, when you come over, don’t forget the popcorn!